Naked Wear aims to offer fitness wear that Asian women covet

Source: Naked Wear.
A Naked Wear model next
to a mannequin modelling
Naked Wear's
Atalanta bra and leggings,
which will be in an
upcoming collection.

A group of fitness enthusiasts have set up Naked Wear, a startup for Asian women by Asian women to provide workout apparel that provides the right amount of support at the right price point.

"As the fitness becomes increasingly important to women in Asia, we noticed a general lack of workout apparel in the industry that provided adequate support and affordability. The fitness wear industry today is still largely dominated by Western brands, whose fit may not be suitable for the frames of Asian women. This is the case for Singapore and most of Asia," said a Naked Wear spokesperson.

According to the spokesperson, Naked Wear's offerings are based on comfort, security, style and affordability. "We believe that it is possible to blend sweat and glamour, and that women should be free to be who they are and pursue their goals while wearing Naked Wear. We want to provide local female consumers with the option to take their fitness challenge up a notch, while enjoying a beautiful second skin," she said.

The company has built up a collection of signature sports bras, pole shorts and flash tattoos - temporary tattoos inspired by jewellery which often look metallic - which are publicised mainly through social media. "We launched our first collection in May this year which you can see from our website. Our social media channels and main advertising platforms are Facebook and Instagram," the spokesperson said. "Our vision is to be Asia's leading fitness wear brand and eventually expand beyond Singapore's market."

The company understands the interplay between bricks and clicks well, and invested in two one-day popup stores, in June at Ecole de Pole Asia, a pole studio in Clarke Quay, and in July at UrbanScape, a yoga event in Chinatown. Naked Wear found that two pieces at the popup stores became big hits: the limited edition Summer Fairy Bra, and a pop-up preview of the Atalanta bra.

The Summer Fairy bra is available while stocks last. Inspired by the changing colours of nature in summer, ever piece is one-of-a-kind. The bra comes with multiple straps in multiple colour gradients for a unique look.

The Atalanta bra will be included in Naked Wear's next collection. Available in sizes S and M, this dynamic piece is lightweight for free movement with moisture-wicking fabric, and comes with changeable padding. It can also double as swimwear.

Interested?

In conjunction with Singapore's golden jubilee year, Naked Wear is running two SG50 promotions from August 1 to 31: 50% off Naked Wear tattoos, and a 50% discount on the second sports bra purchased. Readers can send their orders to hello@nakedwear.co and quote the SG50 promotion. 

Discounted gym classes in Melbourne with this new website

Source:
FILLMYCLASS.

Just as there are discounts for last-minute flight and hotel bookings, cheaper gym classes can also be had at the last minute. 

A new website called FILLMYCLASS has been launched in Melbourne, Australia to match fitness enthusiasts with available class spaces in nearby gyms and studios.

"It's all about flexibility," says FILLMYCLASS founder Daniel Waide. "The goal is to get more people moving, and being able to pick and choose classes that suit you at any gym or studio means you're more likely to get active and stay active.

"FILLMYCLASS gives people the chance to attend classes without the intimidation of a lengthy membership, or the inconvenience of limited locations. You might want to attend yoga at a lunchtime studio near work, do a Pilates class on your way home, and meet a friend for a cycle class near a cafe on the weekend.

"This site means you're not limited by the geography or timetable of a single gym and for fitness locations it's a great opportunity to get people in the door, to try new fitness options and get comfortable with classes and instructors."

Fitness locations see how FILLMYCLASS can help them. "We're running these classes already and the atmosphere is always more fun when we have full classes and new people," says Clare Gioules, Head of Projects and Innovation for Goodlife Health Clubs.

FILLMYCLASS.com.au is up and running now, and offering limited free classes until the end of March 2015. Book a class here; no membership is required.

Kinetika Xtreme introduces new workout technology for improving fitness

Sukumaran is certified in Italy, and
is one of only two TechnoGym Master Trainers
in Singapore, the other being his wife, Santhi Haridass. 

Losing weight does not mean losing fat. Ghaneswaran Sukumaran, owner of Kinetika Xtreme, a gym at Turf City in Singapore that focuses on movement-based functional training, fears that people are joining gyms without enough due diligence, and beginning with exercises that can do more damage in the long run than good. 

"People believe that losing weight is a good thing, and jogging excessively is the only way to lose body mass and achieve a slim figure. This is a myth, as losing weight might not be losing fat at all. The way to lose fat and tone muscles effectively is not to rely on jogging alone; a combination of cardio and resistance training is required," he said. 

"Dedicated trainers at Kinetika seek to empower their members with the knowledge to better themselves, and guide them through their workouts and track their progress over time."

Here's what Kinetika Xtreme members can look forward to when they join Sukumaran's gym:

Each Kinesis session can hold up to a maximum of eight members. 

Kinesis circuit training offers both cardio and resistance activities. Kinesis utilises Full Gravity Technology allows 360° tri-dimensional movement that provides variable resistance to every movement according to the range and angle of the radius of the action. The Kinesis pulley system allows maximum freedom of movements, and it is not restricted by gravity, unlike traditional weights.

Kinetika Xtreme holds eight sets of Kinesis Class equipment, the largest number of such equipment available in any gym in Singapore. 

TechnoGym-certified trainers from Kinetika Xtreme monitor each of their members closely, and progressively increase the intensity of the exercise while guiding them to minimise injuries, and maximise results. 

Members are tracked by dedicated instructors from day one of their training programme, and trainers will perform measurement of their body statistics; weight, height, body fat and muscle mass, as well as Kinetika’s unique flexibility and balance test known as Vitruvio Testing, allows trainers to tweak the programme based on each member’s body type and individual strengths and weaknesses.

Sukumaran guides a Kinetika Xtreme member with the “Fire” element ARKE exercise.

The ARKE training system is a core-centric training regime that focuses on natural movement. The name is derived from a Greek word meaning 'the origin of things'. The ARKE training system is divided into four categories, named after the natural elements based on the type, energy intensity and the position of use. Earth (green) represents stability and proprioception; air (orange) is for dynamism and reaction time; water (blue) for agility and balance, and fire (red) for adaptability and control.

A trainer conducts cool-down stretches with Kinetika Xtreme members to relax the muscles and prevent injury after 45 minute of intense workout.

Kinetika Xtreme believes that effect training is only effective when proper stretching is done. Each session of training with Kinetika Xtreme ends with proper cool-down stretches so as to prevent injury and relax the muscles after 45 minutes of intense workout. The cool-down stretches are guided by TechnoGym certified trainers, and are specifically designed to target muscle groups that are used during the training session with Kinetika Xtreme. 

*All images courtesy of Kinetika.

Fit Spotting helps users locate hotels with great gyms

Fit Spotting is an iOS app which allows users to find, rate, and review hotel gyms and fitness centres.

"As an avid gym goer and also as a constant traveller due to my job, finding hotel gym reviews and pictures was a pretty daunting task when booking for my next hotel stay,” says Fit Spotting Founder Tarek Atwan. "The information is all over the place on the web and there was no centralised platform that contains community feedback, rating and photos to describe what is really being offered at the hotel." 

The app can be downloaded here.