SLIP INTO A BETTER WORKOUT
In the 1980s, wrist and ankle weights were all the rage. They were everywhere, from at-home fitness videos to the gym, promising a more intense workout and sculpted physique with little equipment. They were a great idea, to be sure. But in practice they could be bulky and cumbersome, slip-sliding and rotating during exercise and getting in the way of a good sweat.
The exciting news? They’re finally getting an upgrade.
LaceUp™ Athletics and The LYCRA Company have partnered on an innovation — a soft, flexible, weighted sleeve that stays in place and delivers graduated compression and a great workout. It’s the wrist weight of the future: comfortable, washable, durable, easy to wear, and — most important — effective.
LaceUp™ Sleeves, which can be worn by kids, teens, and adults, combine evenly distributed weight with graduated compression from the wrist to the elbow, encouraging oxygen delivery to the muscles and blood flow to the heart, and energizing the arms. They can elevate a range of workouts, including strength training, cardio, walking, running, yoga, and Pilates, and can boost recovery when worn post-workout, potentially reducing muscle fatigue, soreness, and swelling. And they never get in the way, since they fit close to the body and stay in place.
THE LYCRA® FIBER ADVANTAGE
LYCRA® fiber was essential to achieving LaceUp™’s vision of a sleek, weighted sleeve that moves with the body while offering consistent compression. The fiber’s unique ability to stretch and recover enables the sleeves to stay in place during exercise and adapt to different body types without losing shape — critical for both comfort and effectiveness.
Learn more about LYCRA® fiber
The LYCRA Company partnered closely with LaceUp™ on the sleeves, offering technical guidance and prototyping support. At our Italian LYCRA® LAB, senior applications developer Alberto Ceria helped bring the final LaceUp™ Sleeve to life. With LaceUp™’s initial prototype in hand, he used his legwear expertise and reengineered the sleeve for production on a commercial hosiery machine, delivering a more comfortable product of superior quality.
“This technical design work leveraged our end-use expertise and creativity, enabling us to incorporate innovative solutions. The use of LYCRA® fiber was crucial for the final product quality, which eventually led to a patent. The product is now commercially produced in the US by a local knitter for LaceUp™, following our shared knitting program, yarn combinations, and know-how.”
Alberto Ceria
Senior applications development professional
The LYCRA Company
LaceUp™ Sleeves are available now in a range of sizes and colors.
Next up for our two brands? A weighted calf sleeve and full-length arm sleeve for performance athletes. Both will be available later this year. With the success of the first-generation LaceUp™ Sleeves, our teams are exploring more opportunities to expand into new end-uses, additional weight configurations, and broader categories. The sky is the limit when we collaborate and innovate together.