POWERADE OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE VACUSPORT LOWER BODY NEGATIVE PRESSURE COMPRESSION CHAMBER TO ARGUS CYCLE TOUR ATHLETES

The Powerade Performance Stand at the Cape Argus Lifestyle Expo allows athletes to:

·         Experience the new Vacusport Lower Body Negative Pressure Compression Chamber to fine tune muscles in preparation for the race

·         Enter the Powerade competition and stand a chance to win a ticket to the London 2012 Olympic Games

Johannesburg, 5 March, 2012 ­– The world renowned Vacusport Lower Body Negative Pressure Compression Chamber, known to optimize and increase physical performance and significantly reduce injuries, will be on the Powerade Performance Stand at the Cape Argus Lifestyle Expo from 8 – 10 March. The machine will be made available to all athletes in their final preparation phase leading up to the grueling race.

The principle of the Vacusport Lower Body Negative Pressure Compression Chamber lies in space medicine.  No astronaut can do without the lower body negative pressure and the device was devised to help astronauts keep fit in the weightlessness of space and maintain the arterial blood supply of the lower extremities. 

“Powerade is an endurance performance orientated sports drink, and as such everything we do around our sporting assets ties back to a scientific approach to hydration and exercise,” says Craig van Niekerk, Coca-Cola South Africa Marketing Assets Manager.

It is not the first time that Powerade has used technology for the betterment of sport.  “In the recent cricket tour between South Africa and Sri Lanka we introduced the Powerade Performance Tracker, a system that operates via GPS and monitors player’s speed and heart rate thus enabling him to operate at peak performance.  Now we are offering all cyclists participating in the Pick n Pay Cape Argus Cycle Tour 5 minutes in the Vacusport Lower Body Negative Pressure Compression Chamber,” adds van Niekerk

The Vacusport Lower Body Negative Pressure Compression Chamber has been thoroughly researched.  The device was conceptualized in the 1960’s by the German Institute for Space Medicine at the German Aerospace Centre in Cologne.  There have since been many papers written on the device including by the American Journal of Physiology in 2001. There are 8 different programmes that can be utilized:

• Regeneration after training, reduction of lactate, cool down
• Regeneration after competition
• Improvement and optimization of performance before or after competition
• Vessel-training, capillarisation, optimization of blood count
• Rehabilitation of sports injuries (ruptures, bruising, haematomas)
• Rehabilitation of sports injuries (stretched or pulled ligaments and fractures)
• Wound healing
• Traction programme for the spinal column

Cricket South Africa has purchases one of these chambers and it was utilsed throughout the recent Australian and Sri Lankan Tours.

That is not all Powerade is offering the 35 000 athletes:  “Globally we sponsor sporting codes at the highest level, including the Olympic games, and all cyclists that purchase Powerade concentrate at the stand can enter our ‘Train like an Olympian’ competition,” says van Niekerk.

In August 2012, The Powerade Sports Academy will be in operation at the 2012 London Olympic Games.  Powerade is running a number of competitions over the next couple of months offering South African athletes a chance to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity.  One ticket is on offer to Argus cyclists.

The lucky winners will meet and train with specialist Olympic coaches and athletes focusing on skills in 5 different Olympic codes, namely athletics, swimming, football, cycling and basketball.

There will be sessions in each sporting code using techniques to strengthen condition and help participants become better sportsmen.  The academy will deliver experiences and learnings in technique, fitness, team work, competition, hydration, nutrition and psychology. 

“Powerade will specifically educate participants on hydrating correctly to help optimize performance.  There will be both physical and psychological tests carried out throughout the experience to help put these learning into perspective,” concludes van Niekerk.  

Local and international sports scientists will visit the Powerade Performance Stand to give advice on training and how to perform best during endurance sports.