Body-positive menswear?

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Replies

  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    running-tights-men-sport-leggings-compression-pants-winter-gym-fitness-yoga-basketball-cycling-sportswear-spandex-tight-trousers-black-xl-myshoponline-com_763_1024x1024@2x.jpg?v=1550010648
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    abcf0ed429e2d96ad53dacafd2c91ea2.jpg
  • Lobsterboxtops
    Lobsterboxtops Posts: 92 Member
    Silly question but have they tried Amazon? Their essential line has a lot of basic sportswear. I bought what I thought was going to be a cheap sweatshirt to wear after rowing and it was really good quality. No logo and very plain.

    At the end of the day I’m not sure I’d let a logo put me off a functional clothing item that had a specific purpose such as exercising.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXAnzgti6seYxswCukSQY9khoQ9-2D8oVDsoLyVkkTfKFV1zRQ&s
  • Lobsterboxtops
    Lobsterboxtops Posts: 92 Member
    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXAnzgti6seYxswCukSQY9khoQ9-2D8oVDsoLyVkkTfKFV1zRQ&s

    To be fair it doesn’t look like the pants have a logo 😅

  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    The sky is not the limit, there are endless choices out there for men, too.

    8cdc247929658b2d5959d11ec0eafd73.jpg
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    The sky is not the limit, there are endless choices out there for men, too.

    Ok except none of those men fit the "shorter, heavier, 35-40yrs., and just getting into fitness" categories (though I don't' know what "shorter" means here).

    I clearly should have just had someone take a picture of me after rowing this morning in these tights. I'm pretty sure everyone was wearing tights, but I'm the shortest. Shorter and heavier - check (I'm 5' 8"). 35-40yrs. and just getting into fitness - not so much, but I'm two and a half years from 35. I also don't really fit the "sporty/jock" stereotype, at least not the "jock" part.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 12,945 Member
    If they are REALLY heavier and shorter, REI has some on deep discount (50% off) at their outlet. They are XXL and 29" inseam. There's an extra 25% off coupon the next couple days. These probably want to be worn UNDER a pair of shorts. They actually have quite a few options, and some are on sale.

    Good luck!
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    jm_1234 wrote: »
    Regarding tights, please please please make sure they are thick enough to conceal the front and back parts. No one needs to see that, and that goes for women too. When tights are so thin it looks like you're nude it is distracting and weird.

    Personally I prefer if something is worn over them, shorts, joggers.. combat skirt..

    With regards to the bolded - for your sake or the sake of the wearer? I mean I also do sports where wearing spandex either tights or shorts with nothing over them is the norm/expected/essentially required in some or a lot of instances for both men and women. I do agree with not wearing something that's threadbare though.
  • pjwrt
    pjwrt Posts: 166 Member
    amandaeve wrote: »
    Can we get some yoga pants for men, please?

    A few guy friends now have asked for my help finding some pants for them to work out in. They are all shorter, heavier, 35-40yrs., and just getting into fitness.

    I've searched high and low, and it seems like there are basically 3 options:
    • fleece sweats (who wants to look like a couch potato?)
    • spandex tights/bike style tights (the body-positive movement is putting heavy women wearing leggings on the map, but not men)
    • training pants with logos (they don't identify with ball sports and find the whole sporty/jock connection off-putting)

    It seems like there has to be something out there. I have found some loose-fitting high-end tech-fabric pants, but they are like, over $100 USD. That's a steep price for someone just starting out.

    If anyone has found anything for these guys, feel free to respond!

    A clean pair of briefs and steel-toed sneakers is all I use, but whatevah.

    A good tailor can make anyone look good, too. Maybe that's a whole new income stream for them: tailored gym clothes.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 12,945 Member
    Two things:
    1. I want to repeat what I wrote about second hand shops. I was in one yesterday; I usually stop by on Sundays to see what's half off. I usually just look in my size, but I made a point to look at some other racks because of this thread. I saw lots of options. It may take a couple visits, but you can start building a workout wardrobe without breaking the bank. Ideally it will be a short-term wardrobe as your friends will need SMALLER outfits soon!
    2. I normally don't pay attention to what anyone is wearing at the gym. I'm not there for fashion. But yesterday, I did. Just for this thread. Most people, or maybe just half, wear some kind of shorts. There's all kinds of shorts from running togs to soccer shorts to what I call "training shorts" (what a coach might wear). Also lycra shorts that look like bike shorts. I also saw leggings, some under shorts and some not. Some were calf-length, some ankle-length.
    3. OK, ~three~ things. I am not into logos either. In fact, I tried hard to avoid wearing a "swoosh" for a number of reasons. When I bought a new pair of jammers (swim trunks) last year, I found a really good deal on a pair that had one. I bit the bullet and got them. Then I realized I had bought a yellow dri-fit shirt from a second hand shop to play Ultimate. I've kind of gotten over my fear of logos, and now have several. Logos I saw at the gym yesterday included the "swoosh," the three lines of Adidas, the two U-looking things from Under Armor, and some more subtle ones like Russell Athletics and Champion. So I hope your friends can get over their disdain of logos, because companies like to put their name on their clothes. At least small ones. I still avoid clothes that are big advertisements. If a company wants me to be a billboard, they can ask to rent space :smile:
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    the body positive movement is putting heavy women in leggings into acceptability because the lower-end heavy women started buying spandex for its practical properties in the largest available sizes, and retailers realized there's a market for it. If you can find something that fits, be brave--be one of the pioneering heavier guys who dares to wear spandex. Make it a badge of courage. The fact is, good athletic clothing is part of your *equipment* for getting to the fitter body you want.

    BTW, this site is subsidized by UnderArmour, maker of athletic clothing. If there's something you can conceive in athletic wear that they don't make, send them an email and ask them to make some as a marketing test. Maybe you can gather a bunch of buddies here on mfp to be their beta-testers for it.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRgplDoag484229cYyWeONUw5AmQ6tOdgZjA_-gCDkcH6_vXSLH&s

    That guy's distractingly handsome so it's hard to notice the tights. Not sure it's the best image for this thread though because it strengthens the body bias that the OP is trying to overcome.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    edited December 2019
    Here is the result of todays search on the Under Armour site for men's tights size 3XL https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/mens/full-length-leggings-and-tights/rush-infrared-technology-athletic-apparel/g/393fh43t?encodedFacets=3dm1&lsg=4639b928-fc60-4018-98c6-22a4838c362b

    There's nobody out there to declare "big men in spandex is now okay" and have everyone just nod and agree. The way to make it happen is to wear the stuff because it is the best available clothing technology for the tasks you are doing, and let other's opinions be *kittened*. Just wear what you need and stick to your task; the real athletes out there will respect what you are doing and why.