Does what you wear to the gym make a difference?

23 comments

1. I have noticed when I started wearing specific workout clothes rather then old sportswear. I felt good because of the fit and look. That translated in better workouts.

2. Workout in a suit and report back

3. Not really. As long as you’re wearing something stretchy you can move in the rest is just image.

4. Look good, feel good, play good

5. Depends on a workout, I guess.

   Doing an hour-long spin class in proper bike shorts and clipless shoes vs in regular shorts and sneakers is very much noticeable.

   Same with lifting in padded running shoes vs something minimal / barefoot.

6. I tend to wear long workout pants so I don’t scrape my shins deadlifting.

7. The only thing is that I’ve got some sort of ‘dry fabric’ pants so that they don’t stick to my skin when I start to sweat. I especially dislike that when squatting.

8. My gym’s in my garage and I work out naked. Yeah, I feel confident. I don’t know if it improves my performance, but it doesn’t hurt it

9. Despite having mediocre arms, I started wearing sleeveless shirts to the gym. My goal is to eventually get the body that looks good in a sleeveless tee. I’m mostly a skinny/average weight guy for reference.

10. Yes. If you lift heavy you can benefit from wearing tight clothing around your core and upper legs. Just look into deadlift suits.

    As for me I just enjoy clothes that allow me to move freely and have support for all the necessary bits.

11. If your lifting heavy knee wraps and a belt make a huge difference…..if you have ankle mobility issues you can use Olympic lifting shoes to help with squats and junk. Plus if what your wearing gives you confidence you are probably going to work harder and feel better doing it.

12. If your lifting heavy knee wraps and a belt make a huge difference…..if you have ankle mobility issues you can use Olympic lifting shoes to help with squats and junk. Plus if what your wearing gives you confidence you are probably going to work harder and feel better doing it.

13. If you feel good and feel comfortable wear whatever you want

14. You wouldn’t play baseball without a baseball glove.

    So are “squat shoes” clothing because they’re mere shoes, or are they special equipment like a baseball glove or a tennis racquet? Or bicycling shorts with that extra padding in the special spots?

    This will be controversial but I’ve worn squat shoes and regular shoes and been a gym rat for a very long time and for me, with my exact n=1 non-marketing based exact bone structure, the best squat shoes for me that I know of, are a particular model of new balance shoes; a model 928 walking shoe. The exact model doesn’t matter for anyone else unless they have the exact same bone structure as I do. I’ve experimented quite a bit over the years and that’s the perfect fit, balance, padding, support for me for doing squats; statistically unlikely to be a perfect match for almost all of you. The point of this asking if a very specific model of shoe that’s not technically a weightlifting marketed shoe merely clothes I happen to like or special equipment or “gym clothes”? How much performance do I gain? Well, maybe none, but never having a squat related injury counts for something…

    My upper arms are big enough to make doing OHPs and lat raises and tri extensions in smaller sleeved shirts questionable or at least binding and uncomfortable, so I wear sleeveless tee to lift. I guess that’s a performance improvement.

15. I find that jogging trousers are too hot and bulky to run in, though fine for most other things

16. No

17. Nothing.

18. I have some very thin polo grey joggers I wear. You can see my entire dick swinging in them. Its to get back at women who wear their pants so tight that I can see the outline of their vaginas

19. yes it does. if you’re going to be on the treadmill, make sure you wear shorts that don’t slowly come off your pants as you run. i hate being in the middle of a good run with my shorts falling off and having to pull it up over and over again.

20. Just wear something comfortable that you can move in. I used cotton tees and shorts. I got some Dritech shirts for Christmas, and they’re ok.

21. I’ve been wearing the same thing everyday for almost a year. Nobody can really tell what I look like underneath, it’s not flattering at all. But I’m absolutely jacked for my age and I’ve had a few guys who I see in there on the regular give me compliments, so there’s that.

22. Hard to choke people out with my lapel if I am not wearing a gi.

23. It matters if you think it matters. The placebo effect is real. Obviously, if you wear restrictive clothing, it will affect performance. However, if you focus on what you need to do regardless of what you’re wearing, you’ll get results no matter what you wear.

    As far as “does it make you feel good?” That’s really subjective and more about fashion than exercise. A good fit that accentuates your body and coordinates with everything will have a good influence on your confidence. That said, if you’re not confident on the inside, it doesn’t matter what you wear on the outside over the long run.

    Source: masters in sport and performance psychology.