Herzogenaurach, February 2006 -

The background
The upper body is leaning forward, the shoulders slowly drooping, the arm and leg movements are not as rounded as they once were. Sounds familiar? For athletes at least, these are clear signs of fatigue building up. With drooping shoulders and forward-leaning upper body, it is more difficult to breathe in and out, which means less oxygen intake. The "non-rounded" movements lack efficiency, which means more energy is wasted with every metre.

The challenge

With this problem in mind, the adidas innovation team set to work. If – with the help of new technology, a new suit, the fatigue phase could be delayed, this should result in considerable performance enhancement both for short and long distances.

The concept
”The first stage was to look at top athletes and see how they move,” says Project Leader James Lamont of the adidas innovation team, and relatively soon it became clear that the athlete's muscles were the key to the new technology as individual groups of muscles are responsible for fast movement. ”As a result we could understand how we could complement the movements they make - by applying compression in key areas and enhancing their explosive power with Powerweb bands.”

Compression and energy management
Compression supports leg muscles and reduces muscle vibration and oscillation, thus redu

cing energy loss and muscle fatigue. The Powerweb technology serves as energy management. The simple mechanism: Follow the natural movements of the muscles and enhance the movements. TPU power bands embodied in the suit along key muscle groups contract and expand together with the muscles and thereby store energy when stretching and return energy when contracting back.

The achievement
Additionally, the Powerweb bands link the legs with the power centre of the body, the abdominal muscles, and also with the upper body. On the one hand, through the interaction of all muscles, greater efficiency is achieved, while on the other hand athletes feel a support function which automatically helps them to maintain a more upright position.

”We started developing the suit five years ago,” James Lamont explains. ”Firstly for athletes in the sprint sector, and taking it from there we have continually expanded and improved the concept.” One of the first prototypes of the suit caused a big surprise back in 2003, when Kim Collins became World Sprint Champion in the 100 metres in Paris.

The tests
Of course the advantages of the new suit have also been thoroughly tested. In controlled laboratory tests conducted together with the University of Calgary, an average 5.3% improvement in energy output and 1.1% faster sprint time was measured over 30 metres. But most importantly, the testers registered a 1.3% reduction in oxygen consumption on test subjects wearing the new suit. A clear indication that the onset of fatigue is delayed.

The new suit in detail
With its shaped, three-dimensional engineering, the adidas Clima TechFit™ suit fits like a second skin, helping muscles work more powerfully and efficiently while maintaining your body at the optimum temperature using the Clima365 system and Powerweb technology.

Clima365 system:

Its objective is to provide athletes with the optimal comfort and climate solution using the latest technologies.

ClimaLite ® technology:
The fabric wicks and transports sweat away from the skin to the outer fabric face for quick evaporation. ClimaLite ® thus enhances the body’s natural temperature regulation functions.

ClimaProof ® technology:
The fabric will stop wind and rain while maximizing sweat evaporation. ClimaProof® technology uses a thin breathable membrane located in a strategic position on the suit to prevent wind chill effect and to optimize freedom of movement.

Powerweb technology (i.e. TPU bands):
The highly elastic TPU bands (TPU = thermoplastic urethane) support the natural expansion and contraction of the musculoskeletal system while performing. They provide elastic support and performance enhancement of key muscle groups.

Power Lycra ® technology:
Controls and reduces muscle vibration, maximizing power while reducing energy loss, muscle fatigue and the risk of cramps.