Durban ‒ It was high intensity interval workout training piloted by fitness trainer Mapule Ndhlovu at Gateway Mall last weekend as the sportswear company adidas introduced a new range of bras and leggings designed for women athletes and sporting activities.
The event was centred around women and adidas had a core objective: to introduce its comfortable gym wear for women, especially for their bras.
Jen Scholtz, senior accounts manager for the #BeSupportedBeYou adidas campaign, said the range was designed to cover three key types of activity.
For activities such as yoga, the bras were designed to not be too tight to inspire easy movement; for high intensity training, the bras and tights were more fitted, and there is a totally different type of bra and leggings.
“Each principle has its own set of clothing,” Scholtz said.
Ndhlovu guided the class of about a dozen women who were part of the launch session with encouraging words in between exercises.
"Women should know that fitness is a game changer. It improves all aspects of your life, it builds your confidence, helps you think better and you become a better version of yourself,” she said.
“For women, it’s very important to feel comfortable when we are at the gym and also when we are playing sports, especially in sports like rugby where you get knocked down a lot of times. We really appreciate adidas doing this for us because we feel comfortable moving in their gym wear,” said Sharks women’s team player and firefighter Zinhle Ndawonde.
“Sports is sports, whether it is male dominated or not. If you can perform well and excel then I don’t think there should be any judgement in terms of gender and what sports you can play. In general, in South Africa, there is still a lot more to do to promote women in sports by giving them opportunities and having organisations like Adidas sponsor these athletes. In rugby it’s only this year that we have started to get sponsors, unlike in past years,” she said.
She also said the future was bright and women would get better with support, promotions, and adequate pay for playing just as men did because although some women play sports, they needed to continue working full-time jobs to sustain their families.
“To provide for myself and the family, I still go to work as a firefighter. I would like to make sports as my main career. To call ourselves professionals, we need to be treated like professionals first,” she said.
Gagasi FM Radio presenter Penny Ntuli said the event was great.
“We came here to hang around with Mapule Ndhlovu. One thing I want women to know about fitness is that it is not about being curvy or having a six-pack. It is about being healthy and still being able to move around,” said Ntuli.
DJ Happygal and Ukhozi FM presenter Neliswa Cele joined in the class.
“Fitness is an important journey for women and they should be patient with their bodies and also be consistent. It’s a journey that needs you to show up,” said Cele.
The Independent on Saturday