New Under Armour ReCharge body suit

Under Armour body suit helps with aches
New product reduces healing time after a workout
New body suit


Model Dan Miller shows Under Armour's new two-piece body suit, which the company says will help athletes and exercise enthusiasts recover more quickly from the aches and pains caused by tiny tears in the muscles that follow a strenuous workout. (Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina Perna / May 18, 2009)

Many athletes train by the old concept of "no pain, no gain," and now sports apparel company Under Armour thinks it has a way to make that pain go away a little faster.

The Baltimore company is introducing a first of its kind, two-piece body suit this summer that it says will help athletes and exercise enthusiasts recover more quickly from the aches and pains caused by tiny tears in the muscles that follow a strenuous workout.

The fitted, long-sleeved suit, which covers the body from chest to foot, is to be worn for 24 hours after a workout and pushes excess water from the muscles and into the bloodstream to reduce swelling and help the micro tears heal more quickly. It comes in gray with black patches along key areas of the body, including the calves and shoulders, and has Under Armour's heat gear technology, so it will keep you cool even if you wear it under clothes.

If it is a success, analysts said, it has the potential to jump-start a largely untapped market in the sportswear industry - that of "recovery" wear.

"It's one of those things where if it works, or more importantly if people believe it works, it can be massive," said Matt Powell, an analyst with SportsOneSource, which tracks sportswear sales. "It can be a whole new frontier for us as an industry." Powell said his company hasn't tracked the "recovery" category of sportswear apparel because the market is "virtually non-existent" right now.

Creation of the body hugging suit, which Under Armour calls "recharge," is also part of a strategy by the company to use innovation to distinguish itself from competitors. The company will also introduce a pair of slides, including one that has a footbed that will gently massage the foot.

"We don't want to be known just as the company who invented compression, we want to be the thought leader in the industry," said David Ayers, Under Armour director of men's team sports and international apparel.

Kevin Plank, Under Armour founder and chief executive officer, told shareholders at the company's annual meeting earlier this month that the creation of new products was key to the company's future growth and one thing they wouldn't cut back during the weak economy. In a sense the company is going back to its roots, since Under Armour was founded on innovation. Plank took compression fabric that already existed and expanded on it to eventually become the dominant player in the compression market.

"This brand has not yet built its defining product," Plank said recently.

Compression suit
Under Armour used research by the University of Connecticut along with its own research to develop the suit, which goes on sale in July. The top will cost $89.99 and the bottom $99.99 The suit works by using compression to target certain muscles to reduce swelling and decrease soreness time. Much like a cast holds together a broken arm; it also aligns and stabilizes muscles for faster repair.

Officials from the University of Connecticut tested the suit on 11 women and 9 men who trained in conditions equal to or surpassing the severity of an NCAA-level football game.

They were taken through a full-body workout that included squats, barbell exercises and pull-ups. Using blood samples, interviews with the subjects and ultrasounds, they found that the subjects had less muscle soreness, less swelling and fewer signs of muscle damage after wearing the suit, said William Kraemer, the professor who led the testing and has done years of research on compression products. People also slept better and had more vitality the next day.

"Apparently this suit wasn't that uncomfortable to wear," Kraemer said.

Dr. John Leddy, a sports medicine doctor at University Sports Medicine at the University of Buffalo School of Medicine, said that compression is theoretically good for preventing or reducing swelling in muscles after activity.

"It's the same principle as taping someone after an injury," Leddy said. But using tape to wrap muscles is probably more effective than clothing because its effect is more targeted on particular body parts, he said. "In theory, this could be helpful," Leddy said. "How much? Nobody knows."

Ayers said recovery wear is more prominent in Europe than in America, where it is a tiny niche market. Reebok and Nike didn't respond to inquiries about whether they carried or planned to introduce "recovery" products. Sparks-based Fila said it doesn't carry such products.

Analysts said products that improve an athlete's performance often sell well. Speedo has earned wild success with high-tech swimsuits that increase swim speed. Several years ago it was the Speedo Fatskin that helped many swimmers set world marks. The swimsuit company now has the LZR Racer which is even more popular among swimmers and costs several hundred dollars. The suit was developed in cooperation with NASA and is designed to reduce drag, has laser-bonded seams and increases oxygen efficiency by 5 percent.

"Its success will depend on how effective the product will work for the athlete," Howe Burch, a former Reebok and Fila executive who now works for TBC advertising firm in Baltimore, said about Under Armour's recharge suit. "Athletes are looking for a competitive edge and something that will improve their performance."

Performance strategy
Ayers said athlete's performance is a large part of the company's strategy. The suit is made for athletes of all levels, Ayers said, and will be available in the Baltimore area at Dick's Sporting Good stores in Bel Air, Columbia and Hunt Valley.

"The premise is to make all athletes better and that's what drives us," Ayers said.

Tom Zbikowski, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, tried the suit several times during last season's football game and said he felt less pain the day after a game or hard training session.

"You definitely feel much better after using it," he said. "You just have a lot less soreness. You just feel much better when you wake up. Usually, it takes five or 10 minutes the day after a game to get out of the bed. You don't want to move at all. It helps in that aspect."

Zbikowski, who is an Under Armour athlete and provides feedback on products, said he's looking forward to using the suit at football camp this summer.

"Technology, sports and science have come a long way to find different ways to rejuvenate and get the most out of your body," Zbikowski said.

Check out Under Armour ReCharge suite this summer at: StrongerWorkouts.com