New Blood Entry — adidas Lift

The challenge was to engage 14-19 year old girls in sport by breaking down the barriers they face within Adidas’ key cities.

Many teenage girls struggle with depression with 1 in 4 girls being clinically depressed by the time they turn 14. With depression, often comes a loss of motivation, meaning sports isn’t a priority. This is a problem in London because cities have a 40% higher risk of depression.

Sport is known as a stress reliever, having positive effects on mental health, but a recent study has found that strength training in particular could be one of the best forms to fight depression. A less recognised tool to treat depression is music, research has been done on the effects music has to mental health and forming a more positive mindset.

My solution is Lift, it combines weightlifting and music in specialised classes to combat mental illness in young girls. Music with exercising will create a fun and relaxed space for young girls who might find the gym daunting. Adidas will build the Lift platform in gyms across London, eliminating the pressure from regular gym goers, making the gym a more comfortable place. Weightlifting trainers will be there every session helping, whilst live dj’s will be playing the entire session to create an inviting and motivating atmosphere.

Lift will create a community for young girls through the app, where they can talk about their current problems with one another, talk to a professional through a 24/7 live chat. The app will also include information such as gyms busiest times, the men to women ratio, the best gyms for weightlifting facilities. On the app will be daily challenges/workout plans set by the trainers to keep them on track.

This idea was a creative response to a hypothetical brief set by adidas as part of the New Blood Awards programme.