February 2009
Reebok revolutionized women’s fitness with ‘Step Reebok’ in 1989. Now, ‘Jukari Fit To Fly’ has been announced as in line with its new intentions for an innovative gym workout for women.
This is the first in a series of initiatives to come out of a new, long-term partnership with globally-renown entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil.
The newly announced workout program makes fitness fun again by introducing a new way to move in a gym workout and is accessible to all women regardless fitness levels. The hour-long workout was created on a specially-designed piece of equipment called the ‘FlySet,’ and the result is a workout that gives the sensation of flying while strengthening and lengthening the body through cardio, strength, balance and core training.
The Reebok-Cirque du Soleil partnership and ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ workout are the direct result of insights into what women really want from exercise. A survey of 15,000 women across 25 countries in 2008 found that while nearly half of all women know that exercise and keeping fit is very important to their overall health, less than 25% participate in fitness often. Specially-commissioned Reebok research looked at why this might be. The findings showed that nearly two thirds (61%) of all women would workout more if it was more fun. More than half (54%) felt exercise was a chore.
Says Katrin Ley, Head of Womens at Reebok, “These insights proved women perceived exercise as a chore, were unmotivated and uninspired to exercise but would workout more often if the gym was fun. The combination of Reebok’s heritage in women’s fitness and the fun, excitement and innovation that Cirque du Soleil brings to their craft meant that we are in a unique position to provide a solution to this need. The result is a whole new way to move through the JUKARI Fit to Fly workout and a new range of products to wear, designed specifically for women.”
In early 2008, Reebok and Cirque du Soleil came together to make fitness fun again for women. They created an inspirational workout that would shake up and invigorate a woman’s gym routine. After eight months of development and rigorous testing, ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ was ready and created as a fitness equipment that hangs from the ceiling, consisting of a durable three-stranded rope with a 360-degree swivel point at an adjustable length with two attachment loops..
The ‘FlyBar,’ a 4.5lb neoprene coated attachable steel bar, is placed through the two loops, which can be varied in height, to create an apparatus that strengthens and lengthens the body as you experience the sensation of flying during the workout.
Leslie Calvagne, Reebok’s Training Director for ‘Jukari Fit to Fly,’ worked with Cirque du Soleil for twelve months to create the workout and the equipment.
“We set ourselves the task of creating the ‘smile while you’re sweating’ workout and the hundreds of women who have already taken this class tell us we have succeeded. ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ is a head-to-toe workout that is new, different and above all, fun,” Calvagne said.
“Working with Cirque du Soleil has been an incredible experience and we are delighted with the result. As are our gym partners around the globe who have seen it, tried it and will be launching it to their members this year.”
As the creative inspiration behind the project, Cirque du Soleil played a crucial role in creating the class.
Lyn Heward, Creative Director of the Reebok- Cirque du Soleil program says, “From day one, we committed to making sure every move would be inspired by real moves Cirque du Soleil artists do as part of their shows.”
“Anyone taking the ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ class must leave it feeling as if they had experienced something different and with that Cirque du Soleil flair. The skill came in adapting and testing these moves so that they felt real but at the same time easily accessible for anyone.”
To complement ‘Jukari Fit to Fly,’ Reebok has also created two collections of women’s fitness apparel and footwear–‘On the Move’ and the ‘Reebok-Cirque du Soleil’ collection.
Both collections consist of products that can be worn for a range of fitness disciplines, from running to yoga, ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ to tennis. All have been developed and designed with a deep understanding and knowledge of the unique way a woman’s body moves.
The launch of ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ will be supported by a global integrated marketing campaign throughout 2009. Running online, outdoor, in store and in print in key markets worldwide, the campaign will feature ‘Jukari Fit to Fly’ action imagery and ‘Reebok On The Move’ and ‘Reebok Cirque du Soleil’ apparel and footwear.
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