Lifestyle

Fit fam, see how strong you are at Under Armour Combine!

The fitness competition makes its debut in Manila, pooling in a total cash prize pool of P680,000

Published

September 10, 2023

MJ Jucutan

Heads up, all athletes and fitness freaks!

Under Armour’s COMBINE — the largest fitness competition that benchmarks an athlete’s performance — is back for a second year. The successful debut last year brought in over 1,200 participants across four countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Australia.

This year, Under Armour expands the competition, pooling athletes from diverse sports and training disciplines in the Philippines.

Testing your limits

UA COMBINE will see competitors testing their limits in a total of eight physical and mental tests devised by Under Armour‘s Global Head of Athlete Performance, Michael Watts.

Each test challenges an athlete’s agility, stamina, vertical, power, endurance, strength, speed, and cognition. The eight tests will focus on the following:

Agility Star Drill (Agility)
Pull-up Beep Test (Stamina)
Vertical Jump Test (Vertical)
20m Sled Push (Power)
20m Beep Test (Endurance)
3RM Bench Press (Strength)
40 Yard Dash (Speed)
Reactive Intelligence Wall (Cognition)

A glimpse of your strengths and weaknesses

Under Armour has been hosting Train to Win sessions in the Philippines before the inaugural COMBINE event slated in November. On its fourth leg, Under Armour and Avantgarde Fitness mounted a fitness test at Activate Sports where I got invited to participate. The event also invited athletes from various disciplines such as CrossFit and Obstacle Course Racing.

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The session covered seven out of eight tests, pushing athletes to top their benchmarks through shuttle runs, wall balls, bench presses, max height box jumps, strict pull-ups, and burpee box jumps overs.

Going through various tests made me realize what I’m good at and what are my deficits. My stamina, endurance, and vertical are quite good, and I’ve been exceptional at speed and agility — thanks to my background competing in obstacle course racing.

However, I’ve been struggling with strength and cognition which gave me insights on what to work on before the actual competition.

Tweaks and then some

As part of the brand’s continuous efforts to better define athletic performance, the UA COMBINE 2023 will see significant tweaks made.

As opposed to a more traditional sargeant jump from last year, the standing vertical leap test will have competitors assessed through force plates. This accurately measures an individual’s upward propulsion force.

The cognition station will also use the Reactive Intelligence Wall used by professional athletes in Formula 1 and the NBA. With six light pods positioned on a vertical wall, participants will be tasked with tapping out as many blue pods as possible in 30 seconds. The test will measure reaction time, decision-making, and attention skills when doing so.

Happening in November

UA COMBINE 2023 is slated to happen on November 19, 2023, at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall. The competition is open to 350 competitors and all participating athletes will receive a full set of Under Armour competitor gear on the event day.

Points will be earned for each completed test and athletes will be ranked according to their final result, with medals and cash prizes of PHP200,000, PHP100,000, and PHP40,000 awarded to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place athletes in both the men’s and women’s divisions respectively.

Moreover, Under Armour lowers the entry age to encourage younger athletes aged 16 to 18 to compete. Under Armour products worth PhP 50,000 for the top male and female youths await.

For those who want to compete as a team, participants are encouraged to form a group of four. The scores of each individual on the team will be totaled to a team score. Then, the highest team score will bring home PHP80,000 worth of Under Armour gear.

For further information on UA COMBINE 2023, including competition rules and how to register, please visit the official website www.uacombineph.com, or follow @underarmourPH on Instagram using #UACOMBINEPH.

Entertainment

Samsung brings the Galaxy Z series into Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Tracking Spidey this summer

Published

June 17, 2026

Rodneil Quiteles

Samsung is swinging into theaters this summer.

Ahead of the release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Samsung announced a new collaboration with Sony Pictures. It puts its Galaxy devices directly into the world of Marvel’s friendly neighborhood hero.

At the center of the campaign is the Spidey Tracker, an interactive experience inspired by the upcoming film. In the movie, Ned Leeds develops the tracker on a Samsung Galaxy device to help locate Spider-Man. Now, fans can use a real-world version through a dedicated website.

The tracker will serve as a hub for Spider-Man-themed content throughout the summer. Fans can follow sightings, discover hidden easter eggs, view cast appearances and interviews, and participate in community-driven activities.

Samsung says the Spidey Tracker will be available in 35 countries worldwide through SpideyTracker.com and on X via @SpideyTracker.

Galaxy devices join Spider-Man’s world

The partnership extends beyond marketing.

In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Samsung’s Galaxy devices will be featured throughout the story. Spider-Man will be seen using a Galaxy Z Flip, while Ned Leeds relies on Galaxy Z Fold devices and Galaxy Watch wearables as he searches for the web-slinger.

According to Samsung, the collaboration highlights how its devices help users stay connected, whether they’re sharing moments with friends, keeping in touch with family, or, in Spider-Man’s case, saving New York City.

The company also said the campaign reflects the importance of human connection and self-expression, themes that have long been part of Spider-Man’s story.

More Spider-Man sightings this summer

Sony Pictures says the partnership helps expand Spider-Man’s connection to his community beyond the movie screen.

Throughout the summer, fans can expect Spider-Man-themed appearances across live events, creator content, special activations, and even select Samsung Experience Stores.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens exclusively in theaters on July 31.

Meanwhile, fans can start tracking their favorite wall-crawler through the Spidey Tracker beginning June 17 at 3PM ET.

Cameras

What HYROX Hong Kong looks like up close

Photographed on the Canon EOS R6 Mark III.

Published

June 11, 2026

MJ Jucutan

HYROX drew people from all over the world for a single purpose: finish the course. In Hong Kong, athletes showed up at AsiaWorld-Expo ready to run, row, and push through 8 stations of pure functional fitness.

So, we brought the Canon EOS R6 Mark III to capture one of the most demanding fitness races on the planet.

The Expo floor is a lighting nightmare, a mix of harsh overheads and deep shadows, but the 32.5MP sensor handled the contrast without breaking a sweat.

The 40fps electronic shutter and Pre-continuous shooting meant we were already capturing the moment half a second before we consciously decided to press the shutter.

Covering a race means staying mobile, and the 8.5-stop IBIS let us move freely alongside athletes without losing the shot. The Dual Pixel CMOS AF II stayed locked on athletes even when they were squinting through the final stretch.

What came out were stories of triumph and determination. Even when their bodies were screaming, they pushed through anyway.

This is what HYROX Hong Kong looked like from the inside.

Words by MJ Jucutan. Photos by Sky Rodillas.

Apps

The No-Nonsense guide to mid-year shopping

Let AI do the heavy lifting for you this Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale

Published

June 5, 2026

MJ Jucutan

The mid-year sale season is here, but the days of mindless impulse buying are over.

Shoppers are shifting toward intentional, value-driven decisions, focusing on quality, authenticity, and actual utility over flashy, low-quality gimmicks.

From 8:00 PM on June 5 until 11:59 PM on June 8, 2026, the Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale is dropping major discounts. But the real win is using the platform’s tools to maximize your budget.

Lock in the baseline discounts

Before diving into specific items, map out how to stack the core offers.

You can stretch your money by hunting down LazFlash Deals for up to 90% off, collecting up to PhP 3,000 in stackable vouchers, and ensuring every order qualifies for the free shipping offers available throughout the event.

True value comes from combining these three layers of savings on things you already need.

Jisulife: One of the participating, trusted brands you can get from LazMall

Filter for authentic value

Shopping smart means avoiding the trap of “too good to be true” counterfeits that end up in the trash.

Data shows a massive consumer shift toward trusted quality, with LazMall growth vastly outperforming standard listings during major sales.

To ensure your money goes toward genuine products with real warranties, restrict your browsing to official, brand-certified stores.

If you are upgrading your tech, parenting gear, or wardrobe, look to trusted names anchoring the sale like UGREEN, JisuLife, ANTA, Maserati Watches, Momcozy, and O.TWO.O.

UGREEN: One of the participating, trusted brands you can get from LazMall

Outsmart the noise with built-in tech

Don’t waste hours scrolling through endless listings or guessing which product is better.

The smartest way to navigate a massive mid-year event is to let the platform’s built-in features cut through choice paralysis.

Tools like AI Lazzie and AI Picks allow you to instantly compare similar items, analyze prices, and get personalized recommendations based on actual data rather than generic marketing hype.

Smart Shopper Tip: True value is a mix of the right price, verified authenticity, and a seamless return policy. Use this sale period to stock up on everyday essentials and high-quality upgrades rather than panic-buying items you’ll regret later.