Inspiration
CLN Bamboo Technology
Now we introduce the CLN Bamboo Collection! After 12 months of research and tough testing, we are very proud to present our latest training innovation: Training tops made of durable bamboo fiber! Bamboo is the world's fastest growing plant and requires relatively little water to grow. The plant also does not need pesticides or fertilizers and is - in combination with our organic cotton and lycra - a durable, natural material. So, why is bamboo a better option? From the moment you put on our workout clothes, you will experience a luxuriously soft quality; in fact, the material is called the cashmere of workout clothes. The garments in the collection are naturally antibacterial and will therefore remain odor-free. In addition, the body is allowed to breathe thanks to the natural quality, which is up to four times as moisture-wicking as regular cotton. The skin will experience a soft garment that does not tend to irritate and itch. Enhance your training with our new bamboo garments. Launching Monday, February 25th.
Learn moreCLN Personalization Service
With the launch of the CLN Reflex Bag, we are introducing the CLN Personalisation Service . We want you to feel special. This is an opportunity for you to personalise your CLN products. We're starting by giving you the opportunity to write your name or initials on our wildly popular gym bag. But it doesn't stop there! We'd love to know what other products you'd like to see this on. Get in touch at info@clnathletics.com and let us know!
Learn moreNew Product Packaging - Keeping it CLN!
We have chosen to start sending our e-commerce packages in bags made from recycled paper that are biodegradable and therefore 100% recyclable. We have also adapted the size of the bags so that they now fit our products perfectly. In addition, they have an adhesive strip that can be used after opening the package, which means that it can be resealed again and you can easily send your order back in the original packaging. But it doesn’t stop there! In our efforts to reduce unnecessary waste, we have also decided to start removing polyester bags and hang tags from our products starting with our spring collection. Our new smart packaging still holds the garment in place and gives you all the necessary product information, but is made from recycled paper. Changing our product packaging allows us to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, save energy, water and reduce waste sent to landfill.
Learn moreWhatever challenge #2: Philip Thun Bisgaard
Time for part two of our Whatever challenge interviews, let us introduce: Philip Thun Bisgaard! Danish Philip is the already early shining football star who due to (or thanks to?) an injury changed his mind – and fell in love with CrossFit. Philip is proof that nothing is impossible: when you want something badly enough, you can go as far as you want. Apparently, that's enough all the way to a top ranking among men in the Danish CrossFit Open, 37th place in the world – and now competing in the CrossFit Regionals. Whatever challenge – what is your biggest challenge now? It's definitely the CrossFit Regionals that are taking place this weekend, May 15-18 in Berlin. Any butterflies in your stomach yet? Yes, I feel them more and more the closer we get to the start of the competition! How have you prepared for Regionals? We haven't known about the exercises for a long time, so it's been hard to know exactly how to prepare. But let me tell you: I've spent a lot of time walking on my hands! How have you managed to stay focused? It has been relatively easy, the competition itself has provided motivation during the almost entire year that I have been training for it. What motivates you most: realistic plans or bold dreams? Right now, the fact that I finished so strongly in the Open and that I will be competing in Regionals has given me a huge amount of strength. So, a mix between realistic plans and daring dreams I would say! What is your main goal with Regionals? It's actually about having as much fun as possible and learning a lot. What do you like best about CLN Athletics products? This will probably sound a bit strange but the fact that I barely feel like I'm wearing the clothes is the best part. They never get in the way and don't hinder any movement. My collection of favorite clothes is mostly made up of CLN Athletics shorts! Finally, 3 tips when motivation dips? I only have one: pure fucking acceptance. I simply like to win and that doesn't happen without real hard work and a lot of grit.
Learn moreWhatever challenge #1: Marcus Ericsson
First up in the Whatever challenge is our Swedish rising star, Formula 1 driver Marcus Ericsson. He's the ear-piercing genius who fell in love with go-karting at the age of 8, a love that would take him around the world – and he's currently in his fifth season in the world's most prestigious racing series: Formula 1. Whatever challenge – what is your biggest challenge now? It's definitely the ongoing Formula 1, it's my fifth participation and after a couple of tough years there are still many qualities that I haven't had the chance to show yet. On the other hand, the conditions have never been better, with my team and the investment that Alfa Romeo is making, I'm more than ready. If you look at a typical training week, what do the workouts look like? What type of training do you do? Motorsport is so much more about physics than many people seem to think. The races are often up to 2 hours long, there are high g-forces and on average I am at 75–80% of my maximum heart rate: it is tough and places high demands on me. That is why I train six days a week and vary between cardio and strength exercises based on my body weight. It is important to find a good balance: to be able to train hard but not build too much muscle, I don't want to gain weight. I like CrossFit-inspired exercises! F1 involves an extreme amount of travel. How many travel days do you have in a year? That's about 260 travel days per year. Sometimes it feels like I live on an airplane! How do you maintain your focus? It's largely about myself, that I feel as good as I can. I eat right, train hard, live a healthy life and make sure to focus on what's important. Also, my environment plays an important factor, that I have good people around me. What inspires you the most: realistic plans or bold dreams? For me, it's really important to dare to dream: I set high standards for myself and have tough goals to aim for. Therefore, it's also important for me to have smaller, short-term goals that are easier to achieve in order to feel like I'm succeeding. Who inspires you? (Private person, public person, fictional) I am very interested in hockey, I trained ice hockey myself until I was 15–16 years old and the turning point came when I had to choose between hockey and racing. A great role model is Peter Forsberg and if I had not chosen motorsport, it is likely that I would have continued on the ice. In motorsport, Michael Schumacher is of course a great role model and one of the reasons why I dreamed of – and decided to – become a racing driver. What do you think is the best thing about CLN Athletics products? They are very comfortable to work out in. Of course, it doesn't hurt that they are also stylish, but most important to me is that the fit is good and that the garments are functional. In fact, I don't have a favorite garment, but wear and enjoy pretty much everything from the collection. Finally, what do you do when motivation dips? I have two tips that almost always work for me. The first is that I push myself to the gym, that's where I always get going. My second tip is to hang out with positive people who make me happy!
Learn moreCLN OPEN UP: LINUS "THE THING" JOHANSSON
It's almost time for the Open 2018 and our athletes are pumped up! We had a short chat with Linus "The Thing" Johansson and not only got to hear about his recipe for success and goals for the upcoming competition - he also reveals who his toughest opponents are! Current status summed up in 3 words? Ready, pumped and excited! How is the form compared to the Open 2017? The form is actually completely different, I have a different drive compared to last year. I thank Anders Fernette and running for that. What does your upload look like this year? It consists of a strict diet, beetroot juice and sleep. Describe your expectations! I expect a better result than last year, but I am also humbled by the fact that it is a tough challenge. What is your goal for the Open 2018? To qualify individually for the CrossFit Games Regionals. Who are the country's three toughest opponents? There are many talented guys in Sweden, but Lukas Högberg, Viktor Långsved and Alexander Elebro are three people who are tough to beat. What do you do right before you go out to compete? I adjust my grips (if they are being used). Then I try not to think too much, I just go into myself and do what I have to do. Your best recipe for motivation! Have a WHY and do it with people you like. Why have you chosen CLN Athletics training clothes? CLN offers functional clothing at a high quality. They are not only comfortable to wear but also have a stylish design. I am happy and proud that CLN provides me with the clothes I need to train and compete as often as I do!
Learn more“EITHER WE DO IT REALLY FUCKING WELL – OR NOT AT ALL”
What does CLN Athletics owe a late August evening to – and who are the guys behind the upstart in the jungle of workout clothing? Get to know the founders and learn about their exciting vision, where a broader international launch is soon to come. How was the idea for CLN Athletics born? The year was 2013 and we were new to the sport of CrossFit. High on endorphins after a tough workout, we were breathing out into the warm sunset of a late summer evening, when the conversation turned to a fact we had noted a few months earlier. Design nerds that we are, we realized early on that the best-designed training garments for the sport were both too voluminous in fit and disappointing in quality. We then realized that with our experience in design and product development, we could do it better ourselves. Tell us about the name! Shortly after the idea was born, we started thinking about a name. We both like stylish, clean design and we often meet in it and exclaim: “Nice, really clean!” We quickly realized that “clean” is part of the vocabulary of most CrossFit practitioners: for example, clean as in freewheeling and clean and jerk – at the same time as the idea of eating a clean diet had just caught on. Paleo and LCHF, the trend was so clear: there was a craving for the clean and simple. In symbiosis with the word sport, we were at home and CLN Athletics was born. What does product development look like? From day one we have had a rule: either we do it really damn well – or not at all. Per-Oscar Berggren has over 16 years as a product designer at 8848 Altitude behind him, where he is also a co-owner. Together with Robin Rudholm, former racing driver and now CEO of the advertising agency R3 in Borås, the conditions were and are optimal. From having produced sample shorts for ourselves, to t-shirts especially requested by friends of the box – to sales of a few hundred thousand in the first year itself. Since the beginning, we have been designing with a flirtation with the fashion world, rather than other sports brands. Trends, details, cuts: we are adaptive and like to try new things. However, the focus is always on the athlete's needs: garments that allow maximum movement during high-intensity training. We have short decision-making paths and in addition to the two major collection releases per year, there is the possibility of continuously releasing smaller collections. It's great fun and we are hungry: this is just the beginning! … and the brand's development in general? We have grown organically and the biggest investment has been time. It was a 9-1-1 job at the beginning: when the kids were asleep we would text each other and do a night race. Nowadays Per-Oscar works full-time as a product designer and Robin with the advertising agency R3 contributes with expertise and brand building, much of it via social media. The importance of really good-looking images is enormous and for that we have Patrik Johäll at Superstudio in Borås to thank. Furthermore, we have consciously chosen not to sell our products through traditional sports chains, we stick to our e-commerce and various boxes around the country: around 30 at present and we are always looking for new collaborations. Speaking of collaborations, do you actively work with team athletes and ambassadors? That's right, it started back in 2015 when we contacted Lukas Högberg. Then as now, he belongs to the absolute elite in the sport and he rhymes very well with CLN. It gave the brand the best possible start and we had a fantastic collaboration. Now we stand strong with an impressive group of team athletes and ambassadors, who all greatly inspire us and our followers. A wonderful group that we look forward to expanding further! Tell us about the future of CLN Athletics. The core and our DNA is the CrossFit athlete. However, we can now see how the sport is developing and we are responsive. We also see that the products can be used outside the box to a greater extent in the future, for example during the circuit workout or the run in the forest. 2018 will be a very exciting year for CLN Athletics with launches in at least two more markets. Our goal is to be seen internationally as a given player in the high-intensity training segment. The future looks bright!
Learn moreCONGRATULATIONS ON TOP 12 IN GAMES, @JOCKEOXEN!
Congratulations Jocke! How does it feel? It feels really good. I started 17th, was in eighth for a while and ended up in twelfth place. I'm happy! This was your first time participating in the Games, what did you think? A crazy cool experience! So big, the best from all over the world are there and everything is captured by the many TV cameras. Did it make you want to keep going? It would of course be fantastic to experience it all again, but it requires so much of you. I'm going to mentally land now and feel it. Which moment was the toughest and the most fun? The toughest part was during the “Bar Fights” event on Saturday, when I really tore my hands up. The most fun part, however, was the very first “Run Swim Run” event, where I went really well. I have an easy time running and was first in the water, so that was great! What's next? We'll see! I'll sit down with my coach and discuss it, but for now and the next two weeks – much-needed rest!
Learn moreJocke Bengtsson – qualified for the Games!
We are proud to announce that our athlete Jocke Bengtsson has qualified for the Games in the masters class! With a steel forehead and total dedication, you can go far – despite dubious expectations. We had a chat with Jocke to get a feel for the competition nerves. Congratulations Joakim on the Games qualification! Was this expected? Thank you very much. No, I actually didn't think I would qualify this year. I've been feeling in worse shape than last year so this was a surprise. What does the upload look like now? I will train as usual but will increase the amount of training sessions the closer we get to the competition. What are you hoping for in Games? Oh, that's really hard to answer. But I would have been really happy with a top 10 placement. Who will you watch out for? I have zero awareness of my competitors, no focus on them. It just takes a lot of energy – better to put it into my training! What is your recipe for success? Smart training. Listen to your body. If you feel tired and worn out, it's better to take an extra day of rest. Better with quality workouts than a large amount of training that just breaks you down. How does the competition work? There will be three days of competition with 3–4 events each day, where we are tested on different skills. The lowest placing in each event gives the highest points. After three days, the one with the highest points has won. What are you most looking forward to before the Games? Just having fun. And enjoying this time that I've been fighting for for 3 years. Which CLN item has a given place in your suitcase for the Games? It will definitely be my orange CLN Impact Shorts.
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