Worried about what to wear at the gym!

Options
124

Replies

  • sjaykay13
    sjaykay13 Posts: 74
    Options
    Ugh I hear ya!! I was so nervous when I first started. It took me a while to get comfortable with working out in public. I finally realized that I looked better all sweaty, red and out of breath than when I was self conscious. I tried out lots and lots of clothes...here are my favorite:

    Sports Bra - MovingComfort, Fiona and Maia
    Pants - Old Navy Compression Capris
    Shirts - Old Navy tops
  • Inkratlet
    Inkratlet Posts: 613 Member
    Options
    I can honestly tell you that no one gives a damn what you look like/are wearing at the gym!
    My only bit of advice is to please don't wear perfume/body scents when you work out, your exercising neighbors will thank you!

    Really? Why?

    Not that I spray on perfume before my workout - I've seen girls do this but to me it's a waste of expensive perfume - but I don't understand why it would annoy others?
    For those of us with Asthma or other breathing difficulties, it makes it more difficult for us to breathe. For others, it causes sneezing etc. It's just generally a pain for people around you, breathing heavily, in close proximity.

    @OP - If you're concerned, put on a loose vest or t-shirt over your sports bra or w/e. Most people don't care, though.

    Oh, fair enough! :-)
  • runforestrun35
    runforestrun35 Posts: 480 Member
    Options
    I have to laugh, I have the same issues... i pull my running pants up to my chest.....(so they are like gym spanks! Ha!) then I feel a little better, get some looser tops and you will be good! You get props just for being AT the gym and putting the work in to better yourself! what jiggles today will be tight tomorrow (just repeat and keep on going) lol
  • Smiles519
    Smiles519 Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Wear what makes you comfortable. I just wear a roomy t-shirt and yoga pants with comfortable shoes. I plan on getting nice workout clothes as a reward for consistent attendance and hitting my goals.

    I have my eye on a outrageous pink and orange wicking shirt. Just five more pounds to go! :)
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    Options
    There are things that will get you funny looks in the gym:

    1) dressing like an extra in a Jane Fonda workout video or an Olivia Newton John music video;
    2) dressing head to toe in shiny spandex in a camo print, with matching dog tags and scrunchie, while taking duck face selfies in the free weights section;
    3) screaming loudly at the top of every barbell squat;
    4) singing "Roxanne" at the top of your lungs with your headphones in;
    5) smelling like you spent the past 3 years living on the streets;
    6) clothing with holes that reveal areas that are NSFG or W;
    7) clothing so tight that other people can count your "toes";
    8) nipple slips;
    9) t-shirts with really offensive words on them;
    10) an ultra low cut jog bra that does nothing to support the very ample girls with no top over it.

    If you aren't talking about one of these things, then nobody really pays that much attention. Nobody there cares one way or another if you have a little muffin. A good portion of the male and female populations have muffin showing through their gym clothes.
  • Yilsip
    Yilsip Posts: 50
    Options
    Hi, unless you are doing a fancy crossfit type workout at a trendy downtown gym, there is no need to feel self conscious, and heck for all we know if someone like me, completely out of shape and no flexibility/stamina showed up, most will admire what I am trying to accomplish.
    I do not know how much you weigh or if your ta-tas are large or saggy (I wne from cantaloupes to oranges) the important thing is to have appropriate and supportive clothing, makes a big difference if you are running in super baggy clothing, or fully supported.
    I honestly DGAF what others look like, I am there for me, and yes, while the Woman next to me with 100 more lbs than I looks much stronger than I, I am right next to her proudly picking up my pace :-)
    This is for you only, just do it!
  • in4nomz
    in4nomz Posts: 230
    Options
    First off, go to the gym for yourself, not for other people :) Besides, 99% of people there are totally focused in on their workouts and checking themselves out in the mirror while they're doing bicep curls or something...don't loose too much sleep over someone MAYBE catching a glance at a little jiggle. Workout in whatever is comfortable for you, whether it's a t-shirt and sweatpants or a full out UnderArmour outfit...it's all about comfort! :)
  • jkestens63
    jkestens63 Posts: 1,164 Member
    Options
    Wear whatever is going to help you work out to the best of your ability. I am no fashion plate going in and damn proud I am a hot sweaty mess when done. I have lost a lot of weight and have a lot of loose skin on my thighs and arms. I look terrible in a bathing suit but that will not stop me from doing laps & water aerobics 3x per week. If they don't like what they see they can turn away. If they were to make a remark, and no one ever has, they are the immature aholes, it's no reflection on me. Get there, concentrate on your workout and once you are focused/in the zone you won't care.
  • JONZ64
    JONZ64 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Options

    4) singing "Roxanne" at the top of your lungs with your headphones in;

    If you aren't talking about one of these things, then nobody really pays that much attention. Nobody there cares one way or another if you have a little muffin. A good portion of the male and female populations have muffin showing through their gym clothes.
  • sc9576
    sc9576 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    When I go to the gym I wear a baggy t-shirt and jogging bottoms - I honestly couldn't tell you what anyone wore to the gym last time I went the only time I have noticed what someone wore was because they were wearing a bikini on the treadmill (my gym does not have a pool it is purely gym machines!)
  • JONZ64
    JONZ64 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Options

    4) singing "Roxanne" at the top of your lungs with your headphones in;

    If you aren't talking about one of these things, then nobody really pays that much attention. Nobody there cares one way or another if you have a little muffin. A good portion of the male and female populations have muffin showing through their gym clothes.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I have ACTUALLY heard someone do this!!!
  • JONZ64
    JONZ64 Posts: 1,280 Member
    Options
    Wearing clothes in the gym is definitely a good idea. Optional in home gyms, IF the windows are blocked sufficiently and the bar knurling isn't too abrasive. Or if you just roll that way, I guess.


    :drinker: STOP moving away from the window!:bigsmile:
  • ThinLizzie0802
    ThinLizzie0802 Posts: 863 Member
    Options
    I struggled with finding t-shirts that were long enough and the right material so I wasn't tugging them down or off me all the time. I discovered men's loose fit under armour tees to be the best for me. They are long enough to cover everything and don't cling to me like women's clothing and have room for my boobies without a neck gap. They also are the perfect thickness. I prefer Lane Bryant's workout pants and capris for my bottoms.
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    Options
    Wear what's comfortable and easy to clean, and if self-conscious, don't wear revealing clothes. If I have a choice, in a room with several rows of treadmills I prefer the back row. If there are windows, I usually pick a station away from the windows. I'm not interested in putting on a show for anyone, or even possibly worse, finding out that I'm not ogle-worthy. :laugh:

    Most people are focused on their own workouts, but there are always exceptions.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Options
    Wearing clothes in the gym is definitely a good idea. Optional in home gyms, IF the windows are blocked sufficiently and the bar knurling isn't too abrasive. Or if you just roll that way, I guess.


    :drinker: STOP moving away from the window!:bigsmile:
    Heh... We need that GIF from LiftAllThePizzas here...
    ETA: Found it.
    invertedrow_zps81cb737d.gif
  • str8bowbabe
    str8bowbabe Posts: 712 Member
    Options
    If you are worried about what to wear at the gym...you are not going to the gym for the right reason! Who cares what others think! We all start somewhere...we are all in this together. That tiny girl in the leggings with the perfect buns could have been lost a lot of weight to get where she is. Don't worry about others. Its about you and your journey. If they get grossed out...that's their problem not yours.
  • cookiealbright
    cookiealbright Posts: 605 Member
    Options
    I don't care what I wear, but I'm always thinking (if I'm sweating alot) if it looks like I peed my pants from the back. As women, I fear we are all a bit worried about SOMETHING. I'm sure you look fine, don't be too worried about it and have fun!
  • meganjcallaghan
    meganjcallaghan Posts: 949 Member
    Options
    Plus if you get high waisted workout pants it really smashes that muffintop! :)

    this is what i need. there needs to be super tight very high waisted (like nearly to the boobs) bottoms that package everything in. I'm only about 10 pounds away from 'normal' now on the BMI and can now assume that despite that fact, because of how much skin i have, i will NEVER be able to exercise in a public without everything squishing out and jiggling. At least a tight waist that goes up to my ribcage and sausages in the skin all the way up my stomach would mitigate some of the jiggle.
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
    Options
    If you worry about how you look while you are working out, you're doing it wrong. If someone else at your gym is worried about how you look while you're working out, they're doing it wrong.
  • JG762
    JG762 Posts: 571 Member
    Options
    I can honestly tell you that no one gives a damn what you look like/are wearing at the gym!
    My only bit of advice is to please don't wear perfume/body scents when you work out, your exercising neighbors will thank you!

    Really? Why?

    Not that I spray on perfume before my workout - I've seen girls do this but to me it's a waste of expensive perfume - but I don't understand why it would annoy others?

    Because the smell can be overpowering to those around you. there have been a couple of times in just the last 2 weeks where a woman has been on a machine next to me and the smell of perfume is so strong that it's hard to breath. It seems that they are almost bathing in it and as soon as they start sweating it gets really strong, so much so that it literally burns my eyes.
    Perfume just isn't necessary at a workout, please leave it at home!

Categories