Nike Therma-Sphere Max: Cold-Weather Gear That Keeps Your Head in the Game

Have you ever trained for race or played football in cold weather? You know, the type of temperatures that will have your teeth chattering and limbs shivering? The kind of cold weatherthat can make you lose your focus?

Training and playing in those conditions can be downright miserable. So Nike came up with a solution: Therma-Sphere Max. The line keeps athletes’ body warm and their heads in the game.



To avoid bulky layering, which can lead to overheating and limited mobility, Nike created the Therma-Sphere Max men’s training jacket, women's training vest, and training pant. Each piece of clothing has a three-layer composite material designed to help keep the wearer warm, comfortable, and dry without weighing the athlete down. It’s outerwear that helps athletes concentrate on their task at hand, instead of thermoregulation — the body’s way of maintaining its core internal temperature during challenging environmental conditions.

“We’re all about zero distractions,” says Parker Mangum, a Nike product line manager and former BYU wide receiver. “We want to eliminate distractions so that athletes can concentrate on their performance and not on the performance of their garment.”



Last week, I tested out the gear during a workout at a Nike Therma-Sphere Max launch event in New York City. While temperatures were 88 degrees outside, Nike created a 30-degree environment at a Manhattan event space for the 30-minute workout. And yep, as you can imagine, my teeth started to chatter and my body started to shiver as soon as I entered the makeshift tundra — I mean workout room. But once Nike coach Frank Dolan got my fitness class going with jump squats, treadmill sprints, and push-ups, the bone-chilling temperature became an afterthought. I was in my zone and totally focused on performing my best during each exercise. 



The gear is for all athletes — amateur and pro. 

To help design and spread the word about Therma-Sphere Max, Nike enlisted the help of a couple of sports stars.

“We partnered with [Giants receiver] Victor Cruz, who trains and plays in New York, where it gets very cold in the winter, and track and field star Ashton Eaton, who trains year round in different temperatures,” Parker said. 

So whether you’re the star player of your high school team or running a 5K, Therma-Sphere Max can help you achieve a good race pace or rack up receptions without thinking about the cold.


Photos: Nike