Post by Steve Gardener on Jun 17, 2008 8:23:57 GMT
Inspired by two threads on www.muscletalk.co.uk here's another rant.
Thread no 1 was 'what's a good workout shirt?'. The best reply, I thought, was one that said 'get three for a fiver from Primark'. The other thread, just today, was entitled ' The Age of shifting responsibility'. The original point was one about your average Joe moaning and whining about mobile phone contracts etc but combined with the shirt and other equally asinine threads in my noggin to get me to type these few words.
Here's the thing - I worry about those guys that are so hung up on what fucking shirt they might wear that they need to ask others their opinion. Take responsibility for a choice of clothing. I might ask for a 2nd opinion if I was told I had some dramatic illness I do not post on public (or private) forums for which brand, colour or style of shirt I might wear to the gym to get a nod of approval on.
Take a damn good look at the very top athletes in your chosen sport. Not when they are on camera and MUST be seen to be wearing their sponsors logo'd up top, shorts and shoes. No, take a look at the time of day they crawl out of bed to put some miles in, the ragged skanky looking vest top they wear when sweating blood. Remember that some of the best hardcore and inspiring photos you cut out and kept from magzines of the nastiest gritty training shots had them in ragged shorts, half laced up boots and a shirt or vest drenched in sweat. Did you remember what brand the boots were? Of course not.
There are, of course, some clothing which MUST be worn, be they a bench shirt during competition powerlifting benching or a pair of runners shorts and vest during athletic events and the like. Ditto Football or Rugby strips during matches. You might HAVE to, as above, be seen to practice with a training suit with Adidas or Nike across it's back but the truth is for the great and vast majority of you if it fits and is hard wearing and feel comfortable with it on that's enough.
By all means buy a proper weightlifting belt, a good pair of cross-training or weightlifting shoes, if you use them a decent set of supports for knees, elbows what have you are good. The brand is not as important as the actual support they give you is - do they do the job you brought them for? We all have ones we like but at the top end of the difference is very small. For example Inzer, Metal, APT and Zuluglove all make some very, very hardcore wrist wraps. They have different grades but their premium line wraps are almost identical (stiff as hell but great for events and competitions).
If, however, you aren't at that level and you are actually serious when you ask 'what shirt should I wear to the gym?' or worse 'recommend me a shirt to wear' then man oh man you need to grow some hair on yer nuts lads. Don't worry about looking right, just train your ass off! Make sure, if it's that kind of club, that you dress within the clubs code (so not with your ass hanging out) and yes make sure, no matter where you train, your not giving of an odour that would make a Skunk's eyes tear up.
I know, before someone points it out, that not everyone that trains is that hardcore, competes and that many will never ever be champions in their chosen field. I have no problem with people wearing a comfortable shirt (try pre-shrunk cotton or some of the better synthetics) as opposed to a shirt they think others are ok with seeing them in. It should be so far down the list (not even on it in my opinion) as to be a distant memory that the right brand is important. To me it signifies a level of insecurity I can barely ever remember ever having. Maybe I got started right - I've never worked out in Fitness First, David Lloyd or a similar type of gym. The closest I ever got was a short 6 month stint at a swimming baths weights room and even then it was clean shirt, clean training bottoms and get in and work hard.
Trust me on this - go just the once to a spit and sawdust gym and even if you don't workout take a good look. Take a look at the effort being put forth, check out the trophies lined up behind the counter on a shelf, see the massive weights being shifted, ask who's who and don't be surprised if among the usual bodybuilders and lifters there's a face from TV, another from the local rugby team and so on. Then clock what they wear. Some will arrive all logo'd up, others in suit and shirts. Now note what they were when working out - whatever the hell was in their bag! Old rugby shirts from four seasons back which he likes wearing cos it feels right on the Rugby Pro, a successful local business man with a belt that looks 20 years older than he is and so on.
Getting the picture??
What the shirt says about you cos of a label means absolutely nothing. What you do when wearing it does.
Discuss.
Thread no 1 was 'what's a good workout shirt?'. The best reply, I thought, was one that said 'get three for a fiver from Primark'. The other thread, just today, was entitled ' The Age of shifting responsibility'. The original point was one about your average Joe moaning and whining about mobile phone contracts etc but combined with the shirt and other equally asinine threads in my noggin to get me to type these few words.
Here's the thing - I worry about those guys that are so hung up on what fucking shirt they might wear that they need to ask others their opinion. Take responsibility for a choice of clothing. I might ask for a 2nd opinion if I was told I had some dramatic illness I do not post on public (or private) forums for which brand, colour or style of shirt I might wear to the gym to get a nod of approval on.
Take a damn good look at the very top athletes in your chosen sport. Not when they are on camera and MUST be seen to be wearing their sponsors logo'd up top, shorts and shoes. No, take a look at the time of day they crawl out of bed to put some miles in, the ragged skanky looking vest top they wear when sweating blood. Remember that some of the best hardcore and inspiring photos you cut out and kept from magzines of the nastiest gritty training shots had them in ragged shorts, half laced up boots and a shirt or vest drenched in sweat. Did you remember what brand the boots were? Of course not.
There are, of course, some clothing which MUST be worn, be they a bench shirt during competition powerlifting benching or a pair of runners shorts and vest during athletic events and the like. Ditto Football or Rugby strips during matches. You might HAVE to, as above, be seen to practice with a training suit with Adidas or Nike across it's back but the truth is for the great and vast majority of you if it fits and is hard wearing and feel comfortable with it on that's enough.
By all means buy a proper weightlifting belt, a good pair of cross-training or weightlifting shoes, if you use them a decent set of supports for knees, elbows what have you are good. The brand is not as important as the actual support they give you is - do they do the job you brought them for? We all have ones we like but at the top end of the difference is very small. For example Inzer, Metal, APT and Zuluglove all make some very, very hardcore wrist wraps. They have different grades but their premium line wraps are almost identical (stiff as hell but great for events and competitions).
If, however, you aren't at that level and you are actually serious when you ask 'what shirt should I wear to the gym?' or worse 'recommend me a shirt to wear' then man oh man you need to grow some hair on yer nuts lads. Don't worry about looking right, just train your ass off! Make sure, if it's that kind of club, that you dress within the clubs code (so not with your ass hanging out) and yes make sure, no matter where you train, your not giving of an odour that would make a Skunk's eyes tear up.
I know, before someone points it out, that not everyone that trains is that hardcore, competes and that many will never ever be champions in their chosen field. I have no problem with people wearing a comfortable shirt (try pre-shrunk cotton or some of the better synthetics) as opposed to a shirt they think others are ok with seeing them in. It should be so far down the list (not even on it in my opinion) as to be a distant memory that the right brand is important. To me it signifies a level of insecurity I can barely ever remember ever having. Maybe I got started right - I've never worked out in Fitness First, David Lloyd or a similar type of gym. The closest I ever got was a short 6 month stint at a swimming baths weights room and even then it was clean shirt, clean training bottoms and get in and work hard.
Trust me on this - go just the once to a spit and sawdust gym and even if you don't workout take a good look. Take a look at the effort being put forth, check out the trophies lined up behind the counter on a shelf, see the massive weights being shifted, ask who's who and don't be surprised if among the usual bodybuilders and lifters there's a face from TV, another from the local rugby team and so on. Then clock what they wear. Some will arrive all logo'd up, others in suit and shirts. Now note what they were when working out - whatever the hell was in their bag! Old rugby shirts from four seasons back which he likes wearing cos it feels right on the Rugby Pro, a successful local business man with a belt that looks 20 years older than he is and so on.
Getting the picture??
What the shirt says about you cos of a label means absolutely nothing. What you do when wearing it does.
Discuss.
