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Gallery: The Future of Sports Performance

Steroids. HGH. Blood doping. Deer antler spray. They’re all illegal. But there are plenty of other innovative ways to enhance athletic performance that won’t get you kicked out of your rec soccer league. Here are 14 such pieces of apparel, equipment or fuel. They’re all high-tech as hell. And they’re all available sometime in 2014. Because the future of sports performance is now.

Under Armour Speedform: Hitting the shelves of Foot Locker this month, the Speedform is a super-lightweight running shoe that takes inspiration from spacesuits and pairs it with the material innovation of a bra to create a seamless heel cup for the ultimate fit. It’s also the first running shoe made entirely in a clothing factory. Your move, American Apparel. $100, underarmour.com

Atlas Fitness Tracker: Developed in Austin, Texas, Atlas is the first fitness device that actually tracks the type, speed and quality of your workout like a real personal trainer—only this thing always pays attention. It identifies your exercises, counts your reps, calculates your calories burned and even evaluates your form. So throw that training notebook away. $169, available for preorder now, ships in December, indiegogo.com

VolcaNO: Created by a couple of rowers from Harvard (yet somehow not the Winklevoss twins), this aggressive supplement combines three time-tested ingredients—L-citrulline, agmatine and creatine—to help you get bigger, faster and stronger. Take it before your workouts to boost blood flow, increase energy and pack on a ton of lean muscle. $70, forcefactor.com

Oakley Airwave 1.5: This snow sports goggle protects your eyes from the sun and wind, which is cool. But you can also use it to measure and track the distance, height and airtime of your jumps, locate and track friends (with the accompanying app), view incoming calls and texts and access music players like Spotify or Pandora or your own playlists. Landing that cab 720 is still up to you. $649, oakley.com

adizero 5-Star 40 Cleat: Adidas launched this shoe at last month’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and it sold out within two days. Here’s why: it combines the world’s lightest track spike, the adizero Prime, with the world’s lightest football cleat, the adizero 5-Star 3.0. Total shoe weight: a feathery 4.6 ounces. If you’re being clocked in a race and there’s money—or a roster spot—on the line, wear these. $150, adidas.com

SOS Rehydrate: With six times more electrolytes than the average sports drink and 75 percent fewer carbs, SOS is a major new player in the hydration game, whether you’re about to play a tennis match or getting ready for a night out. It even works as a hangover remedy, because it’s as effective as an IV drip for mild to moderate dehydration. $8.75 per box, sosrehydrate.com

Marc Pro: Used by the Miami Heat, the LA Lakers and golfer Michelle Wie, the Marc Pro is an affordable, portable version of the kind of electronic-stimulation device athletic trainers have been using on pro athletes for years. Stick the electrodes on your muscles, fire up the machine and relax as it creates strong, unique contractions that lead to faster recovery from workouts and improved muscle performance. $650, marcpro.com

OMsignal Shirt: Remember those old Hypercolor T-shirts? Those are nothing like this. Embedded sensors in the shirt monitor your heart rate, breathing and activity while the included app displays your data in real time on your phone. The shirt also features climate control and moisture-wicking technology to keep you cool. And yes, it’s machine-washable. Price not set, available for preorder starting this spring, omsignal.com

RoboPutt: This robot can make the same putting stroke every time, thus teaching golfers the muscle memory necessary to create their own perfect putts. It also offers 20 lessons, covering everything from grip, stance and eye position to distance control, upswing and the mental game. It does everything but tell you to be the ball. $25,000, roboputt.com

Smart Court: Like having a Hawk-Eye machine on your own private tennis court, Smart Court uses five cameras, 3D visualization and an interactive kiosk to allow players to record their practices or matches, statistically chart their tendencies and get automatic real-time line calls. So if nothing else, it’ll cut down on your buddy’s John McEnroe-style tirades. $10,000 and up, playsight.com

adidas Climachill Tee: Training in hot temps? You could probably use one of these. Launched this month, the Climachill shirt contains three-dimensional aluminum cooling spheres on the back and neck to provide an instant chill effect, lowering your body temperature so you can run longer and stay focused. $45, adidas.com

Versus: Currently used by athletes like Travis Pastrana and Rickie Fowler, Versus is a headset and app designed to enhance the performance of an athlete’s brain—specifically areas shown to influence athletic ability. (Think Lumosity meets sports science.) Through the use of games, Versus helps athletes intensify their focus, control stress and get in the right state of mind. Where was this when Greg Norman was trying—and failing—to sink clutch putts? Price not set, coming this spring, senselabs.com

GeneSolve: Billed as the world’s first body chemistry company, GeneSolve examines your blood, DNA and medical history to identify shortages in your vitamins, enzymes, proteins and hormones. Then their doctors prescribe what’s needed to address these imbalances. The result: heightened energy levels, sharper mental thinking and weight loss. Or so they say. $749 and up, gene-solve.com

Millennium Ice Cryosauna: The cryosauna is like taking a shower, but instead of water, you’re surrounded by dry, cold air. The idea is it motivates the brain to activate all regulatory functions, thereby boosting energy, stimulating your immune system and improving your sleep. Lots of pro athletes dabble in cryotherapy, including the Denver Broncos, Dallas Mavericks, French soccer star Franck Ribéry here and Kobe Bryant (of course). Even Dr. Oz says it works. $50,000, lifeofmillennium.com

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