If you’re new to training, the topic of what to wear when lifting seems rather straightforward. Put on a shirt, put on some shorts, and you’re good to go, right? Not so fast. Let’s briefly (no pun intended) cover a few important considerations.
Shirt Cotton is your best friend when it comes to your lifting shirts. T-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and sweatshirts are all good options, but make sure they are made from plain, old cotton. Specifically, you don’t want to wear a “tech” shirt when lifting - these shirts are usually made of synthetic materials (such as polyester), and while they are great at wicking sweat away from your body and keeping you cool, they are slippery, and as a result, they are a terrible option when you have a barbell on your back, when you’re trying to stay put on a bench, or when you’re racking a clean on your shoulders.
Speaking of slick surfaces, stay away from tank tops as well. Tank tops put your sweaty, oily skin in contact with the bar (or bench), and a nice, cotton t-shirt provides significantly more friction - and therefore security - than does your skin.
Shorts or Pants Choices abound here, and there are only a few considerations with which you need to be concerned. Sweatpants, leggings, and shorts are all on the table, but if you are wearing shorts, make sure they stop above the knee so they don’t create a binding effect at the knee when squatting. If they are too long, it’s not the end of the world - simply roll them up a time or two at the waistband to solve this problem (or stop clothing yourself like a 14-year-old basketball player). Sweatpants are fine, but if you tend to run hot, you might want to wear a pair of shorts underneath so you can ditch the sweatpants once you get warmed up.
Socks Most any pair of athletic socks will do, but when it comes to deadlifting, snatching, and cleaning, keep your shins covered. By that, I mean keep all of your shins covered - up to just below the knee - so if you’re wearing shorts, put on some long socks (we’re talking “over-the-calf” long). It’s very easy to accidentally scrape your shin when pulling from the floor, and shins bleed easily, so once you’ve nicked your shin with the bar, it’s very easy to break that scab open again over the next several workouts. If you don’t own the barbell, keep your DNA off of it. If you do own the barbell, I suppose you can do what you like, but I’d rather keep my DNA internal anyway. Not only that, but you will do a better job of keeping the bar close to your shins when there is a layer of fabric between your skin and the bar.
Shoes Wear lifting shoes. Don’t wear shoes that someone told you are good for lifting. Wear actual lifting shoes. For a more in-depth treatment of this, click here to watch our video. Do not wear Chucks. Chucks are the shoe for someone who started to think about lifting shoes but never completed the thought. Don’t do it.
Hopefully, this short guide helps you when laying out your clothes for your 5 a.m. lifting session tomorrow. Happy training.
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