As a personal trainer, I’m often asked about what to wear to the gym. There’s no better motivation for getting up and going to the gym than new workout clothes—and there’s no excuse for missing a workout when you have the right gear. If you want to feel confident and comfortable while you exercise, don’t forget that it’s not just important which shoes or pants or sports bra you choose, but also how they’re made. Here are 10 things to consider when buying your next pair of gym clothes and gear:
Table of Contents
“What To Wear To The Gym 10 Things Must Have/Do For A Great Workout”
- Look For A Shoe That’s Lightweight.
- Pick Something That Wicks Sweat.
- Make Sure You Have Enough Room To Move.
- Try To Avoid Wearing Cotton Shirts.
- Get A Comfy Sports Bra.
- Choose Pants With Pockets.
- Go with A Jacket That’s Breathable, Waterproof, And Reflective.
- Be Picky About Socks
- Grab A Fitness Tracker Or Smartwatch.
- Get Some Accessories That Are Both Functional And Fashionable.
01: Look For A Shoe That’s Lightweight.
Look for a shoe that’s lightweight so you can move easily.
Lightweight shoes are easier to move in, more comfortable, more breathable, and cheaper than their clunkier counterparts. They’re also more durable (more on this later) and they come in a wider range of styles so you may find something more stylish than you’d expect. Plus: if you’ve ever had to haul your workout gear around with your dog or kids at the end of a long day, these shoes will be much easier to carry!
And that’s not all—lightweight trainers are better for the environment too. You see, it takes less energy to produce lightweight trainers than it does heavy ones which mean less CO2 emissions from manufacture and transportation as well as fewer waste products at landfill sites.
Here are our picks for the best Lightweight shoes
# adidas Women’s Puremotion Adapt Running Shoe
# Nike Women’s Air Zoom Pegasus
# adidas Women’s Cloudfoam Pure Running Shoe
02: Pick Something That Wicks Sweat.
You may have heard that cotton is the best fabric for exercise. It’s not. Cotton absorbs moisture and doesn’t wick away from your body, so you can get very sweaty in it.
If you want something that works better than cotton, look for fabrics that wick sweat away from your body. The right fabric can make a big difference in how comfortable and cool you feel while working out at the gym or running around town on errands during the day.
Wicking fabrics are usually synthetic, lightweight, and breathable (so they won’t cause overheating). If you’re buying leggings or tights with a high waistband, ensure there is enough room to wear them without feeling constricted; otherwise, it may be uncomfortable during exercise time!
03: Make Sure You Have Enough Room To Move.
The best way to do this is by trying on clothing before making a purchase. Unfortunately, not all stores offer this service, which means that you may end up buying something that doesn’t quite fit right or looks funny on you. Even if you’re buying online and can return the item easily, it’s still frustrating when something doesn’t fit well because of your body shape or size (or any other reason).
If possible, try to avoid wearing tight clothing at the gym. This includes spandex leggings or compression shorts! These types of clothes are meant for performance athletes who need extra support while working out—not people who are just going for casual walks around the block with their friends after work every day for their legs not being sore afterward.
04: Try To Avoid Wearing Cotton Shirts.
Cotton is a bad choice for working out. It’s not breathable, so it doesn’t dry quickly and can cause you to sweat more, making you feel hot and uncomfortable. Cotton also absorbs moisture, which means that if you have some wet spots on your shirt (due to sweat), they will be cold once they’ve dried. Cotton also tends to be heavy, itchy, and prone to chafing due to its less-than-ideal fit and material properties.
In short: avoid wearing cotton shirts when working out or doing any physical activity at all costs!
05: Get A Comfy Sports Bra.
When it comes to choosing a sports bra, look for one that’s comfortable but not too tight. You want your breasts to be held firmly in place and supported, which will help with posture and prevent injury, but you also want the bra to breathe so that air can flow through it.
Beyond comfort and support (which should be an obvious priority), there are other things to keep in mind when shopping for this essential item. For example: How easy is it going to be for you to remove? Is it machine-washable? Can you wear this bra with other clothes or do they tend to show through? The more practical considerations taken into account during the selection process, the better off we’ll all be!
Here are our picks for the best sports bras
# FITTIN Racerback Sports Bras
# Nike women’s Swoosh Sports Bra
# Heathyoga High Impact Sports Bras
06: Choose Pants With Pockets.
Choose pants with pockets or a place to store your phone so it’s not loose in your bag while you’re working out.
You can also keep your phone by your side, but for safety reasons, it is recommended that you keep it on the ground instead of in the pocket of your leggings.
If you do decide to carry around a water bottle at the gym, make sure that it’s transparent or clear so everyone knows what kind of person they’re dealing with: an honest person who drinks water because they love their body and want to stay hydrated.
Here are our picks for the best Pants With Pockets
# SUUKSESS Reflective High-Waisted Leggings with Pockets
# Ewedoos Women’s Yoga Pants with Pockets
# FITTOO Women’s High Waisted Gym Pants
07: Go With A Jacket That’s Breathable, Waterproof, And Reflective
Go with a jacket that’s breathable, waterproof, and reflective so cars can see you if you’re running at night or in bad weather.
Wear something that covers your knees while running outdoors so they don’t get scraped up on the pavement, which can lead to all kinds of nasty infections down the line.
If you plan on sweating a lot (which most people do when working out), wear black clothes under white shirts because nobody wants sweat stains showing through their tops (unless it’s intentional).
Here are our picks for the best Jackets
# SoTeer Women’s Waterproof Raincoat
# BTR High Visibility Reflective Silver
# BALEAF Women’s Running Rain Jackets
08: Be Picky About Socks.
Socks are an important part of your workout and you should be picky about them. They should be comfortable, not too tight, breathable, easy to put on and take off, durable (lasting at least 2-3 years), machine washable (if possible), easy to find in stores or online and affordable.
There are many types of socks but I recommend going with a pair that has cushioning underneath the ball of the foot for added comfort during a workout. I also like picking up a few pairs from Amazon so I don’t have to keep buying them every month because they’re more affordable than buying socks at specialty stores like Lululemon or Athleta which are really expensive!
Here are our picks for the best Socks
# Balega Ultralight No Show Athletic Running Socks
# Adidas Women’s Superlite Super No Show Socks
# Feetures High-Performance Running Socks
Check out How To Get In The Best Shape Fast In 2 Weeks
09: Grab A Fitness Tracker Or Smartwatch.
If you don’t have a fitness tracker or smartwatch, get one. They can track so much more than just your steps and heart rate—they’ll tell you how many calories you’ve burned throughout the day or night, whether or not you slept well, and if your workouts are getting harder as time goes on. Some even let you share these stats with friends or family members so they can see how hard (or easy) it is for you to stay active!
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There are plenty of affordable options out there from brands like Fitbit (which happens to make our favorite fitness trackers), Misfit Wearables (maker of our favorite fitness trackers), Garmin, and Jawbone. These days it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any device that displays information on-screen rather than in an app on your phone; all of them will keep track of distance traveled during runs/bike rides/swims/etc., so go ahead and pick whichever one sounds best!
Here are our picks for the best smartwatch fitness tracker
# Fitpolo Smartwatch Fitness Tracker
Best Features
2021 Upgraded Smart Watch: With a 1.33-inch TFT-LCD full touch screen, this fitness watch and advanced health smartwatch help you tune in to your body with tools for sleep tracking, sports recording, and menstrual health tracking.
Compatible with IOS & ANDROID: Most iOS 8.0 and Android 4.4+ smartphones are compatible. Download and install the free “VeryFitPro” APP, and connect this smartwatch to your phone.
Heart Rate Monitor & Sleep Tracker: Automatically monitor your real-time heart rate and sleep (Deep sleep, Light sleep, and Awake time) to tell you how long and well you sleep at night, assisting you in making lifestyle changes.
# Woednx Smartwatch Activity Tracker
Best Features
- Stylish Smart Watch: Woednx Men’s Smart Watch Women has an updated 1.65-inch full-touch HD screen, sensitive touch, and smooth and simple operation. Its 33g weight makes it extremely comfortable to wear.
- All Day Activity Tracker: The fitness watch has 24 sports modes that allow you to easily and accurately track your daily activities such as duration, steps, distance, GPS route record on your phone, average pace, calorie burned, heart rate, and so on.
- Waterproof & Long Battery: you can wear your smartwatch while washing your hands, playing extreme sports, or swimming without worrying about the watch getting damaged or sweat corroding, saving you the trouble of constantly taking it off. When fully charged in 1.5 hours, it can support 7 days of normal use and 28 days of standby time, allowing you to power through almost one week of activity.
- And More…
# Fitbit Versa 2 Health and Fitness Smartwatch
Best Features
- Get a Daily Readiness Score that tells you whether you’re ready to exercise or should focus on recovery.
- With a built-in GPS, you can run, bike, hike, and do other activities while remaining phone-free.
- By speaking to your watch, you can get quick news, set bedtime reminders and alarms, control your smart home devices, and more.
- Track your time in light, deep, and REM sleep, and then get your Sleep Score to better understand your nightly sleep quality.
- Active Zone Minutes measures exercise effort using your resting heart rate and send you a buzz when you increase the intensity.
- The Fitbit Versa 2 is waterproof to 50 meters.
10: Get Some Accessories That Are Both Functional And Fashionable
When it comes to accessories, consider picking up headbands and neckbands. These things are functional and fashionable, making them perfect for the gym. They’ll keep your hair and ears warm during colder workouts, without interfering with the way you move or look. You can also add some color to your workout outfit by wearing a colorful band around your head or neck!
Here are our picks for the best accessories
# TrailHeads Women’s Ponytail Headband
# BEACE Sweatbands Sports Wristband
# SINLAND Microfiber Gym Towels
# RITOPER 12 Pack Head Bands
You Can get workout gear that looks great and helps you work out better
We all want to look good, whether we’re at the gym or not. And when it comes to fashion and health, there are a lot of things to consider:
- Does your outfit make you feel good?
- Is it functional? (Does it fit well, does it breathe well?)
- Is it fashionable? (Will people be jealous of how good you look?)
You can get workout gear that looks great and helps you work out better because no one wants to be uncomfortable when they work out!
Conclusion
And there you have it. Fashionable workout gear that’s actually comfortable and functional too—that doesn’t sound like an impossible dream anymore, does it? The next time you’re debating whether or not to go out for a run, or if today is finally the day you commit to getting back into shape, just keep in mind all of these handy tips. You’ll be looking great while staying fit.
