Fitness is becoming an increasingly important part of many of our lives as men. Being healthy and athletic is not only helps when it comes to attracting a partner but also makes you more productive and effective in practically every area of your life. Being buff helps with brains too!
Putting together a decent gym guy wardrobe, however, shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Take a look at these principles and apply them for sartorial splendor while working out.
LOOK FOR FABRICS THAT STRETCH
If there’s one thing about work clothes is that they have practically no ability to stretch. The fit of your shirt doesn’t change just because you lift your arms above your head.
Today’s gym clothes, however, come with a range of stretchy fabrics that are total game-changers when it comes to how much you can move. Look out for items which offer “four-way stretch.” These garments are loose (so not leggings) but will stretch in any direction you want.
DON’T USE YOUR WORK SOCKS
While it might be tempting to use your work socks for the gym, it’s generally a bad idea. The problem with work socks is that they have a habit of rising halfway up your leg – not what you want when you’re wearing shorts. Look out for men’s quarter socks. These are a particular type of sock designed to be worn with trainers. The sock provides a barrier between your foot and the trainer material, but it isn’t as long as regular socks. It stops at the ankle, leaving the leg above exposed.
KEEP YOUR GYM ACCESSORIES IN A SEPARATE DRAWER
Gym accessories come in all shapes and sizes. Your towel, water bottle, earphones, and workout diary are all essential. But you may also need extra space for barbell grips, gloves, and weight belts.
CHOOSE SWEAT-WICKING FABRIC
If you’re like most people, you work up a considerable sweat while you work out. HIIT training is intense! What you want, therefore, is sweat-wicking material hugging your skin.
Cotton is not sweat-wicking. Thus, if you wear a regular tee while working out, you’ll end up with massive sweat patches around the armpits and chest – not ideal. Manufacturers, however, now make particular types of fabric which draw water away from your body and allow it to evaporate into the atmosphere. Strangely, these fabrics help you to sweat less but release the energy from your sweat, allowing you to cool down more efficiently. No, it’s not as good as working out with no t-shirt at all, but most gyms probably wouldn’t be happy about tasc
LOOK FOR COMPRESSION GEAR
Compression gear is gym wear that clings to your muscles. It looks cool, but the original motivation was to provide support to the joints. When you do a squat or a bicep curl, the forces of the movement push the joints outward. Compression gear works against this tendency, helping to keep everything in place and prevent injury.
So there you have it: everything you need to know about creating a gym guy wardrobe.