IS IT WORTH SPENDING THE EXTRA MONEY ON HIGH-END GYM KIT?

Yes, but not for the reasons you might think. It’s not that they’re better clothes per se, it’s because you’re more likely to feel like, and therefore become, a better athlete in them. That’s according to a recent study* into the positive effect that quality Lycra has on our emotional mindset. Deep, right? Researchers call this phenomenon ‘enclothed cognition’, suggesting that what you wear carries a symbolic meaning and thus subconsciously influences the way you act.

In other words, Craig, over and above informing fellow gym-goers that you know your Skierg from your Skillmill, filling your gym bag with the latest fit kit wires a shot of self-confidence directly to your brain. “We tend not to take part in activities that we aren’t confident in performing well, so intervention through kit to boost selfbelief is helpful,” says Professor Andy Lane, sports psychologist at the Centre for Health and Human Performance. According to Lane, the key to enclothed cognition lies in your outfit’s power to make you feel good about yourself when training.

“This could be from channelling elite athletes by wearing the same highperformance trainers [ i] as they do, or the sensation of lightness from a sweat-wicking top [ ii] making you more inclined to push your efforts.” The same can be said for the clothes you wear when strength-training: whether it’s the feeling of compact security from squatting in compression leggings [ iii] or biting down on a mouth guard [ iv] to help focus tension when testing your bench 1RM.

In short, if you want to take your training to the next level, high-end kit is a worthy investment indeed. Remember: it’s all in your head, Craig.