When it comes to coordinating your gym wear, it’s crucial to maintain a balance of comfort and style. Gyms are not just an area to work out but also a place where you meet the same people every day and often bump into colleagues, acquaintances, and even clients.
So, it’s really important to wear clothes that suit your personal style and give you confidence while you exercise. Here we will provide some tips on what to wear to the gym so that you can slay every look and get the best out of your workout. Let’s take a walk.
Things to Consider While Picking Your Gym Clothing
Can you recall how many times you have been embarrassed for picking random pieces of clothing? I’m sure the number isn’t very pleasant. To ensure that doesn’t happen again, let’s have a look at some important aspects that you should consider before buying new gym clothes.
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Fitting: Tight or Loose Fitting Workout Clothes?
Choosing form-fitting workout clothes is essential because you can’t give your best to your workout if your workout clothes are ill-fitted. Tight-fitting gym clothes are more supportive and comfortable, whereas loose-fitting clothes are more breathable. So, what to choose?
We will recommend choosing tight perfect-fit clothes made from breathable materials. There are many benefits of picking tights for gyms.
First of all, they have been in fashion for the past few years as they glorify the body shape and make it look compact and lean. Secondly, tights don’t restrict your movement and support an ample range of motion. So, daily workouts will be easier for you.
Well-fitted gym clothes increase your blood circulation, and the base layer of close-fitted clothes helps in releasing pressure from your muscles. With perfect-fit gym clothing, the chances of injury and muscle fatigue are less.
But hey, if you don’t feel comfortable in packed gym clothes, loose-fitting clothes are always an option as long as they are not super baggy.
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Material: Which Fabric Is the Best?
You just can not go wrong with the material of your gym wear. If you’re uncomfortable and self-conscious because of your outfit material, you will lose efficiency during workouts.
The material should feel good against your body and keep you dry by quickly evaporating sweat. It will keep you cool by allowing sufficient airflow. The right cloth material will provide you maximum flexibility and support full range motion.
Say ‘no’ to cotton and opt for moisture-wicking material like synthetic fabrics. Cotton materials will absorb your sweat and remain damp for a long time, eventually causing skin irritations. On the other hand, materials like Polyamides and Polyester will wick away sweat and display your movements more clearly.
While buying new gym clothes, test the material by dropping a small amount of water on it. If the water spreads out and gets absorbed quickly, that is the material you want to wear.
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Weather: Is It Same for Summer and Winter?
Believe it or not, training and workouts are more fun in the colder months. However, Winter would require wearing some extra pieces and layers of clothing. You must know how to choose your gym outfit depending on the weather.
During summer, you’ll need two layers of clothing. Sports bras and gym shorts are perfect for the base layer. Tank tops or t-shirts and a pair of tights will be enough as the final layer. On the other hand, an extra layer of shirt, hoodie, or windbreaker is required for the colder months.
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Workout Routine: Are You a Beginner or a Fitness Junkie?
If you’re a fitness junkie who spends a big chunk of the day at the gym doing some extensive workout, you will require far more leggings, sports bras, shirts, shoes, and socks. With unique products in the market like copper compression socks that presumably offers many benefits, such as unrestricted blood circulation, anti-odor, anti-microbial, etc., remaining economical might not be an option here. If you work out five days a week, you have to buy five different outfits.
As for beginners, the requirements are comparatively less than average gym-goers. Buying two or three sets is enough for you. You should choose as per your needs without overdoing anything.
Things You Should Not Wear to the Gym
While we are on the topic of what to wear to the gym, it’s really important to know which things you must dump before going to the gym. Especially if you’re a beginner, a list of do’s and don’ts can really save you from tons of hassles. Luckily, here we have a list of things you should never wear to the gym. Let’s have a look.
100% Cotton Made Outfit
Okay, we know that cotton clothes are more comfortable and feel good, but they are not appropriate for gyms.
As we mentioned earlier, cotton absorbs moisture from your body and remains soaked in sweat for a long time. Damp cotton will stick with your skin, chafe your joints and cause chills. It will make you hot, wear you down and shrink your confidence.
The sweat-soaked cotton can also lead to fungal infections. Now, it’s pretty evident why you should never wear 100% cotton clothes to the gym. And the same goes for jeans and silk.
Baggy Clothes
Remember the rule, loose-fitting clothing is not for lunging, save it for lounging. Wearing baggy clothes is a big no-no for gyms.
As the instructor needs to judge your form while training, your apparel shouldn’t restrict the vision. Especially if you are weightlifting or attempting some tricky yoga pose, you might end up hurting yourself.
Also, there is a high chance of tripping over with too loose clothing. So, make sure to dump them if you want to prevent injury during exercise.
Worn Out Shoes
Footwear is one basic thing in your gym wear. Did you know that you should replace your sneakers after walking roughly 300 miles? Well, we don’t really keep this in mind while walking. However, when the shoes start to tear out and the tread design vanishes, you know they need replacement.
Worn-out shoes can’t provide your feet enough cushioning and are less shock absorbing. As a result, your legs and knee joints will hurt. You don’t want that, right? So, get a new pair of sneakers whenever you need them.
Thick Makeup
Makeup is important, but you’re not going to a fashion show. There is absolutely no need to wear makeup while you’re training. However, if you’re keen on doing makeup and have got dermal fillers in the past, it’s a good idea to read up on dermal filler before and after care to make sure you’re taking proper care of them.
When you wear makeup, it clogs the pores of your face. As a result, the natural sweat and oil are restricted, and dirt accumulates under your makeup. Eventually, you get acne, pimples, and whatnot! You can go to the gym right after washing your face. If you really feel the need, use a simple moisturizer or sunscreen.
Stretched Sports Bra
Keeping hold of your sports bra even when it’s old and stretched isn’t very practical. Wearing it in gyms is the last thing you want to do.
Your gym apparel should be supportive while you work out. A sports bra with stretched elastic doesn’t provide you with that and eventually causes shoulder pain. Not to mention that it will cause bounce and stretching of your breast tissues. Get rid of them right now if you don’t want a painful post-workout experience.
Heavy Fragrance
Understandably, no one wants to smell at the gym. But, too strong scents are also not preferable. So what to do? Just use deodorant and don’t wear any additional scents, especially strong perfumes.
The aroma of strong perfumes and colognes can intensify with your body heat. When you start sweating, the scent can reach a point where it causes headaches to you and everyone around you.
Jewelry
Again, it’s not a fashion show, and there’s no need to wear any kind of jewelry that hangs, swings, or sticks out. Imagine you’re on a treadmill, and your earrings, bracelets, or chains are jumping with you. That will be quite embarrassing, right?
You might think rings are harmless, but even rings have no place in the gym. When you’re weightlifting, they can impact your grasp on the weights. The weights can even slip from your hands and cause serious injury. So, dump your jewelry before going to the gym.
Gym Essentials: What to Wear to the Gym?
So here we are, to the part you’ve been waiting for – what can you actually wear when you hit the gym? Well, it’s time to find out.
Good Supportive Inner
Choose an inner that provides ample support during exercise. If you don’t wear supportive inners, you’ll get stretch marks and saggy breasts. For the past few years, wearing sports bras has become the unspoken rule of the gym.
Unlike the tight flattening regular bras, sports bras wick away moisture and keep you cool. A good sports bra will protect the ligaments and tissues of your chest from stress and excessive stretching.
Form-Fitting Tops
Throwing a simple t-shirt or tank top over your sports bras is always a good idea. Just make sure they are well-fitted so that you can see your movements and definitions while training.
The color of your top and t-shirt can make an impact on people around you. If stares and glances from random people make you uncomfortable, you can wear a plain black tank top. For a change, you can wear a neon green t-shirt if that suits your style.
Comfortable Bottom Wear
There are tons of options available for bottom wear. Leggings, yoga pants, tights, gym shorts, and compression leggings are in fashion nowadays.
As their go-to style, most women pair tights and leggings with their tops. They hug your legs perfectly to support your movement to the highest range. Yoga pants are super flexible and allow you to perform the most complex yoga poses without restrictions.
Compression leggings are becoming popular among average gym-goers as they’re stretchable, able to reduce muscle fatigue and stress. You can choose any of these bottoms that suit your needs and your pocket as well.
A Pair of Shoes
The efficiency of your workout depends largely on what shoes you wear to the gym. Your footwear should be breathable and well fit for your feet. Talk to the salesman and choose the right-sized arch.
There is a variety of footwear available for different types of workouts. Running shoes provides cushioning and excellent motion control while running. Cross trainers are the most common type for a gym, and they provide flexibility and stability.
In the market, you also get weightlifting shoes, rock climbing shoes, converse shoes, etc. But we recommend choosing running shoes or cross-trainers for the best performance.
Socks
While choosing socks to pair, choose more plain colors like white or black that look gym-appropriate. As for the material, acrylic socks are better for dealing with moisture. You can also consider compression socks that will provide you with better blood circulation while effectively preventing tissue swelling. You may also handpick something long-lasting and athletic to provide maximum comfort and fit for an extended period. If interested, you can try out swaggr socks, which some people (the ones who have used it of course) claim are the world’s most comfortable socks.
Gym Bag
It goes without saying how handy gym bags are. A gym bag should be big enough to carry every necessary item like a water bottle, towel, soap, gym kit, phone, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to look for big backpacks while shopping for gym bags so that you can carry all of these and easily fit them into your locker. That being said, there are a few people who may not require carrying a lot of stuff as some of the gyms provides basic items like water, soap, towels, etc, as an add-on. If you are one of them, you can possibly choose one of those Custom Drawstring Bags, which tends to come in just the right size to carry all your gym necessities. Besides, you can also make a statement with one such bag as it is often designed uniquely for each person.
Other Accessories
The first accessory you must have is hand gloves. No one can deny that they look quite cool, but you need them to have a grip on gym equipment.
Hair ties and headbands with silicone lining will help you to hold your hair in place.
If pump-up sound beats help you to boost your enthusiasm, you can carry headphones with you. Finally, wear a smartwatch if you want to track time, calories, and your heart rate.
So that was pretty much everything on what to wear to the gym. And remember, it is only confidence that you should always wear, irrespective of the day, place, and occasion. Now that you know all things you should and shouldn’t wear to the gym, be a boss and step out with your best gym look every day.