Sennheiser and adidas launch “5 FOR SPORTS” – The search for the ultimate training playlist

Sennheiser and adidas launch “5 FOR SPORTS” – The search for the ultimate training playlist Sennheiser and adidas are letting sports fans throughout the world nominate their five favourite training songs at www.5-for-sports.com (click on image for hi-res) Old Lyme, Conn. – July 27, 2010 – What music do athletes and sports enthusiasts listen to when they train? That’s what audio specialist Sennheiser and sporting goods manufacturer adidas aim to find out with their new website 5 FOR SPORTS. Over a period of five months, sports fans throughout the world can nominate their five favourite training songs at www.5-for-sports.com. Also taking part are well-known celebrities from the sports and music worlds. US sprinter Tyson Gay, British heptathlete Jessica Ennis, Chinese singer Hins Cheung and other professionals reveal their Top 5 warm-up, jogging and cool-down tracks. And as a thank-you gift for visitors who share their top 5 tracks, Sennheiser and adidas are offering hundreds of instant prizes as well as one grand prize: a gift voucher for sports equipment worth €5,555 (approx. $7,000 USD). “Good music not only makes training more fun, it’s also great motivation to train more effectively,” explains Uwe Cremering, Brand Manager at Sennheiser’s global headquarters in Wedemark, Germany. “With 5 FOR SPORTS, we want to create a platform that allows sports fans throughout the world to exchange their training music.” The right sound for running Sport is even more fun when you’re listening to music. It can motivate you, maintain your running speed or give you that extra “kick” when you need it. The most important thing is to choose the right songs. An ideal training session consists of different speed and rest phases, so you should choose your playlist accordingly. 5-for-sports.com has five different song categories—warm-up, jogging, sprinting, cool-down and relaxation—so you can match your playlist to each phase of your workout. “I am always connecting music to my team’s training runs and hard workouts,” explains Running Expert Mike McManus at adidas International. “Our favorites for the interval sessions and tempo runs are DJ Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold and Paul Van Dyk. There is nothing better than a good techno song to get your legs moving fast and into a good rhythm. Warm downs and slow recovery jogs is when I pull out something from The Smiths, The Cure or REM. Keeping the music in line with the workout plan helps to keep you where you need to be in your heart rate zone and workout speed.” Professional athletes and musicians such as sprinter Tyson Gay, heptathlete Jessica Ennis, basketball pros Derrick Rose and Nick Batum and singers Hins Cheung and Tarkan will share their own training playlists at www.5-for-sports.com. TOP 5 of the pros Sprinter Tyson Gay explains, “Good music motivates me; it puts me in the right mood for training.” His playlist is already online at www.5-for-sports.com. For warming up, the vice world champion and American 100-meter record holder listens to DJ Khaled. While jogging, he prefers Lloyd Banks. After training, his cool-down and relaxation tracks are songs by the Black Eyed Peas and 50 Cent. The playlists of heptathlete Jessica Ennis, basketball pros Derrick Rose and Nick Batum and singers Hins Cheung and Tarkan are also online. Over the next few weeks, other professionals will reveal their favorite training tracks at 5-for-sports.com. What will the playlists sound like? “We’re really excited to see the results of 5 For Sports,“ Cremering says. “For example, it will be interesting to see whether there are different music preferences in Europe, Asia and America. Or whether women train to different music than men.” Sennheiser and adidas will notify everyone who has taken part about the results. The more participants who enter their favorite training songs at 5 FOR SPORTS, the more comprehensive the results will be. And with a little luck, sports fans can win one of 250 instant prizes just by taking part. Prizes include various surprises from the world of sports and music, such as iPods, iTunes vouchers, sports headphones and sports watches. The main prize is a gift voucher, valued at €5,555 (approximately $7,000 USD), to spend on sports equipment. Powerful running partners To ensure that you can also enjoy top-quality sound while training, Sennheiser and adidas launched a new range of sports headphones at the beginning of the year. The four different models are especially tailored to the needs of athletes and can withstand even the toughest training conditions. About adidas AG adidas is a global designer, developer and marketer of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories with the mission to be the leading sports brand in the world.  Brand adidas is part of the adidas Group, a corporation that includes brands such as Reebok, TaylorMade and Rockport. For further information please visit www.adidas.com. About Sennheiser Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of aviation headsets, microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. With their top-quality acoustics, high wearing comfort and rugged designs, Sennheiser aviation headsets are suited to the needs of professional and private pilots and air-traffic controllers. Innovations such as the NoiseGard™ active noise compensation system and ActiveGard™ protect against potentially harmful volume surges. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser’s pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. *iPod and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the USA and other countries ** For the latest information on compatibility, please check the products’ technical data at www.sennheiserusa.com Jeff Touzeau Hummingbird Media jeff@hummingbirdmedia.com 914 602-2913 Rachel Smolin Public Relations Sennheiser Electronic Corporation rsmolin@sennheiserusa.com (860) 434-9190, Ext. 180

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Tags: Adidas AG, Jessica Ennis, Shopping, Sport, TaylorMade-adidas, Training, Tyson Gay, United States