Apr
08
Peak Performance: The Science Behind Sportswear
- 8 April 2024
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Science and Sportswear
It might seem straightforward to just walk into a sports store and pick out some clothing, but did you know there’s a whole lot of science behind sportswear? It took a hundred years of research, improvements, and scientific inquiry to arrive at the sportswear we have today. Let me explain the science behind what seems like simple sportswear.
Types of Materials
Firstly, there are numerous types of materials. One garment might be made of polyester, another of nylon, and yet others of a polyamide blend. It all starts with athletes’ desires for fit, moisture permeability, and stretchiness. Based on these desires, scientists search for the perfect blend of materials. Almost all sportswear is synthetic because only then can you fabricate the best properties. Researchers are constantly searching for the perfect polyester blend that enhances fabric properties even further. Consider aspects like moisture permeability, aerodynamics, compression, and comfort. The athlete with the best clothing has the advantage. Think of sports like cycling, running, and triathlons, where the best gear can lead to time savings of tens of seconds.
Moisture Permeability
Moisture permeability, or the ability to wick away sweat, is perhaps the most critical aspect of sportswear. Sportswear that does this perfectly provides much higher comfort and thus better performance for athletes. Scientists have developed polyester fabrics that actively absorb sweat droplets from your body and actively release them to the outside through the fabric. This allows your sweat to evaporate through your sportswear without making your outfit wet.
This leads to a significant increase in body cooling, reduction in chafing, and discomfort during serious exertions. And to achieve all this, scientists must first ensure that they create the very best fabric with precisely these properties. Exactly with the right mix of materials and structural design.
Temperature Optimization
Sportswear with thermal properties is actually very unique. These fabrics are specially designed by scientists for changing temperatures. For example, thermal fabrics have been developed that retain body heat in cold weather while still wicking away moisture. This way, you don’t overheat, your clothing stays dry, and you stay warm. This would never be possible with a cotton fabric that would become soaked and cause you to cool down significantly.
There are even fabrics that adjust their structure as temperatures change. This means you have a product that maintains the right body temperature for every weather condition. These materials are used, for example, in our custom winter cycling jackets.
Compression Technology
Compression fabrics provide perfect pressure distribution on the muscles. This approach is highly scientific because these fabrics ensure the optimal blood flow to certain muscles. This makes a real difference in whether or not you win as an athlete. Scientific studies investigate which fabrics have the most positive effect on the body. The right fabrics make such a difference that with the right compression sportswear, you may or may not be able to win races in cycling, running, and triathlon.
Aerodynamics
This might seem obvious because the faster the clothing, the faster your sports activity times. Scientists have made a complete study of developing fabrics that cause perfect airflow along the body. Think of fabrics for time trials, sprinters, swimmers, and many more sports. Every tenth of a second counts.
Scientists test fabrics in wind tunnels to produce a fabric with the least air resistance and thus make an athlete faster. The focus in this discipline is to adjust the surfaces of fabrics so that an athlete can become faster.
Preventing Injuries
Think of fabrics that reduce impact on the body. Researchers are working to ensure that clothing for sports like ice hockey and American football reduces impact on the body. Over the years, serious high-tech fabrics have been incorporated into this clothing to better protect the athlete. But also think of knee pads for volleyball players, helmets for cyclists, and football gloves for goalkeepers. All these fabrics aim to protect the user optimally. They wouldn’t have been possible without scientific research.
Comfort and Fit
Sportswear designers are constantly analyzing body shapes and movement. The focus here is on fabric stretchability, reducing friction, and the intensity of the sports activity. In short, comfort and fit are crucial for the athlete’s performance.
Did you know that we at TD create custom clothing? You can design your own clothing for these sports: