For Athletic Apparel - 'Lululemon Athetica' gets top honors...

Yo Max,

Is there a clothing line you think is best for working out? I end up mixing and matching different manufacturers like Nike and Under Armour but I’m not sure how the different materials and designs can really affect comfort and performance.

David, North Wales

Yo David,

There was a time when I just threw on an old pair of cut-off shorts and a cotton tee shirt before heading to the gym or running trail. On the bike, I gave my clothing choices even less thought and would ride in sweat pants with a rubber band wrapped around my ankle to prevent the chain from eating any excess material. I’m happy to say, those days are long gone.

We had few options then but the problem now is too many choices. It seems we’re over run with fancy designs and technical materials from companies all claiming to keep us cooler, perform better, and make us look like we’re professional athletes.

Athletic apparel is what I wear to the office every day – it’s my power suit, and I take the same time and energy shopping, contemplating, and researching the various styles, trends, and high tech options as other people might take shopping for the latest designer dresses, sport coats, and shoes. Okay, maybe I go a little over board, but as a ‘fitness professional’ I figure I better at least look like I know what I’m doing!

I have a closet full of Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Reebok, Polo, Puma, North Face – you name it and I’ve tried it. But about five years ago, I was hipped to a new and exciting line called, lululemon athletica.

The company was founded by Chip Wilson in 1998 and is based in Vancouver. Originally, their clothing was Yoga inspired and still remains the core of its product line but it has since grown and become much broader offering super cool gear for running, strength training, boxing/martial arts - and most of their apparel can easily cross over for multiple sports like tennis, cycling, basketball, etc.

I spoke on the phone with Liz Eustace, the ‘Regional Community Guru’ of eastern USA for lululemon and visited the new store that recently opened its doors in Wayne, PA. Both Liz and Andrea Downes, the Wayne store manager, were very friendly and knowledgeable about their products, but what was even more noticeable and impressive to me was their enthusiasm and passion for lululemon’s vision, community involvement, and quality. Yea, I know, it’s hard to believe that a company would actually care about anything other than profit these days but their approach is different. And it’s smart.

The sales associates are not your typical, disinterested, group - they know about and believe in their products and, what’s more, they’re athletes. Part of the company’s vision is that the sales team be given the role of educator – that the person who greets, describes products, and informs the customer is a very powerful tool for promoting better health, providing fitness information, and ultimately selling products. Like I said – smart.

They have an effective system in place for customer feedback that includes an R&D program offering a 15% discount to fitness professionals in exchange for their opinions and recommendations about design and technical aspects of the apparel. Andrea showed me a board just outside the changing rooms where customers can write suggestions in bright colored markers so they too can take a role in product modifications and improvement. Also, they have what she describes as, ‘the hub for health and wellness in the local community’ – a board and drawer where customers with questions about how to begin or continue their journey to better health can be directed to find information about local yoga teachers, fitness trainers, nutritionists, massage therapists, etc. And we’re not talking about a corkboard with thumbtacks but a nicely designed area that obviously took time and thought to create. I mean, what store would do such a cool thing?

The Wayne store offers a free Yoga class on Sunday mornings at 10am and they’ve teamed up with the Bryn Mawr Running Store and, Sue Anne Clark, to host a group run that leaves from the store at 220 Lancaster Avenue at 600pm on Thursday evenings.

Today, many companies offer special, high tech materials that breathe better, ‘wick’ moisture and heat away from your body, and dry quicker. lululemon has added to these innovations with their ‘Silver Escent’ material for shirts that reduces odor and bacteria and has a seamless design that greatly improves fit and comfort. Other features include well-placed venting points, ingenious pockets, flat seems, certain reversible items, ‘body mapping’ in shirts to allow for better air flow where you need it most, and cool compartments to stash your iPod - running the wire for your headphones though hidden clips inside where they then magically re-emerge for a comfortable, no snag, fit for your ears. Their cotton in preshrunk, which with my long legs I find invaluable, and their fabrics have a ‘four way stretch’, which, again, improves fit and comfort. To top it off they offer free hemming for all their pants, which are manufactured long to accommodate a greater range of inseams.

In order to be an effective Fitness trainer, you need more than just credentials, experience, and an ability to teach. You must also have a genuine interest in helping people to change and acclimate to a healthier lifestyle. lululemon shares this interest with me, but rather than meeting their goal by designing exercise routines, counseling on nutrition, and teaching specific techniques, they do it by designing top quality athletic apparel to enhance and improve this experience. They put a lot of thought into what they do - and it shows. Smart.

Please visit, www.YoMaxFitness.com, ‘Your Blog For Fitness Information’, and email your fitness/health/nutrition question from the ‘Ask Max’ page.