Best Fitness Apparel for Your Performance

Partnering with Cuore

I am very excited to have Yann Kai Oh with me today from Cuore. She has been helping me immensely the last few months as we have worked on strategy and design for the BOOST Health Performance Apparel line that is now live at the website shop. She is also one heck of an athlete, well known around Hong Kong as one of the best cyclists and runners on the road and owns many Queen of the Mountain and Course Record titles on Strava! I like that Yann Kai is not only is great at her role in helping businesses build amazing custom fitness gear but also is an ambassador for health, fitness, and using proper gear out in the “field”. This way no assumptions have to be made on how the pieces fit, feel, or perform. 

Let me tell you a bit more about Yann Kai – She studied Mathematics in university in Cambridge and was not super athletic in those days. With that educational background, she spent 10 years in consultancy and banking, in the field of risk management, which is also what brought her to Hong Kong 7 years ago. Just before moving to Hong Kong, she started running – just to get out, and picked up cycling when she moved and this is where running and cycling became part of her lifestyle. Hong Kong is wild place to start cycling! About 18 months ago, she came across the opportunity to join CUORE to oversee and grow the Asia Business – an entirely different industry and nature of work but something she is truly passionate about and enjoys!

She has some amazing race results. For cycling, in 2014 she was the overall winner at Tour de Tayabas (yellow, sprint and polka jersey), and Tour of Matabungkay 2014 (yellow and polka).  These were both in the Philippines which resulted in her being the overall winner of the 4 race Philippines national series. I can say in riding with Yann Kai she has no weakness on hill or flat so no surprise on these jerseys. She also took part in the 2014 Taiwan KOM and came 6th woman overall there.  For those of you who are not privy, this is an amazing challenge of climbing for hours and hours on end. Her running achievements are just as impressive. She has been first overall woman in China Coast Half Marathon race in Hong Kong 2 times and first overall woman in the Clearwater Bay Chase 10km 2 times, and first overall woman in the Victoria to Peak 10km race in Hong Kong one time.

Yann Kai can you tell us a bit more about your role at Cuore?
Thanks Paul for your very kind words and for having me on your show. I’m really honoured and excited to be a guest. I oversee the Asia business at CUORE.

Can you tell us about the Cuore mission statement or key objectives?
CUORE was established 29 years ago by former professional cyclist and national level coach, Mr. Hugo Gibel, a Swiss Italian. Not to sound clichéd but essentially not satisfied with the quality of cycling apparel at the time, Hugo set about to produce kit that was functional and comfortable. The focus was (and still is) to produce kit that reflects our mission of achieving Swiss Precision meeting Italian Passion.

Very interesting thank you for sharing. I am very familiar with the Cuore gear as I have been wearing kits for the South Island Road Cyclcing (SIRs) club and the Dragons Triathlon Club for over 1 year now which are both made by Cuore. I can say the kits are among the best quality training gear I have ever used. And in the Hong Kong summer heat and humidity…it is likely the most abused gear I have ever worn! We are talking about wring it out, and let it drip dry before you wash it, kind of abuse. The durability, comfort, and quality stand up to tough conditions. I have always wanted to design my own fitness apparel and after seeing the quality, process, and success of Cuore locally in Hong Kong, and worldwide, it was a no brainer for me to approach them about partnering on this venture.

It appears that fitness apparel is here to stay and will grow quite a bit in the next decade or so. According to businessinsider.com research report published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., the global market for Sports and Fitness Clothing is projected to reach US$231.7 billion by 2024. It is believed this is due to increase in participation in sports and fitness and a higher percentage of people focusing on living a healthier lifestyle. And actually the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is projected to be highest for Asia Pacific region in the forecast period at 6.9%.

Yann Kai are you all seeing big growth in the Asia region for fitness gear and healthier lifestyle? It seems like everyone I tell about my business model locally says that I should have a newly interested market in Hong Kong and Asia in general. It seems that health and fitness are becoming increasingly popular in Asia in recent years. This may be more fitness specific is new because holistic wellness is nothing new in Asia.

 Absolutely. Health and fitness is a growing and evolving industry. Looking at Hong Kong, it was reported in third quarter of 2017 by the Asian Academy for Sports and Fitness Professionals that the number of gyms in Hong Kong has grown 35.6% in the past eight years (from 548 to 743). The fitness industry is valued at HKD 2billion, or USD 250 million. The increase is not just in numbers, but also the range – from the typical gym conglomerates which offer free weights, exercise machines, the mills and spin bikes and classes, to gyms which offers very specific strength and conditioning workouts like CrossFit or Spartan. Of course, there is yoga which is a whole other genre. That’s what happens “indoors”.

In Hong Kong, running, cycling and triathlon has definitely picked up. The first edition of the iconic Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon was held in 1997, running from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, China symbolizing the return of Hong Kong’s sovereignty to China. There were 1,000 entries that year. The 2018 edition had close to 75,000 sign ups running across three marathons, six half marathons, and multiple 10k races – just to put things in perspective, 75,000 is 1% of the Hong Kong population. In Cycling, this will be the 4th year that Sun Hung Kai is sponsoring the Hong Kong Cyclothon. In 2017, about 5,000 participants took part in the event and a UCI Asia Tour Class 1.1 Road Race was also held in conjunction with 17 professional cycling teams, including WorldTour cycling team Michelson-Scott, from 12 countries and regions competing. Just last week, it was announced that the Hammer series will be brought here to Hong Kong. The fact that they are bringing all these events here shows that there is huge interest in this respect and such interest is generated by the fact that people are becoming more interested in the sport and living a healthier lifestyle. On the triathlon front, China’s Wanda bought World Triathlon Corporation in 2015 who own the world famous Ironman franchise and China has gone from having 2 or 3 70.3 events a year to 5 this year.

And I have not even touched on trail running! This is like in National Sport in Hong Kong. The point is that it is evident that there is growth and as a result everyone needs gear that performs well under all conditions and is reliable – that’s where we come in. We specialise in custom kit where CUORE is unique in that we own and operate our manufacturing facility and that gives us full control of the QC process, one that we are proud to say is stringent enough to support our products that are for the Japanese market. We are also unique in that we offer tailor options to ensure your custom kit truly fits you.

Extra Medium

Let’s turn our conversation to performance and fitness gear. Starting with compression. I have personally been wearing compression gear pretty much since Under Armour hit the market in the late 90’s. I was still at university and wanted a workout top that was form fitting and would wisk away sweat. Under Armour made a sleeveless top at the time that was the standard polyester/elastaine blend for form fitting and moisture wicking. I loved it because it fit like a glove and didn’t get heavy when it got sweaty. You know how cotton feels like it weighs 100 pounds when wet with sweat. The durability of these garments is amazing too. I can still use that workout top from college and it is 20 years old! Eventually I began wearing the compression shorts as well and have never looked back. In 2013 The International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance did a review of over 30 studies and found that compression apparel improved performance for athletes doing explosive movements like sprinting and jumping as well as endurance athletes. Compression apparel also was shown to be beneficial as a recovery tool when worn post workout.

Yann Kai what is Cuore’s take on compression/form fitting gear?

I’ll go back to our mission statement of achieving Swiss Precision and Italian Passion – the focus is to create kit that is cut for optimal performance and comfort whilst remaining connected to the passions and traditions of cycling.

We offer over 400 different products across 4 levels. The entry and budget level known as the Finisher and Bronze kit utilises traditional cut but maintains our overall CUORE quality. You can quite fairly say that compression is not a concern for us in this. For our performance and top of the line range of Silver and Gold however, we are focused on providing a highly technical and functional products fit for the professionals. Particularly at the Gold level – the aim is to fit like a second skin where to a certain extent you should barely feel it there. In this case, the compression should be just ideal, holding your muscles together a little tighter than your loose fit clothing but not to the extent of recovery compression wear which would take your 10 minutes to pull on and off.

That is a really good point about race gear needing to have ease to put on and take off.
A chapter in the 2016 book titled “Effects of Compression Garments on Performance and Recovery in Endurance Athletes” covers a thorough meta analysis on this topic. The 2015 analysis involved 55 peer reviewed journal articles inclusive of 788 participants on compression garments in performance and recovery. The analysis found that compression apparel may improve cycling performance, decrease muscle pain following running and cycling, and improve recovery by facilitating lactate elimination.
A study came out last summer in June of 2017 by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center that played devil’s advocate. The study included 20 experienced male runners as participants who ran for 30 minutes on a treadmill, once with compression shorts on one day, and another time without compression on the other day. They found that the compression shorts made no difference in performance for these athletes. That said the researchers admit that they did not see any disadvantages to wearing compression shorts and recognize that some athletes prefer them. I remember when this came out last year everyone freaked out and said compression is useless. That is such an over-reaction. This study had only 20 participants in 2 days. The runners were experienced. What would have happened if there were inexperienced? Perhaps the compression would have mattered more from fatigue perspective. What about female athletes? How about the two aforementioned meta analysis studies with hundreds of participants that did show improvement in performance? It is an interesting study to use as a comparison but it isn’t the end all be all for goodness sake.

One last thing on compression gear – proprioception. A general definition of proprioception is your body’s usage of sensory neurons to understand where and how your body moves in space. Having good proprioception is obviously advantageous in fitness and sports activities. A 2018 study in Gait and Posture showed that compression gear can improve proprioception. In this study participants wore compression garments below the knee and were tested by completing joint repositioning tasks and secondary tasks. It was shown that compression gear worn below the knee would improve proprioception at the knee joint.

Yann Kai from a personal standpoint as an athlete do you feel a difference in proprioception or other performance factors when wearing certain gear?

I believe in having good form in all the activities that we perform, be it running, cycling or strength work in the gym and there is definitely a correlation to the gear we wear and the form we hold. As I am not a track or middle-distance runner, I personally enjoy having a slightly looser fit when it comes to running – not overly baggy but something that I can move around freely. I believe the form one maintains for longer distance running comes from both the miles being put in as well as the other strength and conditioning work that one does in the gym – and for that, the gear does not really make a difference from that perspective for me. The key is to have something comfortable for the length of the time I will be running. I however can see a lot of benefit in a form fitting gear for the sprinters. For cycling and triathlon, there is no doubt that having something form fitting like a second skin is key so that you reduce drag and achieve maximum aerodynamic benefits. Finally, for strength and conditioning, I do like wearing form fitting gear as it really helps me focus on how my body is maneuvering.

Intuitive Reasons to Use Proper Fitting Fitness Gear

• It is more aerodynamic for cycling or running. You don’t want something flopping in the wind as you move down the road or catch on a tree branch as you cut through some sweet single track.
• It is better for function in strength training. You don’t want baggy shirt getting in the way when you are trying to move a bar on a clean and jerk or have long gym shorts stretching over your knee and getting caught on a squat or lunge.
• It should fit like a second skin and be comfortable so you don’t need to adjust it or even think about it being there.

BOOST Health Performance Apparel

I am really excited about the gear Cuore is creating for BOOST Health. All of the garments are top of the line materials and I can personally guarantee they are comfortable and durable. We have a cycling kits with two super cool looking jersey options and incredibly comfortable bib shorts, a multi-sport speedsuit with short sleeves that fits like an absolute dream in 2 color options, a multi-sport 2 piece sleeveless shirt and shorts combo for those that want to show off the guns or race and train topless, regular strength/run shorts, compression strength/run shorts, casual shorts, performance t-shirts and sleeveless shirts (no yucky cotton), a toasty warm hoodie for cool race mornings or casual wear, and awesome cycling socks that bring the whole kit together nicely.

Yann Kai any details I missed or anything from a technical standpoint on any of the gear we should mention?

We’re very excited to work on the BOOST Health pieces. Paul, you have chosen the top of the line range where we have hugely invested time and effort in working with professionals to achieve pieces that they sign off on and personally would wear – and this is made available to everyday athletes like you and me. Some of the fabrics are exclusive to our factory and we can’t wait to see BOOST Health kit out and about.

Logistics

Since these are custom pieces and I don’t have a good idea of how many we will sell initially, we are only going to open the BOOST Health Performance Apparel shop for limited time durations, at least in the beginning.  For our first launch we will have the shop open for 2 weeks and will close on April 24. After that 2 weeks it will take about 4 weeks for Cuore to build all the pieces and then we will get them shipped out to everyone around the world.  So you can figure about 5 weeks from when the shop closes to when it will arrive at your door.  It will be well worth the wait I promise you!

Yann Kai anything to add to logistics or anything else I may have missed on fitness apparel in general that we should mention before we go?

I believe you’ve covered everything Paul. It’s been a real pleasure. I would just like to add that I’ve been listening to BOOST Health podcast since its inception and I have really enjoyed following and learning from you. It has definitely encouraged me to try new things and I am building new habits and lifestyle changes, so thank you and I hope other listeners will have similar experience.

Where should we go to learn more about Cuore? 
Our website is www.cuore.ch and our social media handle for Facebook and Instagram is cuoreofswiss. You can also get in touch with me directly at infoas@cuore.ch should you have any questions on enquiry for CUORE directly on custom kit for yourself, your team or corporate.

Thank you Yann Kai for all your efforts in making the BOOST Health Performance Apparel line come to life and for joining us today!