I have spent the last 10 years as a personal trainer, learning my trade working with the general public and within the high performance world. I’ve had the pleasure of coaching some incredible athletes from Premier League footballers to Olympians. I spent the last couple of years utilising more in-depth testing to improve health and performance such as heart rate variability (HRV) testing and analysing data. I’ve spent my time in the fitness industry working with some incredible people, learning different skills. Working alongside sports scientists, physios, psychiatrists and psychologists to get a rounded understanding of what people are looking for when it comes to improving their health.

Before being introduced to smart clothing, my mindset was fully focused on training people forever! However, when our CEO Adam Crofts called me to discuss Prevayl, it was something I instantly wanted to be a part of. I have worked with different levels of wearable tech from wrist-based kit to strange vest-type things you squeeze into. I always loved the science behind these things but the practicality and/or the accuracy of them was really poor and the reason I stopped using them after a short period of time. When our concept of smart clothing was shown to me; making amazing garments that looked good and performed well in equal measures I jumped at the chance of coming into the business. I really do believe we will take this market by storm, people can have a product that will give them all the data they need which is based on ECG signal picked up by a true heart rate which also looks the part. 

My role at Prevayl is Head of Fitness. My initial task was to build a team of testers from different sporting disciplines to test our garments, the hardware and the App, then offer us reliable and in-depth feedback. Further to this, I will take the amazing work our teams produce, test it and deliver feedback.  

In addition to this, I am building relationships with the best people in the UK and soon-to-be-worldwide within the fitness, health and sporting industries. Throughout my time working across these industries I have been able to build a strong contact list so expanding on that is what I am doing at the moment to showcase Prevayl to the world. 

Jamie Bantleman shares how his decade’s worth of experience in the fitness industry has helped him cement his success as Prevayl’s Head of Fitness.

Jamie Bantleman: Head of Fitness | Prevayl

Our Head of Fitness Jamie Bantleman shares how his decade’s worth of experience in the fitness industry has helped him cement his success at Prevayl.

When it comes to workout, you may be doing all the right things: you sweat, you squat and you sprint your heart out on the treadmill, but that doesn't mean you're always going to get an effective workout. In fact, soldiering through the same exercise routines will lead to plateau in workout performance and results… not to mention you'll get bored and lose motivation.

Sounds familiar? Then it’s time to put strategy back in your workout to make your progress go even further.

BodyCheck™ is a bespoke algorithm built into the Prevayl App, which empowers you to monitor how well your body adapts to your exercise routine, enabling you to balance between your training and recovery and smash every workout.

But first, we need to talk about heart rate variability (HRV)

In order to fully understand the benefits of BodyCheck™, we must first explain what HRV is, how it’s measured and why it matters.

Generally regarded as one of the best objective metrics for measuring your body’s readiness to perform, HRV is the variation in time between heartbeats.

Unlike measuring heart rate, which is about the average number of heart beats per minute, the measurement of HRV focuses on the small fluctuations of the heartbeat. These fluctuations can be affected by various factors, including but not limited to your exercise intensity, age, gender, diet, etc.

A low HRV (a small variability between heart beats) usually means that the body is under stress from exercise, whereas a higher HRV indicates that the body has a strong ability to tolerate stress or is strongly recovering from prior accumulated stress, which makes it favourable.

Such advanced levels of performance insights were once reserved for professional athletes; but now, thanks to modern technology, they’re available on demand, at your fingertips – in the form of BodyCheck™.

BodyCheck™ is more than just a HRV tracker; it’s the most detailed full body analysis distilled into the simplest training advice. It analyses more biophysical data than any other wearables on the market (including those that monitor your sleep) to guide your training every day.

By combining your HRV with your orthostatic heart rate, standing heart rate, electrocardiogram and personal baseline, BodyCheck™ calculates your daily recovery to determine your readiness for training.

The recommendation is then delivered through a minimalistic user interface, breaking a decision tree of over 63,000 branches down to one actionable step.

How BodyCheck™ Compares to Other HRV Tests

Many fitness trackers on the market offer HRV tests. However, they tend to only measure your resting HR and HRV in one position, which limits the amount of insight that they can obtain. Prevayl's BodyCheck™, on the other hand, measures your resting HR and HRV both lying down and standing up, which enables us to identify signs of both under recovery and over-training more accurately.

We recommend that you perform a BodyCheck™ every morning, preferably at the same time each day and under the same conditions, e.g. shortly after you wake up and before your first meal or morning coffee.. It takes only three minutes, and doing it consistently will help establish your personal baseline and improve your insight accuracy.

Follow these steps to perform a BodyCheck™:

Based on the outcome, you’ll be presented with one of three recommendations: train, rest or progress, to guide your approach to training that day. So you’ll know exactly when to push yourself and when to take it easy to get the most out of your training regime.

We recommend you do a BodyCheck™ at least three times a week, as this will help us maintain your personal baseline which we can then use to compare your daily metrics against.

BodyCheck™ is the most detailed and accurate tool on the market to help you better understand your recovery and how well your body adapts to your training.

What Is BodyCheck™: Understanding Your Training and Recovery

Prevayl is no ordinary sportswear. Hidden within each SmartWear® garment are integrated knitted electrodes created by our in-house team of experts to record the electrical activity of your heart and deliver clinical-grade ECG data to the Prevayl App in real time, giving you professional-level performance insights whilst negating the need for clunky chest straps.

But what’s an ECG? And how does it stack up to PPG, which is more widely accessible in the fitness tracker market? In this article, we’re addressing some of the questions you may have regarding the differences between ECG and PPG to deepen your understanding of your wearables.

Essentially, both ECG (electrocardiography) and PPG (photoplethysmography) are technologies used to examine how your heart is functioning, but with different methods.

ECG measures the bio-potential (or voltage) generated by electrical signals that control the expansion and contraction of the heart's chambers. Since ECG measures the electrical activity of the heart directly, it’s always best to take the measurement as close to the heart as possible, hence most ECG-based sensors utilise a chest strap with built-in electrodes. That’s also why we’ve positioned our electrodes in the chest band of our SmartWear® garments – for maximum accuracy.

On the other hand, PPG-based wearables shine a light source through the surface of skin and use a photodetector to measure the volumetric variations of blood circulation controlled by the heart's pumping action. Such wearables are typically wrist-worn devices, think Apple Watch, Fitbit, Garmin, Whoop, etc.

When it comes to accuracy, ECG presents a clear advantage over PPG, as it’s considered to be the non-invasive gold standard for cardiac monitoring.

ECG is used in the healthcare industry to help diagnose and monitor conditions affecting the heart, as well as to investigate symptoms of possible heart problems, such as chest pain, palpitations (suddenly noticeable heartbeats), dizziness and shortness of breath. While PPG relies on ECG signals as a reference for static HR comparison.

Since it captures measurement directly from the source: your heart, ECG can measure your HR more accurately. That’s why the Prevayl Sensor is designed to sit right below your chest, where we can capture the most precise data.

This is not to say that PPG-based wearables can’t do the same, but it tends to produce less accurate data during physical activity or cyclic wrist motions, thereby making ECG-based counterparts a much more reliable workout companion for high-performance athletes.

Can ECG and PPG measure heart rate variability (HRV)?

HRV analysis is traditionally performed on ECG, which is capable of extracting R-Peak Intervals (RRI) with millisecond accuracy. In other words, HRV data can be obtained with short-duration measurements. In fact, using ECG, Prevayl is able to examine your HRV and determine your readiness to perform  in three minutes – learn more about BodyCheck™.

For PPG sensors, peak interval accuracy is limited by usable sampling rate due to the high power consumption of LEDs. Not to mention that with PPG, pulse rate variation correlates with HRV for longer periods of measurement (more than five minutes), thus requiring long-duration windows of data to establish an accurate HRV.

ECG sensors tend to have extremely low power consumption, operating at low mW or µW. This is why our Prevayl Sensor can often outlast even the most impressive wrist-based PPG-based wearables in terms of power consumption. 

In contrast, most PPG sensors require higher power consumption – often orders of magnitude greater – due to the need of driving one or more LEDs approximately 30mW of operating power, which can reduce your wearable’s battery life.

The key challenges with PPG technology are cancelling the effects of ambient light, accommodating different skin colours and conditions (tattoos, eczema, etc.) and dealing with physical motion artefacts caused by movement. Not to mention that PPG can only be used on parts of the body that have a high concentration of blood vessels – for example, it can be difficult to get an accurate PPG signal from the wrist. 

ECG sensors bypass these issues by collecting data directly from your heart, which ultimately enables them to deliver the widest range of heart health metrics thanks to their capability to capture a more complete signal of overall heart performance, including both HR and HRV.

Prevayl records and delivers clinical-grade ECG data directly from the heart. Here's how it compares to PPG-based wearables like Apple Watch and Fitbit.

ECG vs PPG: A Comprehensive Comparison | Prevayl

While many of us share similar fitness goals, our bodies and needs are highly individualised. That means you need a wearable that can give you personalised data, which is exactly what Prevayl is designed to deliver.

If you’re still unsure why you should choose Prevayl over a smartwatch or a fitness tracking band, don’t worry. Here are five ways Prevayl stands out against other wearables to help you make smarter buying decisions.

When it comes to optimising your workout, data is king. And no other wearable gives you more performance data than Prevayl.

The Prevayl Sensor samples 512 ECG data points, 312 accelerometry and gyroscope data points and 64 BioZ data points every second – more than any other wearable out there – to maximise the amount of insights into how your body performs during each workout.

A good workout starts with what you wear.

Despite what it’s called, not every wearable on the market is inherently ‘wearable’; not everyone wears a smartwatch when they hit the gym, but everyone wears a gym t-shirt, a tank or a sports bra. That’s why Prevayl is clothing-first, a completely discreet wearable device that you can wear in and out of the gym.

Every garment in our SmartWear® collection is integrated with knitted electrodes and a hidden pocket for the Sensor to capture biometric data from your body whilst giving you the freedom and flexibility to perform at your best. It’s the only truly essential item for your gym bag that streamlines all the fitness-tracking features and functionalities you need to kick your workout up a gear.

Recovery is critical for athletes at any level. To monitor your recovery, most fitness trackers have to be worn throughout the night to calculate your body's recovery rate during your sleep, then report your recovery the next morning.

But we have a better, less intrusive alternative: BodyCheck™. It’s a patent-pending, bespoke algorithm in the Prevayl App which assesses your recovery status and determines your readiness to perform in just three minutes, negating the need to sleep in a wearable.

BodyCheck™ analyses your biophysical data to determine your readiness to perform each day, giving you one simple actionable advice: train, rest or progress. We don’t ‘track’ your recovery the way that most wearables do. You don’t need to wear it to sleep. All you need to do is put on your SmartWear® in the morning, follow the simple instructions in the App and let BodyCheck™ work its magic – all in three minutes.

Fitness apps can help make healthy living a lot easier and simpler. The only downside is that there are thousands of them to choose from, making it difficult to decide which one is your best fit… What if there’s one app that gives you everything you need to level up your workout?

With the Prevayl App, we’ve done the heavy lifting for you by integrating all your fitness data into one app, because having your data scattered across multiple apps is not only time-inefficient but can often leave crucial performance insights untapped, too.

The Prevayl App is designed to consolidate all your performance data and actionable insights in one place, making it easier than ever to take charge of your fitness.

Finally, many fitness trackers and apps make you subscribe to access premium features and benefit from the product. That’s not Prevayl. Our app is completely free to use – no subscription required. One purchase is all it takes to unlock your true potential.

That means no ongoing fees, no surprise charges and no price increases.

In short, this is why you should choose Prevayl…

We put the wearable in, well, wearable. Unlike a noticeable fitness band or ring, Prevayl is connected clothing powered by the latest technology that allows you to train unobtrusively. It delivers real-time insights from your SmartWear® to the Prevayl App on your smartphone, whilst negating the need of additional gadgets which work in silos and often give you incomplete data.

Kick-start the next chapter of your fitness journey. Shop your Training Pack here: Men’s and Women’s.

Looking for a new wearable? Here's how Prevayl stands out against smartwatches and other fitness trackers on the market to inform your buying decision.

Every Reason to Choose Prevayl Over Other Wearables

Every Reason You Should Choose Prevayl Over Other Wearables

Prevayl took a road trip to the Wasps Elite Performance and Innovation Centre, to visit the newest Prevayl Pro Jacob Umaga. In between drop goals and a heavy-duty gym session, we delved into Jacob’s journey and discovered that rugby is woven into his DNA.

“My England cap, my dad’s Samoan cap and my uncle’s New Zealand cap. It’s cool to see how far the family name travels across the world.”

It appears a career in rugby was written in the stars for Jacob. In fact, the young fly-half never even considered a backup plan, if rugby didn’t pan out. Fortunately, his parents were very supportive, and he would soon make a name for himself.

“There was definitely a little bit of pressure. I was brought up playing rugby, I was never forced into it, but every weekend I would go to games with my dad.”

Jacob and his dad, Mike Umaga, are very close when it comes to feedback. He somewhat jokingly recalls his dad being very hot on his case. Now, Wasps’ starting fly-half, having acquired significant experience as a pro, and his dad, fully committed to his coaching career, the rugby fanatics are able to bounce off each other swimmingly.

“My mum always gives me unconditional support and my dad gives me the tough love, but he’s got better, especially now I’ve grown up.”

In 2018, Jacob played for Auckland Rugby Union and got to spend nine months with his uncle, Tana Umaga. People are naturally in awe of Jacob’s link to rugby royalty, and he would always smile and nod along when being probed, but he admits – besides seeing his uncle on holiday now and again – he never really knew him, until he played for Auckland.

“He gets stopped in the street all the time. For me to hang out with him and see what the world’s like through his eyes was pretty cool.”

Jacob was able to glean many off-field lessons during this time regarding recovery and nutrition. As a seasoned vegetarian, Tana studied what his nephew was putting into his body and tried to set him on the right path.    

“He’s always been obsessed with looking after himself, making sure he’s getting the right nourishment. Whereas me, as a twenty-year old, I was going to KFC every day.”

The Wasps star has been involved in the England squad since U18s and U20s. Competing in the Rugby World Cup in Georgia was a huge stepping stone towards Jacob’s senior debut.  

Jacob remembers fondly battling against the best players in the world and getting to meet some of them again, later in life.  

“I played against Samoa which felt really weird at the time, and when I went to Auckland, I actually played against a lot of the lads I had previously played, in the World Cup from New Zealand and Samoa.”

In January 2020, Jacob made his long-awaited senior debut, an incredible feat for any young player. Being able to run out to a roaring crowd, to represent your country, and at Twickenham no less, Jacob’s personal triumph was shared with his family – who were of course in attendance.

Another London-based fly-half to make his senior debut was Marcus Smith. The two youngsters – having previously played together at U20s – partnered famously against the USA. Marcus, starting at number ten and Jacob coming on at centre, it seemed a new era of English rugby was in the air.

“To play alongside Marcus, especially after being on opposite sides for so long, was great. I got to see first-hand why he is so highly regarded.”

Another ‘perk’ of wearing the rose on your chest, is to be coached by none other than Eddie Jones. The Australian coaching powerhouse is notorious for challenging his players and getting them to think differently. He strives for perfection and to stay ahead of the competition.

“He literally wants to be the best in the world in every aspect of rugby.”

Eddie Jones is also known for his somewhat unorthodox managerial style. In fact, the veteran rugby coach is not opposed to trying unconventional training methods, if it leads to an increase in performance.

“During one training session, he actually got us chucking an egg around. That was definitely something I had never done before.

“The aim was to work on our hand-eye coordination. It was a bit bizarre, but I really enjoyed it.”

Jacob has certainly found a home at the London Wasps, he’s also made some life-long friendships along the way, such as lightning-fast winger, Paolo Odogwu. The two had actually played against one another some ten years prior, Paolo, playing for Staffordshire and Jacob for Warwickshire.

“I just remember this lad on the other side of the pitch, who had the biggest legs I’d ever seen, and was only five-foot tall.”

They met again whilst they were both stationed at Leicester, however, it was only when Paolo signed for Wasps in 2019, that they became inseparable. So much so in fact, the pair have started their own clothing company.  

Jacob has wanted to have his own clothing brand since he was a fourteen-year-old, mocking up designs on his laptop. Paolo, who is ‘a bit more out there’ when it comes to fashion, decided that they should go into business together, and they haven’t looked back since.

“We came up with loads of names and then we stuck with Composure Club, and it’s taken off from there.

“Everything we’ve put out has been really well received from our teammates, to some of the fans. Hopefully we can just continue to push forward.”

So, what does the future hold for Jacob? Can his team make their way back to the very top? Has rugby taken a back seat to his fashion aspirations?

“My main focus is winning here with the Wasps! Winning as many games as possible, getting to that final.

“We went through so much last year that I’d love for us at the end of this season to be amongst the best.”

The Wasps fly-half Jacob Umaga recounts growing up in a family steeped in rugby history; relationships with his dad and uncle, and living up to their legacy.

Jacob Umaga: Embracing His Family Legacy | Prevayl

After shocking the world yet again by winning two golds at Tokyo 2020, Paralympian Kadeena Cox MBE is officially a Prevayl Pro. With some deadlifts as a starter, power cleans as the main course and squats for dessert, Kadeena truly put the Prevayl Performance Lab to good use. We caught up with Kadeena post-workout to discuss her baking journey and plans for 2022.

To say Kadeena has had a love-hate relationship with food is a bit of an understatement. From going without eating for days at a time to indulging in a mere bowl of porridge to keep her from fainting, Kadeena’s disordered eating translated to under-fueling and overtraining.

“I’d starve myself and call it a water fasting because they’re beneficial for you. I’d take laxatives and say it’s because my iron tablets are giving me constipation. I’d do extra training sessions so I can burn more calories but tell myself I need to push harder because I’m doing two sports. I’d look at myself in the mirror and hate what I saw.”

What was potentially most detrimental to Kadeena’s health and mental well-being was that whilst putting her body through this ordeal, her performances were actually improving, which unfortunately begs the question: Why walk away from this lifestyle when the results are palpable? 

“I knew it was a bad idea, but I just couldn’t help myself.

“I’d done a 30-hour fast in the week of a race, I was taking laxatives like they were going out of fashion.”

In 2019, Kadeena started blogging as an outlet for herself and to empower others. Sharing tales of personal battles, proving that even elite athletes – who are often seen as superhuman – are in fact human and deal with the same struggles as everyone else. 

“I am due to do a new blog post soon because I feel I should get back on it. I’m not sure what it’ll be about yet, something around Kadeena’s life – which is very complex.”

In 2018, Kadeena showcased some of her culinary skills to the world by appearing on The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer. 

It wasn’t all delicate patisseries and chinwags with Paul and Prue for Tokyo’s double cycling champion. In fact, Kadeena recalls sitting on the floor staring at the oven, waiting for it to either deliver a show-stopping rainbow dream cake or a nightmarish disaster. 

In addition to the stress of competition, baking against the clock and smiling for the cameras, Kadeena suffered a muscle spasm in her right arm which meant she would be at a considerable disadvantage.

“Loads of people came up to me to help. Terri [Hatcher] did all my piping for me, someone else ruined my pie in the process, but they were all trying to help.”

From Kadeena’s mum having a Caribbean restaurant to her nan running a Jamaican take-away, it’s safe to say cooking is very much in the genes and Celebrity MasterChef would be a welcome challenge after Bake Off.

“I feel like on most TV shows, Jamaican food isn’t done justice. I wanted to show that Jamaican food can have great flavours and be refined.”

During the final, whilst sporting her race-day lipstick, Kadeena only had two hours to recreate the dishes which took four hours to prepare at home, messing up her mum’s kitchen in the process.

But like with most competitions, Kadeena dashed over the finish line and delivered a stellar performance. A menu consisting of a myriad of colours and textures residing on a plate, meticulously arranged. Kadeena’s French trimmed rack of lamb and Caribbean curried goat pie had the judges wide-eyed and salivating. 

Kadeena was crowned Celebrity MasterChef 2021 champion soon thereafter. 

Kadeena’s competitive streak isn’t restricted to sports or cooking. The double gold Tokyo 2020 winner and Celebrity MasterChef queen is competitive in everything she does – even things she’s not good at.

“Anything you challenge me to, I’ll give it my all and try to be the best I can, sometimes that’s to my own detriment!”

Kadeena has no intention of slowing down after a triumphant 2021. In fact, the baking powerhouse is contemplating starting her own business. The idea aims to build on Kadeena’s own journey with food to help people enjoy their meals whilst managing their weight in a healthy and happy way. The menu will have it all, including her favourite ingredient.

“My Biscoff blondies are quite good, my Biscoff white chocolate stuffed cookies are even better. Basically, I love Biscoff.

“When it comes to recipes, I don’t like to conform to the rules, I’ll usually find something on the internet then put a Kadeena spin on it.”

Kadeena Cox discusses her past struggles with eating disorder, the real relationship between food and fitness, her future plans in the culinary world and more.

Kadeena Cox: From Paralympian to MasterChef Champ | Prevayl

Kadeena Cox: From Paralympian to MasterChef Champ

Paralympian-turn-MasterChef champ Kadeena Cox discusses her past struggles with eating disorder, the real relationship between food and fitness, her future plans in the culinary world and more.

Prevayls Pros have found a new recruit in three-time track and field Olympian Adam Gemili. After a day of pushing himself to limits beyond mere mortals, we sat down with Adam to get some insight into the mental side of his training and how the tools he has acquired over the years have served him to becoming one of the most decorated sprinters in British history.

Three quick breaths followed by a final deep inhale, that was Adam’s ritual before he possessed the skills to control his nerves ahead of a life-changing race. He would almost try and muscle his way through the occasion without any preparation.

During the London 2012 Olympics, Adam, at only 18 years old – and still very green in the sport – secured a spot in the semi-finals. He remembers walking around the Olympic Village saying to himself that he didn’t deserve to be there. Now, seconds before racing some of the fastest men on the planet, Adam, doesn’t believe he can win. 

“The gun fired, and my mind wasn’t focused on the race, all I could think of was that I don’t want to get beaten too badly or make a fool of myself in front of the whole stadium. What if people back home think I’ve let them down?”

Adam came third in the race, narrowly missing out by 300th of a second. Looking back, he feels that had he been mentally ready he could have made the final. 

“I realised very quickly that the mental side of my game wasn’t right. Physically I was in great shape, I could run as fast as the others but mentally, I wasn’t prepared. That’s when I decided to make a change.”

In 2013, Dr Steve Peters gave a talk to help Team GB athletes and Adam was instantly hooked. 

“After that talk, my mindset changed completely. I approached him that day and seven years later we’re still together. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met, and he’s never charged me a penny. He just loves helping me and the other athletes. I’ll always be so grateful to him.”

Adam recalls his very first conversation with Dr Peters.

“What you’re doing as a job is stupid,” said Dr Peters. “You’re running in a circle and getting paid to do it, what you do is ridiculous.”

That first glimpse of his tough love approach, albeit disguised through a veil of light-hearted mockery has given Adam perspective. He has accepted that at the end of the day it’s just sport.

Adam and Dr Peters work closely on preparing for all the possible outcomes that may occur during a race. So, if something does happen he’s ready for it.

“It’s so important to practise that preparation, it won’t just happen overnight, you won’t just learn how to do it so I practice that every day at training.

“I close my eyes, I lay down, and try to go through the motions as if I can really feel I’m on that start line about to race. My heart rate starts to increase, my muscles start to feel like they are working. I picture the whole race, then I go through everything that could go wrong and how I’m going to react.”

A lot of athletes close themselves off and deflect the energy that comes towards them, Adam tries to open himself up and fully embrace the moment.

Even when competing against the best to ever do it – Adam’s personal sporting hero, Usain Bolt – you still have to believe you’re the best.

“As an athlete, when he was in his prime, Usain was unbeatable, but any time I raced him I had to have that self- belief. I had to back myself to win.

“During one race I remember seeing the back of his head and thinking ‘Wow, that guy is fast!’ He was just that much better. I look at it like I had front row seats to the show.”

Adam hasn’t just learned from Usain Bolt. In fact, Adam takes every opportunity he can to find out what makes the greats, well great. Whether that’s binging The Last Dance on Netflix or reading tales from the likes of Michael Johnson and Kelly Holmes.

“They are not all telling you different ways to do it, what it comes down to is pretty simple: a balanced lifestyle, eat, sleep and train well.”

Easier said than done as for many athletes the diet is the hardest thing to control. Your body is screaming for bad food, but your mind is telling you to stay as lean as possible and to fuel your body correctly.

“You wouldn’t put regular fuel in a Formula One car so you can’t put sub-par food in an athlete.” says Adam through stomach rumbles.

When Adam does get a rest or during his off season, he can succumb to some of his cravings because he knows for the next eleven months, it’s going to be strict.

“I love Indian food. I’ll always eat the hottest curry going – I’m all about the spice. I’m also a big dessert fan, cakes, chocolates; you name it. Actually, it’s hard to find stuff that I don’t eat.”

Adam, now being a seasoned veteran in the world of track and field, lives his life by three simple rules:

1. Set goals: On my phone I’ve got my long-term goals for next year as my home screen. I see them every day and it keeps me motivated.

2. Be patient: Everyone’s journey is different. Some get successful young and for others, it might come later. I’m 27, nearly 28, I started at 18, it’s gone by in a blink. Sooner or later I’m not going to be doing this anymore. 

3. Enjoy the ride: A lot of people, especially older athletes, are so caught up with the next event that they don’t take time to enjoy the moment that they’re in.

Team GB sprinter Adam Gemili sits down with Prevayl to talk about how he found his focus for each race and to share his secrets to success on the tracks.

Adam Gemili: The Importance of Mental Preparation | Prevayl

Adam Gemili: The Importance of Mental Preparation

Team GB sprinter and Prevayl Pro Adam Gemili sits down with us to talk about how he maintains his focus for each race and to share his secrets to success on the tracks.

Great Britain’s most accomplished Taekwondo athlete, Jade Jones OBE, recently spent the day at Prevayl HQ to test our tech. After a day of deadlifts, sprints and renegade rows, we talked to Jade about what it takes to stay motivated after having achieved everything in the sport – especially when facing a recent setback like Tokyo 2020.

A coach, a nutritionist and a gym fit for an Olympian. Just three essentials Jade had to forgo during lockdown. Training every day and keeping to a certain weight was anything but a walk in the park for the Welsh sporting giant.

Jade is of course no stranger to adversity but by her own admission, being housebound with her roommate – who happens to be in the heavyweight category – wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. 

“She was cooking brownies and cookies all the time and my weight kept going up. I didn’t think I would ever make the weight category again.

“I’ve literally been the same weight since I was sixteen, now I’m twenty-eight it’s harder to maintain that weight.”

In 2017, Jade’s long-time coach Paul Green resigned from GB Taekwondo leaving Jade to find a new guiding light, but champions adapt and always find a way to push forward.

“It’s been tough over the last few years trying to build chemistry, trust and respect with someone again. I had been with Paul since I was a kid.”

From having her face on every Team GB oriented publication, to appearing in multiple Olympic sponsored adverts for Rio 2016, Jade was well versed in being the face of British Taekwondo going into Tokyo 2020. This time round however, there was more pressure on Jade - self added pressure, admits Flint's golden girl. 

“I made too much of a big deal out of it. Looking back, I realise I was doing it for the wrong reasons. It’s my own fault really, I put too much pressure on myself.”

Jade’s mindset towards Tokyo 2020 was more focused on what she could lose rather than what she could win. Upon reflection, Jade realises she needed to be more ‘selfish’, more concentrated on her reasons for competing rather than being swayed by external noise.

“I’ve learned a lot since Tokyo. I’m going to use this experience to add fuel to the fire and make myself stronger.

“I’m going to have a different mindset going into Paris, and a different mindset towards life as well.”

Most people view Jade’s short-lived outing in Tokyo as a freak loss, what people don’t acknowledge is that her opponent, Kimia Alizadeh Zonoozi, is not an unfamiliar foe.  

“She’s a tough opponent for a first fight. She’s a big, tall girl. On my day, I could beat her, but she was always going to be tough.”

The absence of a crowd massively impacted Jade, even knowing beforehand not to expect that raw energy, she couldn’t acclimatise to the desolate arena.

“Normally I get nervous and then everyone screams and that gets my adrenaline going, it throws me into fight mode, here, I was just nervous and couldn’t feed off a crowd.

“I felt that everything was against me, I love having a crowd, I love having my family there, I love all the bigness of the Olympics and it didn’t feel like that, it felt like a test match almost, my worst kind of style. But everyone had the same experience, so no excuses my end, it just wasn’t my day.”

So, what’s next for the two-time Olympic gold medallist? After having achieved everything in Taekwondo, does the hunger fade? Will anything live up to that first gold? Is hanging up the dobok in the cards? 

“Now I’ve lost, the hunger is back. I’m not going out like that. I’m gonna get that gold medal back before I retire.”

Asked and answered, at 28 years old, The Headhunter, having already competed in three Olympic Games has her eyes fully set on Paris 2024.

Jade Jones talks to us about overcoming lockdown, putting too much pressure on herself and bouncing back hungrier than ever after her defeat in Tokyo 2022.

Jade Jones: Staying Motivated During Difficult Times | Prevayl

Jade Jones: Staying Motivated During Difficult Times

In 2019, Adam Crofts (CEO and co-founder of Prevayl) and David Newns (co-founder and investor of Prevayl) joined forces to talk about the future of various industries.

Adam, having shown a keen interest in sports science from an early age, particularly when it comes to smart clothing and how data can be used to improve performance; whilst David has a reputation of being industry-disruptive and a proven track record when it comes to investments – this was the beginning of an unstoppable partnership.

They started by looking into how underwhelming the world of wearable technology was: big, clunky, super expensive machinery that’s not adapted to the consumer market. Many brands have tried breaking the world of smart clothing but with little success to show for it. David’s and Adam’s first mission was to understand where they went wrong.

“If we’re going to do this, what’s it going to take? Why have some of the world’s biggest brands failed? What was it that was stopping them?”

So, they started looking into some of the barriers that their competition had faced: poor data that was taken from the body, delivering inaccurate information, a design which took a purely technological approach, visible wires with random bits of plastic and kit that delivered information that could only be deciphered by a sports scientist.

“For us, the solution was the clothes being the next interface. Taking information straight from your body. That’s the key! It almost needed to be invisible tech.”

Adam continues by outlining what specifically needed to happen next. “We knew the size of the market and that it was there to play for. We put a lot of strategy on creating IP (Intellectual Property) because we knew we wanted to build for the future so there was a huge emphasis on IP from where we wanted to land with V1 (version one of the Sensor) to where we wanted to be in 5–10 years time.”

Adam realised very early on that if this idea was to become a reality, he needed to assemble a team of experts across multiple disciplines.

“This solution requires specialist technology in every area, not just clothing. This includes knitting, design, hardware, software, the machine learning platform, the app functionality and more.

“One of the biggest challenges was that for it all to work you need to build all the workflows in line with each other, otherwise it’s not possible. So we found some amazing leaders with experience in each of these areas all who shared this one vision: this seamless solution; beautifully designed clothing with hidden tech.”

Unfortunately, having a great idea and a strong team behind you isn’t enough to get a start-up off the ground. 

“Initially getting investment to support the vision was hard so we were lucky that we already had some good backing and people who believed in the vision. This allowed us to assemble these teams, build rapid prototypes, test and refine. We were quickly able to find out exactly what didn’t work and why.

“Another challenge with investors is that they want you to define who you are in a couple of words. Are you a hardware company? Are you a software company? A clothing brand? The short answer is: none of them, and all of them. Essentially, you need all the skills, all the capability and all the tech knowledge in-house to create the solution.”

Adam knew that athletes were a good place to start for Prevayl. Firstly, because the look and feel of the clothing lends itself to sports and performance. Secondly, partnering with athletes assures an unmatched level of credibility. These people are literally built to go the extra mile, push themselves to abnormal limits. The fact that our solution not only works on them but delivers great information is very encouraging going forward.  

“Athletes are just the beginning, the beauty of Prevayl is that it’s tailored to each individual person and will set goals based on their unique biometrics.”

There have been many defining moments for Adam so far. “Going from the first page of a deck where you literally draw a t-shirt on a page with arrows indicating the different functionalities of the product, to your first prototype. The journey from the page, to seeing some of your own data on a computer screen, that journey has been great! Going from talking to people who love the idea of Prevayl to seeing them putting on the clothes and seeing their reactions, the disbelief that it actually works.”

Some other highlights include moving from a shared office to Prevayl HQ, bringing the team together and having everyone under one roof, working with world class athletes who enjoy the products and launching the Prevayl Founding Membership.  

“What we are doing this year with our Founding Membership is creating a community of people who strive to become better versions of themselves. At Prevayl, we want to celebrate the progression of everybody who comes on board as a Founding Member, celebrate the hardship and the achievements that come their way. We are the first Smart Clothing brand that helps you progress with detailed information. We want to connect with people who want to become part of our journey. Founding Members will help shape the brand, shape the business and inspire others to become the best versions of themselves.”

The founder and CEO of Prevayl Adam Crofts recounts the journey from conceptualising an industry-disruptive smart clothing brand to bringing it to market.

SmartWear® is the world’s most accurate smart clothing.

Engineered to guide your training and help take your performance to the next level, SmartWear® is clothing that you actually want to wear every time you hit the track or the treadmill.

Smart clothing, also frequently referred to as high-tech clothing, is clothing that’s enhanced with technology to offer functionality beyond their traditional use. 

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