You either wear athletic clothes to work out and play sports or just because it’s a great style. Either way, the wrong underwear will ruin the experience. Imagine being fully into your workout grind. You are working it, sweat dripping, focus sharp, skills on display. As you move, the boxer shorts your mom bought you in high school are rubbing, bunching, pinching, and rubbing some more. You might be developing a great definition of those muscles, but you are also developing a painful rash in your groin area.
Fortunately, there is an easy fix. So easy, it will take about 3 minutes of your life and the problem is behind you. Buy some underwear designed to help you work out in comfort. It’s that simple. Lucky for you, if you gravitate towards athletic style even on non-gym days, the qualities that make underwear work well under athletic gear are the same ones that keep those graphic styles looking smooth and well-fitting, so you are still covered. Here are the features to look for.
Moisture Control
Workout clothes need to control moisture. This is the big one. The number one underwear upgrade you can give yourself is to get a style that limits dampness. The three big benefits are reduced chafing, improved smell, and prevention of infection.
You might think of the fabric as being the prime culprit for chafing. Actually, moisture buildup is also a major factor. Traditional underwear is designed to be worn dry. Regular boxers are meant to float softly on your skin. Tighty-whities use snugness as the mechanism for comfort. Both styles become clingy in the wrong ways the moment they get damp.
Underwear fit for sports needs to wick moisture away from the skin as it forms. If you sweat faster than the fabric can keep up, the moisture-wicking will keep working, helping the underwear dry fast.
The longer moisture is trapped in your underwear, the worse the smell is going to be. The buildup of bacteria and fecal matter is unfortunately inevitable. If that sounds really gross, you are right, it is. It’s also why your underwear fabric choice matters.
The other nasty potential side effect of wearing underwear that traps humidity and dampness is that all those germs in the moisture, the bacteria, fungus, and even viruses, thrive in moist warmth. The longer those germs stay near your body, the more likely they are to take hold and grow.
Protection
The right underwear will protect you in two directions. It will keep your parts and pieces from moving in unwanted ways and it will be a barrier between your skin and your clothes.
If you will be engaged in the most common workout activities, look for a comfort pouch to keep all your moving parts in place. The last thing you want mid-workout is to accidentally sit on or pinch your most sensitive places. Nor do you want the all-day pain that follows the tugging caused by repeated bouncing.
The more jostling, the more support you need. You wouldn’t enter a boxing ring without first protecting your hands, why would you enter your workout space without protecting your man parts? If your workout includes jumping or other explosive muscle movements, look for added support and cushioning.
Movement
At a minimum, when you invest in good quality underwear, you deserve it to not ride up and not pinch. You also deserve enough movement to feel comfortable. No matter how extreme your stretches, your underwear fabric should move with you. No matter how repetitive your movements are, the fabric should not bunch or rub.
You are looking for softness and tons of flexibility. Whether you plan to run ten miles or just walk back and forth between the couch and the fridge a few times, you won’t regret a smooth-fitting pair of boxer briefs that feel like a second skin.
Friction is not your friend. Friction against your skin will leave your skin raw. Friction against your clothes will create bunching and skew how your clothes lay on your body.
Temperature
There are so many fabric choices in the underwear market these days, you can custom-select your style based on your temperature needs. Most workouts entail building up sweat, so fabric that provides cooling is a perfect choice. These fabrics are great for guys who tend to run hot all the time too. Think about how you do what you do, and how you feel doing it. Then pick some pairs that will help you feel better, doing the things that make you feel good.
Greetings, dear readers! I am Rohini. As a proud contributor to the Worthview blog, I am excited to bring you insights into the realms of fashion, beauty, and health. Let’s embark on this adventure together, where my words become a bridge between my world and yours. I look forward to our shared journey of discovery and connection.
