Under Armour marked an important milestone in the Philippines with the launch of the UA COMBINE on November 19, 2023, at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall. Here, Tess Jones (Women’s Competition) and Ryant Erwin Relos (Men’s Competition) also made history as the country’s first-ever champions.
The region’s largest fitness competition held its debut in the country following its inauguration in 2022, which saw 1,200 participants take part in the competitions held across four countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia.
Athletes pushing their limits in different COMBINE categories and tests.
UA COMBINE aims to establish the ultimate athlete performance benchmark and challenge participants to push their limits. Over 249 Filipino athletes from diverse sports and training disciplines competed for a shot at the total cash prize pool of Php 680,000.
They challenged their skills across eight stages that tested their agility, stamina, vertical, power, endurance, strength, speed, and cognition while wearing Under Armour gear, proving that Under Armour performance gear is what helps them excel and perform at a high level.
Pushing boundaries
Athletes competed individually or in groups to test their limits in a series of physical and mental tests developed by Michael Watts, Under Armour’s global head of athlete performance.
These tests focused on:
1. AGILITY: Agility Star Drill
2. STAMINA: Pull-up Beep Test
3. VERTICAL: Vertical Jump Test
4. POWER: 20m Sled Push
5. ENDURANCE: 20m Beep Test
6. STRENGTH: 3RM Bench Press
7. SPEED: 40 Yard Dash
8. COGNITION: Reactive Intelligence Wall
The Philippines’ first-ever UA COMBINE saw significant changes to the tests as part of Under Armour’s ongoing efforts to define athletic performance better.
Last year’s Sargent jump test was replaced by the standing vertical leap test, which assessed competitors while they utilized force plates. This accurately measures an individual’s upward propulsion force.
The cognition test uses the same Reactive Intelligence Wall used by athletes in Formula 1 and the National Basketball Association or NBA. In this station, six light pods are positioned on a vertical wall. Competitors must tap out as many blue pods as possible in 30 seconds, measuring reaction time, decision-making, and attention skills.
Points were awarded for each completed test, and athletes were ranked according to their final results.
Medals and cash prizes of Php 200,000, Php 100,000, and Php 40,000 were awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place athletes in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The highest team score brought home Php 80,000 worth of Under Armour gear.
