There are two things you need in life to successfully get fit: killer motivation and darn good gym wear. It’s generally acknowledged that exercise clothes should be well fitting, comfortable and snug without being suffocating. Even so, people still make amateur mistakes. Here are the worst possible workout clothes you could wear to the gym:
Front Zip Sports Bras
Oh yeah, remember when you bought sportswear, a front-zip bra because you thought it looked so cool, until the zip popped open while you were jogging at a public park? Large breasted women maybe more familiar with this situation. During high impact activities, like running or jumping jacks, boobs tend to move around a lot. Without a perfectly-fitting sports bra to hold them in place, breasts can bruise, chafe or lose the elasticity of suspensory ligaments that hold them up against gravity. Unfortunately, front-zip bras are very poor at holding its own against dynamic breasts. If you are a big-breasted woman, avoid these entirely.
Velvet Leggings
These are okay for walking down the street on a chilly afternoon, not for a yoga session. Material like velvet is not “breathable,” meaning it doesn’t draw out the heat produced by the body during a workout session. Such fabric is very bad for the gym because you’ll end up feeling stuffy and ruin your workout. In the worst case scenario, you could dehydrate yourself, especially in the summer doing yoga outdoors. Also, velvet doesn’t provide the necessary elasticity to move your limbs in the impossible ways some exercises require. Therefore, you should take care to buy workout clothes in flexible fabrics that have the ability to wick away sweat. Choose synthetic material like polyester and Lycra that will do just fine for high-intensity exercises.
Baggy T-shirts
Loose clothing provides ample space between your skin and the fabric to move around and keep cool. Or, at least that’s what some people think. The problem is, if your top does not fit your frame, there’s a good chance that the fabric will end up rubbing up against your skin while you are on the treadmill. This means serious chafing with irritated skin, open wounds, sometimes blood and forever scars. Additionally, loose-fitting clothes can get caught up on exercise equipment leading to horrible, and completely preventable, accidents. If you don’t want to end up with a broken ankle that’ll ruin your workout sessions forever, buy exercise clothes that fits you just right.
100% Cotton Anything
All cotton clothes are terrible for exercising for one, good reason: cotton absorbs sweat and doesn’t release it quickly. For example, a row machine session in a pair of cotton pants will leave you cold and uncomfortable with a drenched bottom. Exercising outdoors in cotton outfits can make you even chillier than usual. Next time, ditch your cotton workout clothes for ones made out of synthetic fabric that keeps the sweat off your skin and away from your body.
If you can, do avoid above items like the plague. Scientific studies show that the outcome of an exercise session can significantly depend on how good you feel in your workout outfits. So, next time you are shopping for fitness clothes, think twice before buying.
