Whatever type of exercise you do, wearing the right clothes will play a massive role in how you perform. It’s not an exaggeration to say that you can genuinely reach plateaus that are impossible to break through if you’re not equipped with the right workout attire. The wrong type of clothing for certain sporting activities can make your life hell – and it can even mean you’re exerting more energy for nothing.
Today’s post will explain what this all means in more detail and show you how wearing the right clothes helps you improve workout performance. You’ll also get some great tips and insights into the different clothing options to consider based on what you’re doing.
Feel More Comfortable While Exercising
Comfort matters when you’re working out because a lack of comfort leads to distractions. Imagine you’re running or cycling and you feel a constant chafing sensation between your thighs. Or, let’s say you’re in the gym and you’re wearing a baggy hoodie that makes your movements feel restricted.
Both instances put you in a position where you’re uncomfortable, which means you can’t focus on the activities at hand.
It’s hard to focus on running a PB when you’re chafing hard – it makes you want to stop and re-adjust your clothing. You can’t complete a high-intensity set of lifting weights because your arms feel restricted in the baggy clothing.
The right workout gear stops you from feeling any discomfort and makes exercising more comfortable than ever before. Wearing good running leggings or cycling shorts can reduce friction and prevent chafing, while a more form-fitting top makes it easier for you to lift weights. You no longer have the distraction of discomfort, which puts you in a better mental place and lets you focus on your activities and push through previous barriers.
Maintain A More Suitable Body Temperature
If you wear “normal” clothes when working out, you’re asking for a big problem. Regular clothing isn’t designed to be sweat-wicking or breathable, which means you’re going to get very hot during physical activities. Your body temperature rises and you start sweating in a bid to cool down.
Unfortunately, the hotter you are, the more energy your body expends trying to cool you down and prevent overheating. Think of this as “lost” energy – it’s energy that could go towards helping you achieve better exercise performance, but is instead being used to regulate your body temperature.
But what if you could maintain a more suitable body temperature the whole time, reducing the need to expend so much energy?
It’s possible – and it all comes down to the clothes you wear. Proper exercise clothing is designed to be very breathable and ventilated. It allows for better air circulation so your body can remain cool instead of overheating. You should also sweat less because your body doesn’t need to go into overdrive to try and keep you cool.
Rather than wearing a cotton t-shirt to the gym, try a sports vest or a proper workout top with mesh panels. You’ll feel a difference when you start exercising – and your body can use all of the saved energy to push further than before.
Gain Activity-Specific Benefits
You should be aware that clothing exists for specific exercise and sporting activities. This isn’t a scam to make you pay more money for workout gear – there are genuine benefits that come from wearing clothes that have been made for certain sports/activities.
Here are some of the most common workout activities, along with special clothes that generate performance benefits:
- Cycling: Cycling in normal clothing is stupid because it’ll flap around everywhere and create too much air resistance. This’ll mean your poor legs are pedalling as fast as they can, but you’ll never reach peak speeds. As shown on the TICCC Cycling Clothing website, you can purchase a range of cycling clothing that all serve the same purpose: to make you more aerodynamic.
You’ll wear fitted outfits that make you sleek and prevent air resistance so you can sail through the air while pedalling. Go for a ride in “normal” clothes and then do the same ride in proper cycling gear a few days later. You are almost guaranteed to go faster the second time around because your clothes provide massive performance benefits.
- Running: Running is similar to cycling in that you want really tight and fitted clothes that don’t flap around and create resistance. Running in the wrong clothing can feel like you’re literally up against a constant breeze. But, with running tights and a proper running top, you run with less resistance and find it much easier.
Runners also wear special running shoes to extract more performance. The right shoes give you more support yet are also very lightweight. They should take pressure off your joints so you can run faster for longer without feeling the need to stop because your knees or ankles ache.
- Lifting Weights: Wearing non-restrictive and flexible clothing helps you improve weightlifting performance because you can move your body through the optimal ranges of motion. Additionally, you can wear things like knee or elbow sleeves to support different joints and stop smaller muscles from taking over.
For example, elbow sleeves help with bench press because they take the pressure and strain away from your triceps, which can’t handle as much weight as your chest/shoulders. Doing this means you can lift heavier weights than you would without the elbow sleeves, which pushes your muscles to the limit and helps them grow even bigger and stronger.
If we had more time we could go through so many other activities and explain the performance benefits associated with different clothing options. As it happens, the examples above should be enough to prove the whole point of this post. Wearing the right clothes will help you extract more performance from your workouts than ever before. It doesn’t matter what sport or activity you’re doing; wearing activity-specific clothing offers a host of benefits. Feel more comfortable, regulate your body temperature to avoid wasting energy and make it easier to hit PBs.