Sports Garments Research Articles

Acute physiological and psychological responses during an incremental treadmill test wearing a new upper-body sports garment with elastomeric technology.

Background: The use of elastomeric technology in sports garments is increasing in popularity; however, its specific impact on physiological and psychological variables is not fully understood. Thus, we aimed to analyze the physiological (muscle activation of the pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid, and rectus abdominis, capillary blood lactate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate) and psychological (global and respiratory rating of perceived exertion [RPE]) responses during an incremental treadmill test wearing a new sports garment for the upper body that incorporates elastomeric technology or a placebo garment. Methods: Eighteen physically active young adults participated in two randomized sessions, one wearing the elastomeric garment and the other wearing a placebo. Participants performed in both sessions the same treadmill incremental test (i.e., starting at 8km/h, an increase of 2km/h each stage, stage duration of 3min, and inclination of 1%; the test ended after completing the 18km/h Stage or participant volitional exhaustion). The dependent variables were assessed before, during, and/or after the test. Nonparametric tests evaluated differences. Results: The elastomeric garment led to a greater muscle activation (p < 0.05) in the pectoralis major at 16km/h (+33.35%, p = 0.01, d = 0.47) and 18km/h (+32.09%, p = 0.02, d = 0.55) and in the triceps brachii at 10km/h (+20.28%, p = 0.01, d = 0.41) and 12km/h (+34.95%, p = 0.04, d = 0.28). Additionally, lower lactate was observed at the end of the test (-7.81%, p = 0.01, d = 0.68) and after 5min of recovery (-13.71%, p < 0.001, d = 1.00) with the elastomeric garment. Nonsignificant differences between the garments were encountered in the time to exhaustion, cardiovascular responses, or ratings of perceived exertion. Conclusion: These findings suggest that elastomeric garments enhance physiological responses (muscle activation and blood lactate) during an incremental treadmill test without impairing physical performance or effort perception.

A new sports garment with elastomeric technology optimizes physiological, mechanical, and psychological acute responses to pushing upper-limb resistance exercises.

This study aimed to compare the mechanical (lifting velocity and maximum number of repetitions), physiological (muscular activation, lactate, heart rate, and blood pressure), and psychological (rating of perceived exertion) responses to upper-body pushing exercises performed wearing a sports elastomeric garment or a placebo garment. Nineteen physically active young adults randomly completed two training sessions that differed only in the sports garment used (elastomeric technology or placebo). In each session, subjects performed one set of seated shoulder presses and another set of push-ups until muscular failure. The dependent variables were measured immediately after finishing the set of each exercise. Compared to the placebo garment, the elastomeric garment allowed participants to obtain greater muscular activation in the pectoralis major (push-ups: p = 0.04, d = 0.49; seated shoulder press: p < 0.01, d = 0.64), triceps brachialis (push-ups, p < 0.01, d = 0.77; seated shoulder press: p < 0.01, d = 0.65), and anterior deltoid (push-ups: p < 0.01, d = 0.72; seated shoulder press: p < 0.01, d = 0.83) muscles. Similarly, participants performed more repetitions (push-ups: p < 0.01; d = 0.94; seated shoulder press: p = 0.03, d = 0.23), with higher movement velocity (all p ≤ 0.04, all d ≥ 0.47), and lower perceived exertion in the first repetition (push-ups: p < 0.01, d = 0.61; seated shoulder press: p = 0.05; d = 0.76) wearing the elastomeric garment compared to placebo. There were no between-garment differences in most cardiovascular variables (all p ≥ 0.10). Higher diastolic blood pressure was only found after the seated shoulder press wearing the elastomeric garment compared to the placebo (p = 0.04; d = 0.49). Finally, significantly lower blood lactate levels were achieved in the push-ups performed wearing the elastomeric garment (p < 0.01; d = 0.91), but no significant differences were observed in the seated shoulder press (p = 0.08). Overall, the findings of this study suggest that elastomeric technology integrated into a sports garment provides an ergogenic effect on mechanical, physiological, and psychological variables during the execution of pushing upper-limb resistance exercises.

Facile fabrication of fluorine-free waterproof and breathable nanofiber membranes with UV-resistant and acid-alkali resistant performances

Membranes with good waterproofness and breathability are desired for the preparation of outdoor sports garments. However, current waterproof and breathable membranes use environmentally hazardous fluorine-containing raw materials and suffer from many problems such as complicated preparation processes and single function. Therefore, it is a great challenge to select environmentally friendly raw materials to prepare multi-functional membranes with waterproof-breathable performance by simple preparation method. In this paper, fluorine-free poly(styrene-b-butadiene-b-styrene) (SBS), polyurethane (PU), and 2-hydroxy-4-n-octyloxy benzophenone (UV531) were selected to prepare multi-functional nanofiber membranes by convenient one-step electrospinning. The properties of the environmentally friendly multi-functional SBS/PU/UV531 nanofiber membranes were systematically optimized by adjusting the concentration of UV531 in the nanofiber membranes. The ultimately obtained multi-functional SBS/PU/UV531–2 nanofiber membrane shows excellent waterproofness (hydrostatic pressure: 58.8 kPa), high breathability (WVT rate: 5.2 kg m−2 d−1), good mechanical properties (breaking strength: 7.26 MPa, breaking elongation: 327.9%), excellent UV resistance (UPF: 238.23), and strong acid and alkali resistance properties. This multi-functional nanofiber membrane has broad application prospects in a variety of fields such as outdoor protective clothing, extreme environment materials, and military products.

Biophysical, thermo-physiological and perceptual determinants of cool-seeking behaviour during exercise in younger and older women.

Women continue to be under-represented in thermoregulatory research despite their undergoing unique physiological changes across the lifespan. This study investigated the biophysical, thermo-physiological, and perceptual determinants of cool-seeking behaviour during exercise in younger and older women. Eleven younger (25±5years; 1.7±0.1m; 63.1±5.2kg) and 11 older women (53±6years; 1.7±0.1m; 65.4±13.9kg) performed a 40-min incremental cycling test in a thermoneutral environment (22±1.7°C; 36±4% relative humidity). Throughout the test, participants freely adjusted the temperature of a cooling probe applied to their wrists to offset their thermal discomfort. We continuously recorded the probe-wrist interface temperature to quantify participants' cool-seeking behaviour. We also measured changes in participants' rate of metabolic heat production, core and mean skin temperatures, and skin wetness. Finally, we body-mapped participants' skin heat, cold and wetness sensitivity. Our results indicated that: (1) older and younger women exhibited similar onset and magnitude of cool-seeking behaviour, despite older women presented reduced autonomic heat-dissipation responses (i.e., whole-body sweat losses); (2) older women's thermal behaviour was less determined by changes in core temperature (this being a key driver in younger women), and more by changes in multiple thermo-physiological and biophysical parameters (i.e., physical skin wetness, temperature and heat production); (3) older women did not present lower regional skin thermal and wetness sensitivity than younger women. We conclude that predictions of female cool-seeking behaviours based on thermo-physiological variables should consider the effects of ageing. These findings are relevant for the design of wearable cooling systems and sports garments that meet the thermal needs of women across the lifespan.

Functions and Opportunities of Sports Textiles - A Review

Sports textiles have about 10% contribution in the world’s technical textile market as compared to different textiles where individual textile has reactive importance to others. There are many essential features of sports textiles required to manufacture from textile materials. Smart textiles made for sports apparel are designed as per the needs of athletes. Fabrics used in making sports apparel are basically from natural and synthetic fibres. The class players choose fabric science for their costume for controlling and recording temperature, sweat and movement of muscles for better performance. Supporting thermoregulatory mechanisms is the main purpose of functional textiles, which improves performance. €mart textiles in sports have potential in reducing and eliminating injuries and risk of over exercising. During the period of COVID-19 outbreak, the market has not shown any significant growth. The main advantage of using cotton fibre in making fabrics for sports garments is its breathability. In sports garments manufacturing, an alternative to polyester fibres is a material made from nylon or blend of polyester.

The Post-Exercise Lower Limbs Recovery Process: A Questionnaire Applied To Physiotherapists

Background: Physical exercise is essential to improve quality of life, with muscle recovery after exercise being crucial since it reduces the delayed sensation of muscle discomfort and fatigue. The present study aims to identify the methods used by physiotherapists to recover sports practitioners after physical exercise and presents a non-experimental, quantitative and descriptive nature. Methods: Fifty-two physiotherapists (52% women), with 9.8 ± 7.3 years of experience and different sports backgrounds, were asked to complete an anonymous questionnaire that consisted of (1) participant demographics, (2) recovery wearable sports garment, and (3) development of a new product for muscle recovery. Results: Physiotherapists reported that sports practitioners use legging-like garments during training (n=22), after training (n=19), while some physiotherapists were not aware if their athletes use any legging-like garment (n=17). The common characteristics of the garments are the compression (56%), heating (34%) and, in some cases, massage (6%) and printed electronic devices (4%). Physiotherapists mention that sports practitioners usually report lower limbs localized muscle fatigue after training or competition (90%), and the most affected areas are the entire lower limb (n=12), quadriceps (n=9) and hamstring and glutes (n=7 each). The most common therapy used is massage (n=12), followed by electrostimulation (n=8) and compression (n=5). Conclusion: Physiotherapists believe that electrostimulation should be used to recover quadriceps, hamstrings and the whole lower limb, and localized heating should be centered in the entire lower limb, hamstrings and quadriceps (in number of answers). Alternatively, massage is better to recover the whole lower limb, gastrocnemius, and hamstrings. When asked what characteristics the garment should have, physiotherapists reported that comfort (n=44), breathability (n=37) and ease of care and cleaning are vital.

Nanoparticles in sports garments: a review study

Nanoparticles in sports garments: a review study

Aerodynamic Effects of Knit Fabric Stretch on Low Resistance Sports Garments

Aerodynamic Effects of Knit Fabric Stretch on Low Resistance Sports Garments

Predicting User’s Measurements without Manual Measuring: A Case on Sports Garment Applications

As sports garments are stretchable, different sizing tables are used than for retail clothing. However, customers measuring themselves leads to errors and unsatisfaction, since these customized branded garments cannot be returned. Using fitting sets avoids this, but this is not always feasible, especially in an online retail environment. Therefore, this research aims to use descriptive measures—parameters that do not require manual measuring because they are readily known by heart by almost any customer—to predict users’ body measurements, which can, thus, be used by customers to determine the size of their sports garment from a sizing chart. To validate if these input measures are sufficient to predict the correct size, three prediction methods are used and compared with baseline manual measurements. The methods are: (i) clothing size predictions from shape models with descriptive measures as inputs, (ii) clothing size predictions from a regression analysis, and (iii) clothing size predictions from a shape model based on extensive 3D scanned measurements as input. The conclusion is that a regression algorithm with, as input variables, the straightforward demographics of age, gender, stature, and weight is more accurate than the algorithm with the same inputs but with a shape model behind it. Moreover, chest and hip circumferences have an intraclass correlation coefficient rating above 0.9 and are, thus, suited for online retail of stretchable garments, such as cycling clothes. As validated by end-users, the regression predictions are shown to agree with preferred garment sizes of the participants, within the natural variation of personal preferences.

Lower Limbs Wearable Sports Garments for Muscle Recovery: An Umbrella Review.

This review aims to understand the different technologies incorporated into lower limbs wearable smart garments and their impact on post-exercise recovery. Electronic searches were conducted in the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic databases. Eligibility criteria considered meta-analyses that examined the effects of wearable smart garments on physical fitness in healthy male and female adults. Seven meta-analyses were considered in the current umbrella review, indicating small effects on delayed-onset muscle soreness ([0.40–0.43]), rate of perceived exertion (0.20), proprioception (0.49), anaerobic performance (0.27), and sprints ([0.21–0.37]). The included meta-analyses also indicated wearable smart garments have trivial to large effects on muscle strength and power ([0.14–1.63]), creatine kinase ([0.02–0.44]), lactate dehydrogenase (0.52), muscle swelling (0.73), lactate (0.98) and aerobic pathway (0.24), and endurance (0.37), aerobic performance (0.60), and running performance ([0.06–6.10]). Wearing wearable smart garments did not alter the rate of perceived exertion and had a small effect on delayed-onset muscle soreness. Well-fitting wearable smart garments improve comfort and kinesthesia and proprioception and allow a reduction in strength loss and muscle damage after training and power performance following resistance training or eccentric exercise.

Consumer expectations and perception of clothing comfort in sports and exercise garments

Purpose Sports garments play an important role in the well-being of an athlete by protecting the wearer from changing environmental conditions and providing a comfortable feel. Clothing requirements have changed in recent years and demand for apparel with a higher comfort performance has been rising. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore consumers’ expectations and perception of comfort and to examine how different textiles are perceived by consumers to provide useful knowledge that allows to engineer comfort into fabrics and sports garments. Design/methodology/approach This online survey comprised 292 respondents, classified by sex, age, nationality and physical activity. The respondents were asked a total of 18 questions through the Bristol Online Survey tool to explore expectation, perception and preference of clothing comfort, specifically of sportswear. Findings Fit and comfort are closely linked together, both forming part of the clothing comfort concept. When purchasing garments online, the haptics of fabrics were identified as a crucial missing parameter. However, priorities of attributes within the concept varied according to the person’s sex and nationality. Women put more emphasis on garment fit and showed a higher need for tactile input, whereas men prioritised physiological comfort descriptors, i.e. properties which facilitate thermoregulation. Furthermore, there is an increased importance of physiological comfort parameters for people exercising for 10 or more hours per week. Finally, it was possible to identify common associations and preferences for textile materials (cotton, polyester, cotton/polyester blend and wool). However, consideration should be taken concerning sex and nationality. Originality/value Sex and nationality are parameters modulating the clothing comfort concept and the conceptualised feel of materials. Therefore, the sex and nationality of the end-consumer should be considered during the development phase of sports garments and particular attention should be given to the targeted market in which these will be sold.

Evaluation of Some Comfort and Mechanical Properties of Knitted Fabrics Made of Different Regenerated Cellulosic Fibres

Knitted fabrics with a wide range of fabric construction varying in fibre type, yarn type is frequently preferred by consumers owing to their high comfort properties. Today new, functional and biodegradable, natural fibre based raw materials are mostly considered for knitted fabrics and clothing designs with a sustainable consumer manner. Collagen peptide added fibres are the recent improved regenerated cellulosic fibres which are known to be providing a skin friendly texture with high thermal and moisture comfort. Within this study, some performance properties such as thermal properties, water vapour permeability, water vapour resistance, air permeability as well as bursting strength of greige and dyed knitted samples made of 100 % Tencel™, Modal, Cupro, Umorfil®, combed cotton and carded cotton yarn were evaluated. ANOVA test was performed for the statistical evaluation of yarn and fabric properties. According to ANOVA results, regenerated cellulosic yarn type of knitted fabrics and the process type (untreated greige fabric or dyed fabric) were generally significant factors on mentioned performance properties of knitted fabrics. The results of experiments also revealed that beside the regenerated cellulosic fibres, new developed collagen peptide added Umorfil® fibre may be used as the raw material of knitted fabrics for sport garments with satisfying comfort results.

A Fabric-Based Textile Stretch Sensor for Optimized Measurement of Strain in Clothing.

Fabric stretch sensors are available as planar fabrics, but their reliability and reproducibility are low. To find a good working setup for use in an elastic sports garment, the design of such sensors must be optimized. The main purpose of this study was to develop resistive strain sensors from stretchable conductive fabric and investigating the influence of stretchability on conductivity/resistivity. The influence of using the sensor in a sweat rich environment was also determined, in order to evaluate the potential use of the sensor in sporting garments. The sensor resistivity performance was analyzed for its sensitivity, working range, and repeatability and it was determined what makes the sensitivity when elongated or stretched. The resistivity was found to decrease with elongation if no sweat is present, this can be due to molecular rearrangement and a higher degree of orientation that improves the conductivity of a material. The result from this finding also shows that for wearable applications the commercial EeonTexTM conductive stretchable fabric did not show a considerable resistivity increase, nor a good sensitivity. The sensitivity of the sensor was between 0.97 and 1.28 and varies with different elongation %. This may be due to the mechanical deformation characteristics of knitted samples that lead to changes in conductivity. We advise that the testing performed in this paper is done by default on new stretch sensitive textile materials, so practical use of the material can be correctly estimated.

Performance of recycled PET and conventional PES fibers in case of watertransport properties

In recent years the researches on liquid moisture transport properties of fabrics have great importance. Especially forthe sport garments, fabric structure should led liquid moisture to transfer from skin surface to the outer layers. Specialfibers and fabric structures were designed including channelled fibers and micro fiber productions to contribute highercapillary transport capability to the textile surface. Polyester fibers are used for this purpose frequently. Due to theincrease in the demand of sustainable textiles, production and consumption of recycled polyester fibers are increasingrecently. They are expected to have adequate mechanical properties to fulfil requirements. In this study, liquid moisturetransfer properties of the polyester and r-PET fabrics were investigated. For this purpose, knitted fabrics produced from100% polyester and 100% r-PET yarns were used. Dynamic liquid transport properties, capillary transfer property, dryingrate and water absorption capacity of these surfaces were measured. According to the results, it was concluded thatboth fabrics were identified as “good” by using “Moisture Management Tester”, in case of liquid moisture transferproperties. No significant difference was determined between water vapour permeability values. Static immersion test ishelpful in order to determine wettability for the identification of sensitive differences and as a conventional method,vertical wicking test is a good indicator while distinguishing capillarity differences. It was found that r-PET fabric hasbetter results than PES fabric, in case of absorption rate, wettability, drying rate and capillarity.

Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence spectrometry determination of titanium dioxide released from UV-protective textiles during wash

The aim of this study is to determine the release of TiO2 from six sport garments into the wash water after 1, 2 and 10 washes. For such, Total Reflection X-ray Fluorescence (TXRF) spectrometry was employed for the study of the wash water and Scanning Electron Microscopy - Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM-EDS) was used for the analysis of the textiles. Results showed that the six sport garments released between 0.106 mg/L and 0.352 mg/L after the first two washes and between 0.028 mg/L and 0.337 mg/L of Ti after ten washes. The values found for the Ti amount released in wash water, and consequently into the environment, is much less than other common sources. These results showed the potential of TXRF spectrometry in quantifying Ti in wash water, which is a hard task even for well-established methods. SEM images show that all six samples were weft knitted fabrics, with yarns of approximately 250 μm of width and fibers’ width between 9 and 13 μm.

Effects of deep knee flexion on skin pressure profile with lower limb device: A computational study

Knee flexion behavior alters the contact pressure distribution exerted by compression devices during exercise. This study aimed to develop a three-dimensional dynamic finite element model of the lower limb with detailed bony structures, wearing a compression device with higher pressure over the calf, and then to quantify and compare the garment–body interface contact pressure and the cross-section pressure gradient deviation in standing and deep knee flexion postures (30°, 60°, 90°, and 120° of knee flexion). Contact pressure experiment on seven muscle points was applied to validate the model. The cross-section pressure gradient deviation was calculated on landmarks based on deviation along the four axial pathways from the average cross-section pressure gradients. In general, the results demonstrated that the whole pressure profile gradually decreased from the ankle to the thigh with higher compression on the calf in a standing position. Cross-section pressure gradient deviation resulted in a dramatic increase of ∼100% and ∼110% on positions B1 and D on the anterior of calf at 60° flexion, respectively, which resembled an M shape. This phenomenon was caused by the combination of the stretch of clothing during knee flexion, high compression over the calf, and the shape of the lower limb. This finite element model and its findings together could help us to understand the compression effects of sports lower limb devices and garments to enhance walking and running performance, and help to improve the design concepts.

Investigation of Fabric Behaviours in Compression Sportswear Under Extended Condition

Compression sports garments in usage stretch up to 10% length and 60% in width, depending on the circumference variations of body. This stretch also changes the loop density, loop shape, porosity and thickness of fabrics. Especially for heat and water vapor transfer, it is expected to play a very important role.

A review on aerodynamics and hydrodynamics in sports

Aero/hydrodynamics plays a vital role in speed sports (athletes, athletes’ outfits, sports balls, sports equipment, etc.). Sports balls (spherical - golf, cricket, tennis, soccer, baseball, softball, etc. and oval shape - rugby, American football, Australian football), sports garments (swimsuits, ski jumping & alpine skiing suits, cycling skin suits, skating suits) are affected by aerodynamic and hydrodynamic behavior of fluids (air and liquids). The aero/hydrodynamics dictates the curved flight path of a soccer, tennis, cricket, baseball or golf ball and the course of a surfboard and sailboat through water. It affects speed, motion (position and placement) and ultimately athlete’s performance. Ignoring the effect of aerodynamic and hydrodynamics, it is almost impossible to achieve the desired success in any competitive speed sports. Due to stiff competition, the outcome of most sports aero/hydrodynamics research work undertaken by commercial organizations as well as individual sports teams/organizations are kept in-house, and scant information is available in the public domain. The RMIT University’s Sports Aerodynamics Research Group has been active in aerodynamics and hydrodynamics research related to some popular speed sports. This paper highlights some research work on sports aerodynamics and hydrodynamics undertaken at RMIT University

New methodology and instrument for determination of the isothermal drying rate of cotton and polypropylene fabrics at constant air velocity

The most important parameters characterizing thermal comfort of garments are thermal resistance and water vapour permeability. Contrary to common garments, protective and sport garments (dresses) are often used in wet state (due to the absorbed sweat), which affects their comfort properties. That is why testing of both mentioned parameters in recent became important, along with the determination of the drying rate and drying time of sport dresses and underwear. However, current method of the drying rate mostly does not enable reliable measurement of this parameter, mostly due to non-isothermal conditions during the measurement and unknown velocity of the drying rate. In the article, a new method and instrument determination of the isothermal drying rate and drying time of sport dresses and underwear are presented, which is executed under at constant velocity of the parallel air flow. The reliability of the instrument and related method was verified by determination of the drying rate of selected woven fabrics.

Interface pressure generated by knitted fabrics of different direction, composition and number of layers in sport compression garments

The present study aimed to determine the effect of fabric direction, fabric composition and number of fabric layers on pressure generated by sport compression garments. Experimental fabric used in commercially available compression sport garments was chosen. Experimental fabric sleeves imitating a part of a pressure garment were assembled and placed on cylinders of different diameters, so that they provided different fabric direction, fabric composition of sleeve and number of layers in assemblies along the circumference of the cylinders. A Salzmann MST MK IV pressure-measuring device and Salzmann MST 2007 software were used to measure the interface pressure generated by the sleeves. It was established that different direction, fabric composition of sleeve and number of fabric layers in fabric assemblies influences the interface pressure.