No matter your sport of choice, there are plenty of products out there to give athletes a performance edge. Finding gear that fits well into your routine, is straightforward and helps you go the extra mile are all crucial components to becoming your best athlete. Whether you’re training, competing or cooling down, there is plenty of gear to help you perform (and recover) at your peak abilities. Taking the care to upgrade your gear in calculated ways can bring you to your best levels yet. These are a few pieces of essential gear that any athlete should have on their radars.
VKTRY Gear Insoles
You might not think that insoles could be performance-based, but VKTRY Gear’s are not normal insoles. They are the first-ever sports insole designed to return the energy an athlete generates as explosive power, speed and agility. The VK’s patented carbon fiber curved design is scientifically proven to increase explosiveness by an average of 9.3 percent, increase vertical by an average of 1.6-inches and decrease 40-yard dash time by 0.12 seconds. The premium insoles do this by generating more force into the ground, which translates into more energy being readily available to be deployed out of driving actions — part of the reason why they are worn by 44 NFL, NBA and MLB Teams and more than 100 NCAA teams.
Sports medical experts and third-party research have also found that VKs can provide added support, stability and shock absorption to help protect against lower-body injuries such as plantar fasciitis, turf toe, stress fractures, shin splints and more. Considering you can save $70 when you enter the code GP70 at checkout and its 30-day money back guarantee, you can’t afford not to try VKTRY Gear Insoles.
Patagonia Capilene Air Crew Top
Just because the temperature has started to drop doesn’t mean your training has to suffer. To keep it going outside in colder weather, a high-tech baselayer can make all the world of difference. Patagonia’s Capilene Air Crew is one of the most advanced baselayers on the market. It’s made of 51 percent fine merino wool and 49 percent recycled polyester for an airy blend that elevates warmth, wicking, durability and dry time. And its seamless 3-D construction eliminates chafe points throughout the entire garment. Drying in a flash and resisting odor, it’s a baselayer that will keep you pushing in cold weather.
Garmin Forerunner 935
When it comes to running watches, the Garmin Forerunner 935 is in a class of its own. Extremely lightweight due to its plastic construction, it also boasts premium features. Beyond just telling the weather and how many steps you’ve taken in a day, the Forerunner 935 capitalizes on Garmin’s years of being in the running data business. Compatible with lots of third-party apps and products, the possibilities are quite endless. It delivers insights into workouts (like your VO2 max and lactate threshold, and whether you should keep going or rest) that most other watches only touch upon. And with the phone app and Connect IQ web app you can get a granular look at all activities to help you plan workouts for maximum performance.
HyperIce Vyper 2
Foam rolling is one of the simplest yet most effective recovery and warm-up methods and every athlete should be doing it. The Vyper 2 from HyperIce is the next generation of foam rolling: The vibrating fitness roller features three speeds of high-intensity vibration to increase flexibility, increase circulation and reduce muscle soreness. The vibration technology in the Vyper 2 penetrates deeper for better muscle activation, increasing range of motion by up to 40 percent (versus an 18 percent increase with regular foam rolling). If you’re looking to up your foam rolling game, this is it.
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