New Coconut-Based Sports Fabric Protects From Sun And Odor

Just when you thought that sports wear couldn’t evolve; Cocona products have arrived on the scene. Sports apparel items in Champion’s new Vapor women’s sportswear collection are made with Cocona fiber and yarns, which contain activated carbon that’s derived from coconut shells. The carbon-based fibers not only trap and absorb fabric odors, but they block 96 percent of the sun's UV rays.

Men’s Shorts With Brief Liners Combine Comfort And Performance

Men’s sports shorts with built-in brief liners are a great choice for running and other indoor and outdoor activities, especially in warm weather. The mesh liners manage moisture and eliminate the chafing that can occur when a separate brief rubs inside the shorts. Many sports wear manufacturers offer men’s shorts with brief liners.

Extra Zippers Add Ease And Comfort

Several styles of performance sports jackets feature additional zippers that serve various purposes. Two helpful zipper features: -Two-Way Zippers. Some performance sports jackets, such as Nike’s fleecy Standout Softshell jacket have a two-way front zipper that lets you adjust the fit if you are bending forward; this keeps the jacket from bunching up around your middle.

-Arm-Vent Zippers. Several sports apparel manufacturers, such as Gore-Tex offer performance jackets with zippered mesh panels in the armpit area. When unzipped, these panels provide additional range of motion and ventilation.

Performance Tank Tops Take The Heat

When it’s hot and humid and you still have a race to run, you want a top that you can count on. For men, going shirtless is an option, but women who don’t want to run in a sports bra alone can find a variety of high-performance sports tank tops from various sports apparel manufacturers including Champion, Nike, and Adidas. A moisture-wicking fabric such as Champion’s Double Dry is a must for hot weather, and covering seams to minimize chafing will help keep you comfortable, too.

Ergonomic Seams Minimize Friction

If you’re a serious competitor with a need for speed, seek out performance sportswear with ergonomic seams that follow the lines of the body, such as Nike’s Sphere tops, rather than shoot straight down the sides of the legs or arms. On shorts and pants in particular, the ergonomic seams will not only reduce friction, but they will prolong the life of the garment.

Two-Layer Fitness Shorts Provide Security And Modesty

Sometimes you want to wear a loose-fitting short, but you don’t want to reveal more than you mean to during a tough workout. You can have it both ways with two-layer fitness shorts, available in styles from several sports apparel manufacturers, including Adidas’ Mind & Body 2-in-1 shorts (3-inch inseam), and Moving Comfort’s Meta Short (4.5-inch inseam). This style is essentially a fitted short with a relaxed-fit short attached to it. Both layers are made from moisture-wicking fabrics, so you have comfort, compression, and coverage all in one item of sports apparel.

Performance Sportswear Tunes In

If your music is what gets you through a tough training run or ride, you’ll want to try the latest high performance sports apparel. Several styles of athletic sportswear now come outfitted with pockets for your iPod and openings for the earphones. For example, the latest incarnation of Nike’s Lightweight Clima-FIT jacket features an interior pocket that holds an MP3 player or iPod with a place for the cord to go through. But if you already have a performance sports jacket but you can’t leave your iPod at home, don’t despair, Nike offers a sport armband with a Velcro closure that keeps your Ipod accessible and safe from sweat.

Drawcords And Velcro Keep Wind Out, Warmth In

In high-performance athletic sportswear, it’s often the little things that make a big difference. On a cold and windy day, tightening the toggle drawstring cord around the bottom of an athletic sportswear jacket (if it has one) keeps wind out and warmth in. Similarly, if you want to keep out the wind and wet, look for performance athletic sportswear jackets with Velcro wrist closures that can be adjusted as needed.