Ah, chasing away those lockdown blues. Some people might simply be tempted to sink into couch-potato mode and merely watch sporting achievements on TV. On the other hand, those who have enjoyed the benefits of a personal fitness regimen — whether in a club, with a personal trainer or self-organized — may be keener than ever before to keep up the glow of those endorphins, the general feeling of good health and a sense of personal achievement.
At the vigorous extreme of this sporting spectrum is where we might find this year’s Olympic contestants. Indeed, the ability of organizers and these top athletes to navigate and surmount pandemic difficulties to bring together these 2021 Games is testament to an indomitable spirit — and an inspiration for us to keep pursuing our own personal bests.
“Faster, Higher, Stronger” Is the Olympics Motto
With the launch of the modern Olympic movement in 1894, three words were chosen to encourage athletes to give their best in competition, and so the famous Olympic motto was born: in Latin, “Citius, Altius, Fortius” — meaning “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
It is a simple yet powerful motto — and one which has resonance even for those of us who exercise, train or play sports for simple recreation rather than for international competition. It speaks to the personal goals we set ourselves.
We Too Are Empowered to Achieve
Although Olympic teams seek to extend the personal bests of their athletes by equipping them with the latest advances in performance-optimizing and safety-enhancing materials, it is good to know that many of these advanced materials are now widely available to us in the consumer market.
Indeed, it is worth taking a moment to consider how the sports clothing and equipment that we can purchase today enable you and me — the average person — to exercise and train in ways Olympians — even as recently as 20 years ago — may not have dreamed possible.
This is an evolution powered by innovation and advances in chemically created high-performance materials — that is to say, materials created by scientists and engineers.
Such innovation has taken us, for instance, from the woollen type of swimwear used in the Games at the turn of the 20th century to ever more performance-optimizing artificial materials: starting from the water-resistant nylon of the 1950s, progressing to lighter Lycra in the 1980s, and bringing us in the 21st century to fabrics invented to mimic the streamlined skin of that fastest of sea animals, the shark.
Meanwhile, back on land, materials have been created to be kinder to human bodies in the pursuit of fitness and sporting bests.
An Example May Be Right Under Your Feet
Consider your latest gym treadmill, flooring, sports shoes or arena running tracks. Remember when they were not so forgiving to impact?
To jog your memory, you may have to think back to approximately 15 years ago — to 2007 when German chemical innovators at BASF invented a high-performance plastic material as elastic as rubber, but much lighter and more durable and shock-absorbent. It brought the important benefit of being kinder on human joints and other areas of impact — not only cushioning, but returning energy, like a boost, back to the user. The material was able to do so across a wide range of temperatures and environments, unlike previous kinds of plastics or natural materials.
This (the world’s first expanded thermoplastic polyurethane, or E-TPU) was given the trade name Infinergy®. However, it might be more familiar to you as simply a key component of your advanced sports shoes, the ones with insoles that release energy back to you as you walk, jump or run. This technology may be said to have revolutionized the athletic experience and has been evocatively described by one brand (Adidas) as “running on tiny precision-engineered clouds.” Of course, the technology has also found its way to industrial work shoes, dress shoes, trekking boots and so on.
Aspiring to Personal Bests – Safely
You’ll find this high-performance responsive material used across all areas of sports, work and play — bringing more safety, comfort and durability to anything from children’s play areas to footwear to fitness equipment. This includes bicycle seats, yoga mats, and safety or impact sports armour such as helmets.
This now allows anyone to train and play with the level of care of professional athletes — whether it be in our simple daily exercise routine, or in friendly or more high-stakes competition.
We have certainly come a long way since the early days of fitness and sports, and advances in performance material technology innovation continue to make sure we have the benefit of safety and support while we take part, empowering us to get up and push forward our personal bests.
Click here to find out more about how Infinergy empowers athletes to get the best out of their workout