Lululemon’s Latest Experiment Takes Research Into Female Physiology FURTHER
It’s well documented that the split of males to females on the planet at any given time is 50/50, give or take a few decimal points. And therefore, research into both types of body during exercise should correlate closely, right? Well depressingly, it’s not even close to an even split.
In a research paper titled "Where are all the female participants in Sports and Exercise Medicine research?” by Joseph T. Costello, Francois Bieuzen & Chris M. Bleakley, it was concluded that of 1382 articles (totalling 6,076,580 participants) published across a 5 year time-frame, female-only studies in sport science and sports medicine constituted between 4 and 13%, compared to 65-82% of male-only studies.
So, lululemon created the FURTHER initiative, which aims to showcase just how far women can go with the right support and access to resources typically reserved for men. 10 athletes would run further than they ever have done.
lululemon FURTHER Athletes Group Portrait (Photo: Business Wire)
It’s worth noting that typically in sports such as athletics, cycling and swimming women’s performance is around 10% lower than that of their male counterparts. The 100m world records (9.58 for men and 10.49 for women) sees a percentage difference of 9%. In the marathon that difference is a similar 11%. However, there’s a lot of research to suggest that the longer these distances become, the more even that split is.
The FURTHER initiative kickstarted a design collaboration focussed purely on the needs of the female body and was put to the test as 10 athletes attempted to run the furthest distance of their careers, in a race that took place at Lake Cahuilla, La Quinta, California.
Chantelle Murnaghan, VP of Research and Product Innovation at lululemon noted “Our ambassadors shared what they needed for a multi-day race, and we knew we could create something that hasn’t been seen in the sport… These innovations were designed to solve the real problems these athletes and many women runners experience.”
These innovations included the beyondfeel Women’s Running Shoe, Support Code Bra, a Runsie and other accessories designed to beat the heat (ice tank, UV cooling ice sleeves, and cooling headwear.)
On March 6th, the gruelling 6 day challenge took place, with the athletes clocking an astounding 2,880+ collective miles. This meant passing personal bests, breaking World Records, and relentlessly empowering each other the whole way.
Research from the initiative is due to be released in the Autumn to support women going FURTHER in more ways than one. And looks to answer questions previously unanswered in sports research. Questions like Do female ultrarunners have more fatigue resistance? What are the physiological limits of female energy expenditure? We’ll be awaiting the findings and hoping that this is one study in many to come around the female body and effects of exercise.
