What I’ve Learned About Sponsorships/Ambassadorships

To be honest, before I started this blog, I didn’t even know what having a sponsor meant or what being an ambassador entailed. I just assumed that if you had one of the two, (or both), you were probably an elite athlete that had companies knocking on your doorstep. While this could be the case for some, it most often isn’t.

In my opinion, companies look for an athlete that represents their product in a few different ways:

-They fit the “image of the company”

-They’ve used their product(s) before

-They have a strong following on social media

I’m sure that if you lacked in one area but compensated in another, you’d still be a viable candidate for getting sponsored/becoming an ambassador.

There’s SO MANY companies that sponsor athletes/provided ambassadorships. They can range from apparel, to accessories, and to things like nutrition/supplements. I feel like there’s no hard and fast rule as to what certain companies provide, and it honestly depends on what you can offer them. On the lower end of the spectrum, companies will off you a discount on their products, providing you promote their brand on your social media channels on a frequent basis. I think that this level of sponsorship/ambassadorship is the most common. In the middle of the spectrum, companies will offer you free product in exchange for promotion on your behalf. On the far end of the spectrum, companies will pay you to showcase your product. The last one is uncommon though, unless you have tens of thousands of followers.

The biggest thing I’d take away is that if you’re going to become a sponsored athlete, make sure it’s with a company that you’re actually familiar with and are passionate about. I currently have two sponsors; Insane Labz and American Metabolix and I honestly love both of their products. In my usual fashion, I’ll be sure to review them and report back so you guys can try them!

I actually created a new page called “Discount Codes” where you can find discount codes from my sponsors. They’re valid until I say otherwise, so feel free to use them whenever!

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy

Weekly Recap (Jan 30th – Feb 5th)

This past week was honestly really great. It just happened to be one of those weeks where everything aligned and I was able to get all my workouts in with one rest day to spare. This past week was also the start of my Mississauga Half-Marathon training! One week down, 13 to go! Here’s what I did this week:

Monday

Intervals (Fartlek) – 2.2mi in 24:03, 10:46/mi avg pace

This was the first time I’d ever done a fartlek run and it’s actually my new favourite interval run. I did it on the treadmill since I hadn’t activated my gym membership yet, and it turned out to be a lot of fun! I’m looking forward to doing it on a track though.

Tuesday

Shoulders

-5min Warm up

-Standing Shoulder Press: 25 lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Delt Raise: 15lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/1 minute rest in between sets

This workout kind of sucked because I did it at the condo gym during the evening so it was super packed. I didn’t really plan this workout out since every machine was in use, so I just did whatever I could.

Wednesday

Rest Day

Thursday

Intervals – 3.4mi…

This one is tricky because Strava says that my average pace is 14:23/mi and I know that’s not true since my slowest split was 11:36. Other than that, it was a really good treadmill interval session.

Back & Bis

-5min Warm Up

-One Arm Bicep Curls: 25lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Back Extension: 135lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Standing Barbell Curl: 40lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Roman Chair: 25lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/1 minute rest in between sets

-Hammer Curls: 20lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Lat Pulldown: 35lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

This was the first workout in the new gym! It’s a great gym and I definitely made the right choice signing up. I so far have only gone during the evenings, but it isn’t super busy which is nice.

Friday

Legs

-5min Warm Up

-Calf Press: 160lbs, 5 sets by 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Barbell Squats: 90lbs (not including the bar), 5 sets x 5 sets w/1 minute rest in between sets

-Hip Adductor: 135lbs, 5 sets x 5 sets w/1 minute rest in between sets

This workout REALLY burned! I was up at my school’s main campus in Peterborough for the weekend and used their gym. My friend was picking me up in between classes so not only did I not get to finish my workout, I also didn’t get to stretch. Holy crap was I sore.

Saturday

Chest & Tris

-5min Warm Up

-Assisted Dips: 100lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/1 minute rest in between sets

-Bench Press: 20lbs (not including the bar), 5 sets x 5 reps w/ 1 minute rest in between sets

-Tricep Extension (Machine): 60lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/1 minute rest in between sets

-Pec Fly: 80lbs, 5 sets x 5 reps w/1 minute rest in between sets

-Incline Sit-Ups w/ Medicine Ball: 3 sets x 8 reps w/1 minute rest in between sets

This workout was nice because I got to do it with friends, which I don’t get to do very often.

Sunday

4mi Run – 43:32 moving time & 10:53/mi avg pace

This was on the treadmill which wasn’t ideal, but at least it was accomplished!

 

I also got some exciting news: I’ve become an Insane Labz Athlete! They have some really cool stuff from apparel, to recovery supplements and more! I have a coupon code for you guys: runlift20. Use it to get 20% your order!

 

-Running Fast, Lifting Heavy