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Before you get ready to head out and hit the gym, do you make sure to prepare the appropriate weights, barbells, and dumbbells? If you do, it is because you ensure you have what you need to get the most out of your time. Equally important as your equipment, you have to ask yourself if the attire you are bringing is suited to your workout environment.
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Summer is a season where you have to think carefully about what you choose to wear. This applies regardless of whether you prefer to exercise in a gym or outside in a park. Casual clothes such as jeans will not cut it as they restrict your movements. Heavy clothes such as jackets will trap heat and cause you to sweat excessively. Pick the wrong clothes and your workout becomes more of a trial on your muscles than a favor.
On the other hand, wearing the right clothes that help make the summer heat bearable makes all the difference. They will help mitigate the rising of your body temperature, make it more comfortable to deal with sweat, and help your limbs move with ease as you push your limits.
Luckily, Born Tough specializes in sportswear and athletic gear that cover every season and account for every workout environment. To any gentlemen interested in looking for items that may help their summer workout, this article will serve as your guide.
Inappropriate Clothes for A Summer Workout
Before getting into what kind of clothes to choose from, you need to be aware of which ones would be advised to bring with you to a summer workout. Not all clothes are created equal as some cannot measure up to workout clothes due to their makeup or purpose.
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Workout clothes have drawstrings designed to be adjusted and secured easily. Do not rely on pants that require a belt to stay around your waist. It indicates that they may not be your size and the belt will hamper your ability to stretch your upper body. Without a belt, pants that are too large need to be constantly lifted back up, meaning you would have to stop multiple times to fix them. Extra breaks will cause your workout sessions to become unproductive as you fail to keep up with your exercises at a consistent rate.
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Workout clothes can be comfortable if worn in casual settings, but they are also able to keep you comfy while moving and sweating. Sleepwear is made of light and soft materials that are not particularly sturdy. Prioritizing comfort, they would not be able to withstand the wear and tear involved with exercises. Meant to be paired with slippers not running shoes, the bottom hems of long pants would get caught and result in potential injury.
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Workout clothes are meant to balance functionality and fashion, but clothes that favor fashion are not suited to extraneous motion. Formal wear such as button-up shirts can be layered with multiple long-sleeved clothes. Garments like those are made of heavy materials that absorb more heat than they release. Meanwhile, short-sleeved formal wear is tight and any sudden moves will cause the fabric to tear.
Shirts
Responsible for protecting your upper body, shirts need to not only cover enough of your skin from harmful sunlight, but also allow heat generated by your body to escape through the openings. They vary in length from sleeveless to long-sleeved. But the less of your arms they cover, the better they will be able to keep your body cool.
Sleeveless shirts:
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Air pro: Made of light materials, this outfit has good ventilation, temperature control, and sweat evaporation. As it does not cling to the body as much, air is able to move more freely.
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Viscose: This outfit focuses on comfort just as much as heat regulation. Due to its soft and stretchable material, it helps make movement easier.
Short-sleeved shirts:
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Air pro: Made of light materials, this outfit has good ventilation, sweat evaporation, and mobility. The design keeps it in place on your upper body, preventing it from shifting uncomfortably.
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Viscose: Intended for indoor activities, its light materials help this outfit be both durable and comfortable.
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Compression: Form-fitting and appealing to the eyes, this spandex-like outfit is made of soft materials that help make movement easier.
Long-sleeved shirts:
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Air pro: Made of light materials, this outfit’s fabric has good ventilation, is elastic, and helps with sweat evaporation as it is intended for exercises that involve heavy sweating.
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Viscose: With a combination of light and soft materials, this outfit is a blend of both durable and comfortable.
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Compression: Form-fitting and appealing to the eyes, this outfit’s fabric is highly elastic and helps make movement easier.
Tank Tops
Similar to the sleeveless shirts, tank tops protect the majority of the upper body, exposing the arms while allowing air to travel freely. Due to the wider cuts in the openings, the body is kept cool and your limbs can move unrestricted.
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Air pro: Made of even lighter materials than its shirt counterpart, its primary function is to allow as much air flow as possible to increase cooling of the body. As such, it refrains from clinging to the body.
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Viscose: With a combination of elastic and soft materials, this outfit is a blend of both durable and comfortable.
Hoodies and Sweatshirts
If you equally love doing your exercises both indoors and outdoors, then hoodies and sweatshirts are best suited for you. Though more tailored for the winter, these outfits still have their uses in the summer if you are interested in warming up and working up a good sweat.
Hoodies:
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Viscose: Despite being designed for workouts, it has functionality outside of exercises thanks to its zippered side pockets being able to carry hand-held items. Due to its absorbent materials, this outfit specializes in keeping in body heat.
Sweatshirts:
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Viscose: Long-sleeved shirts that combine durability and comfort thanks to its fabric allowing for good ventilation, softness, and flexibility.
Compression Tops and Bottoms
Clothes made from the compression line specialize in being usable year-round. Despite being a tight fit, they do not impede your mobility in the slightest. Rather, they shift seamlessly with your movements, paralleling your limbs’ actions.
Compression Workout Tops:
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Both short and long-sleeved shirts that are appealing to the eyes, made of a fabric that is both soft and elastic to help make movement easier.
Compression Workout Bottoms:
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Both short and long-sleeved pants that encourage healthy blood flow to increase efficiency during workouts. They also have functionality outside of exercises as they have open side pockets to help carry hand-held items.
Base Layers
If you have a preference for maintaining a comfortably warm body temperature, then a secondary layer of clothes beneath your outer ones will help with that. In the early or evening hours when the sun is on the horizon, these articles of clothing will aid during warm ups.
Shorts:
Much like how your arms have to be exposed to allow your upper body to cool down, your legs need to be treated the same way so as to not neglect your lower body. Cut above or touching your knees, shorts free up your legs, enabling them to stretch as far as they need to. Depending on how wide the cut of the openings are, your body temperature is kept comfortably low while in motion.
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Air pro: Double layered with light and elastic materials, this outfit allows for flexibility to help make movement easier. It is reliable in carrying hand-held items as it has a waist loop and hip pockets. They can also come with leggings to cover below the knees if you wish to protect your skin from sunlight without sacrificing sweat evaporation.
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Viscose: Slightly longer compared to the Airpro version, this outfit has the most functionality outside of exercise due to the number of pockets positioned around it. With a heat zippered pocket, zippered cargo pockets, an open side pocket, and a back pocket, there are plenty of options of where to store your hand-held items.
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Compression: Exactly at knee length, this outfit encourages healthy blood flow to increase efficiency during workouts. It also has functionality outside of exercises as they have open side pockets to carry hand-held items.
Jogger Pants
While shorts allow good airflow that ventilate your body, their lack of length means your legs may be subjected to more ultraviolet radiation than you might like. If you wish to avoid the hassle of applying sunscreen or are not interested in getting a tan, jogger pants will put your mind at ease. Snug around your lower body, they help you stay comfortable so that you can focus on your intensive workout.
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Viscose: Due to its elastic and resistant fabric, this outfit has flexibility, sweat evaporation, and durability. It also has functionality outside of exercises as they have zippered side pockets.
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Compression: Due to its elastic fabric, this outfit has flexibility that helps make movement easier. It also encourages healthy blood flow to increase efficiency during workouts. It also has functionality outside of exercises as they have open side pockets to carry hand-held items.
Accessories
Your choice of outfit is not the only way to better deal with the obstacles laid out by the summer sun. There are additional objects that compliment your clothing by serving as small conveniences that can be worn on your head or easily carried by bag or by hand.
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Workout hats have a handy visor that help shield your eyes from sunlight at an angle. They are made of polyester that make them wind and water resistant, making them durable in the face of the elements. Due to having a mesh weaving inside the cap, sweat does not accumulate, but rather draws the accumulated moisture out. This item wards off harsh sunlight and heavy sweating so that you can focus on working your body.
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Headbands worn around your foreheads gather the sweat beading down, helping you stay cool while also keeping any drops from getting into your eyes. Serving as a barrier between your head and eyes, sweat turns from a nuisance to a help as you have another article of clothing to deal with the heat.
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Water bottles are portable stainless-steel containers that can keep the temperature of the water inside cold for almost 2 hours. They can easily be held in your grip by the plastic handle or attached via carabiner to a hook on your pants or bag. As it is highly durable, it is a reliable source of refreshment that can be used over the course of several summers. Keep it on your person and you will always have a reliable water source to ward off dehydration.
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Bags help carry the large and heavy equipment that would be awkward to do alone by hand. As they have bigger volumes of space, you can bring the essentials such as water bottles and extra items you prefer having on you such as a fresh change of casual clothes. Having more items available nearby while outside or in the gym means you are able to extend time spent exercising. There are multiple versions of this item, the differences between them being their size and where on your body they are secured. These include backpacks, duffel bags, cross body bags, chest rig bags, shoulder bags, arm pouches, weighted vests, and waist bags.
Go On and Take Your Pick
There is an art to picking out your selection of workout clothes for the summer. Each piece comes with multiple functions as they are either proficient in several or all of these factors: movement, storage, comfort, or protection. Though the Air pro, Viscose, and Compression models make up similar products, they are made of their own unique brand of materials so that they vary in durability, softness, and elasticity. Diversity in your options means that you can pick which outfits are better suited for the exercises done at rapid paces, the cloudless days with high humidity, or the workout regimens that last for hours.
How you choose your summer workout clothes does not have to be determined by just their practicality. They serve as an extension of your personality, the fashion sense that you decide to show off to the rest of the world. From the colors, patterns, shapes, and design, your workout clothes can be as vibrant or simple as you would like them to be. The style of the clothes does not only draw focus to themselves, but also complement your physique. Perhaps you are the confident type of person who likes to show off your body and let people admire your progress. Maybe you prefer to keep your workout personal, grabbing the attire that satisfies your tastes and focusing on overcoming hurdles for your own sake.
In the end, nobody can say which workout clothes are best for you except you. Certain types of clothing you may feel are unnecessary or maybe you feel it is safer to get one of everything. You are free to think whatever you want on the matter. This article offers a catalogue of items that could make your summer experience memorable. All you have to do is take the first step.