01.14.2020

Inside the 2020 Human Performance Summit

To kick off the new year and set the pace for 2020, Under Armour launched the company’s new global brand platform this morning at the Baltimore HQ with the 2020 Human Performance Summit. Under Armour CEO Patrik Frisk announced The Only Way is Through alongside athletes including Michael Phelps, Lindsey Vonn, Natasha Hastings and Bryce Harper, with ESPN personality Cari Champion moderating. The Only Way is Through representatives the next frontier for UA; the manifestation of UA’s brand ethos and a rallying cry to inspire athletes around the world to put in the work to achieve their goals. The global platform will roll out over the course of the year at places and moments around the world, bringing to life the stories of a wide array of athletes facing and pushing through a variety of personal challenges.

 

Under Armour will be launching a series of content around the platform throughout the year including an ad spot, personal letters from athletes and an Under Armour podcast titled The Only Way Is Through, launched in partnership with iHeart media and featuring UA athletes and teams including Stephen Curry, Kelley O’Hara, Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, DK Metcalf, Trent Alexander-Arnold and more.

 

In addition to the new global platform unveiling, Summit attendees were able to hear from the athletes themselves during two panels—Through The Work and Game Changers—that allowed them a better understanding of the sweat equity earned at such an elite level of competition, as well as how athletes can best utilize their platform to make a positive impact on the next generation of athletes and their respective sports.

 

Attendees toured Under Armour’s Lighthouse facility to hear from product experts about the design and technology behind some of UA’s latest and upcoming products, which include UA RUSH Seamless, UA Clone, the UA Infinity Bra and UA Iso-Chill.

 

Under Armour also gave Human Performance Summit attendees a first look at several new products launching over the course of 2020. Products include:

 

  • Iso-ChillCurrently used in UA Golf and UA Fish apparel, UA Iso-Chill—through proprietary yarn—pulls heat away from the body the same way ice pulls heat out of liquids, physically making you cooler. 
  • UA Infinity Bra: Through testing with a breast health expert, Under Armour designers created a perfectly fitting bra designed to work with women’s bodies for high-intensity movements.
  • UA Meridian Legging“Soft” is the number one attribute women look for in a performance legging. Through numerous rounds of research and development, Under Armour designed the UA Meridian, the brand’s softest performance legging to date with a specially engineered sweat-wicking fabric.
  • UA RUSH SeamlessA continuation of Under Armour’s groundbreaking UA RUSH mineral-infused performance fabric, UA RUSH Seamless is engineered to incorporate a variety of quality fabrics woven together into one performance garment—made to increase breathability and create a form fit that’s unrivaled in the marketplace, providing ventilation in areas of need. 
  • UA Clone Adaptive Technology: UA Clone Adaptive Technology provides a perfect cleat fit unique to each athlete due to its ability to reduce friction and conform to different zones of the foot. UA Clone gives an identical foot feel and a custom fit for every athlete that can expand and contract for more natural movement. 
  • HOVR Drive GTX: UA HOVR™ Drive GTX is designed to match the power golfers want, with the comfort they need. Through UA HOVR cushioning and patented RST 2.0 resistance spikes, golfers experience powerful energy return and unmatched traction to raise their game to a dynamic new level. 
  • HOVR MACHINAThe UA HOVR Machina was engineered to mix the speed of a racing shoe with the comfort of a long-distance trainer. Combine that with real-time Form Coaching and you’re equipped with the tools you need to reach your goals in 2020.

The second day of the Human Performance Summit started off with attendees knocking down a pre-dawn run led by run coach Shayla Houlihan and runners Aisha Praught-Leer and Morgan McDonald. Guests then made their way over to the Under Armour Performance Center for the Human Performance System Unlock presentation delivered by Paul Winsper, Vice President of Athletic Performance, who spoke about the brand’s unique experience and insights gained from working with athletes including Georgia Ellenwood, James Newbury, Anthony Joshua and Teddy Riner—demonstrating how Under Armour is equipped to holistically make athletes better. Winsper also introduced human performance experts Mike Gervais, Mike Clark and Tyler Jean to further explain the system. 

 

Inspired by the PDX experience, where Under Armour Athletes undergo training and treatment to perform their best, Summit attendees joined the human performance experts at Light Street Gym and experienced four hands-on workshops on mindfulness, movement, nutrition and active recovery, as well as participating in a functional fitness training session with Under Armour’s own athlete physiologist Mike Watts.

 

Following the workshops and well-deserved refreshments, guests landed at UA Headquarters to train alongside functional fitness champion James Newbury, and yoga with Claire Fountain. Over at the Lighthouse, Jordan Spieth joined guests to unveil the next iteration of his signature shoe, the Spieth 4. The 2020 Summit experience culminated with a dinner at The Sagamore Pendry Hotel, where Jordan Spieth joined Kevin Plank for a fireside chat to discuss the campaign and Jordan’s own Through moments, both on and off the course.