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What to Look for in Workout Clothing

Craig Middleton
When you are an athlete, what you wear can affect your performance. If the temperature is off or your wardrobe is distracting, it can take your mind off what you are doing and cause you to do poorly.
Finding the right apparel is critical to how you do. Here are a few things you should look for when you choose your workout gear.

Clothes That Make You Comfortable

The outfits that you choose to work out in should take the sweat away from your skin to keep you cool. It should fit tight to you to reduce the wind drag especially if you are doing any sort of racing. The clothes should fit comfortably and allow you a full range of motion while you play.
Consider fabric that will draw sweat away from your body to keep you cool and dry. You also want to wear shoes that are appropriate to the activity you are doing and be sure they are snug and laced properly.

Improve Your Self Esteem

If you are dressed well, it can make you feel more confident in your ability to play. When you choose your workout shirts for men, pick ones that you think you look good in as well as fit well. If you wish to experiment with this idea, try it during a normal practice or workout instead of a performance where you need to be at your best.
If you practice as a team, wearing something that is comparable to the others can make you feel like you belong and are part of the team. Having the same uniform even in practice can give every member of the team a unified goal and purpose as the work together.

Dress to Stay Safe

When you choose your equipment, keep safety in mind. You want to make sure your shoes fit properly so that your limbs are supported and to prevent injury. If you run at night, you need to wear light colored clothing or reflective items so you can be seen. Prevent from wearing dark clothing.
Cold weather requires warm clothing. Keep all your extremities covered to keep from getting frostbite. Blistering hands can be helped by wearing gloves and you can keep from getting sunburned by wearing a hat while your are outdoors.

Keeping It Tight

If you have problems with pulling muscles or getting cramps, you might think about getting compression shorts or shirts to help with it. This type of clothing keeps your blood moving while you are exercising my compressing your body little by little as you go. When it does this, it works out the lactic acid that your body produces while you perform.
You will have a quicker time recovering from your work out and you will be more flexible and feel better. While there is little conclusive evidence that compression clothing will enhance your performance, there are many athletes that will endorse it.

Wear the Right Uniform

Whether you play a team sport or an individual sport, be sure you wear the right clothing. Some sports, such as volleyball and soccer, require at least one player to have a different jersey than the others so their position can be noted by officials. If you play one of these positions, you will want to make sure you have the right clothing.
If you are in martial arts, you will want to make sure you are wearing the right clothing to perform in. Some types of combat sports, such as judo, need a lighter uniform than others, such as jiu jitsu. There is more movement in one sport than the other.
You also should have the right equipment such as face masks, mouth guards, and knee pads to keep you safe as you play. Check with your coach or captain to see what they require or recommend that you have so you can play and keep from being injured as you do.