Everything You Want in Athletic Shorts
If you’re like many active men, you take your conditioning seriously.
That means staying consistent, putting in effort, and wearing clothes that will help you reach your goals.
What you wear can have a huge impact on the effectiveness of your workouts, but what makes a pair of athletic shorts elite? While you may not be concerned about the cosmetics of your gym outfit, how your shorts function can make or break your training day.
Athletic Shorts 101
Both men’s and women’s workout shorts are built to serve one purpose: to make sure you get the most out of every workout. It’s a huge bonus if they have extra features — like All Citizens’ training shorts, the new arrivals changing the game in workout wear.
All Citizens’ training shorts were made for your entire workout regimen from the gym to the volleyball court to your weekend adventures. Factors like your shorts’ materials, their fit, and how often you wash them can take your workouts to the next level.
What’s the Best Material for Athletic Shorts?
When most guys shop for athletic shorts, we’ll normally pick whatever is cheapest, comfiest, and looks the coolest.
We don’t always take an in-depth look at what our shorts are made of or where they come from — but we should. You could be wearing the wrong pair of athletic shorts and not even know it.
For any athletic wear to be truly elite, it should be made with a certain percentage of spandex. Spandex helps provide the flexibility you need for your workout.
All Citizens’ durable performance fabric is made with 10% spandex. The other 90% is made from completely recycled and sustainable materials that would otherwise be waiting to decompose in a landfill.
Just like our underwear, our training shorts are made with the finest performance materials worldwide with moisture-wicking, quick-drying, and anti-microbial properties fit enough for even the most advanced workouts. Spandex gives these shorts their 360-degree stretch, while our performance blend also ensures a breathable, durable, and cuddling-with-pandas soft material.
How Do You Tell If Athletic Shorts Fit?
An excellent rule of thumb is the faster your exercise is, the shorter your shorts should be. For example, if you’re going for a run, you want your shorts to be on the shorter side and pretty snug.
For strength training, it’s recommended to go a little longer. The extra fabric in mid-rise shortlegs will be useful in wicking moisture and making sure you’re not flashing any bystanders at the gym.
However, a general rule for all running shorts, bike shorts, and other types of athletic shorts is that they should be fairly snug. If they’re too tight to the point where you experience discomfort, they’re too small. If they’re too big, you’ll have a distracting amount of extra fabric and risk a wardrobe malfunction.
Most active shorts have an elastic waistband or drawstring, making it easier to adjust the fit if the inseam isn’t exactly right for you.
How Often Should You Wash Athletic Shorts?
Wash your activewear after every single workout. That includes gym shorts, leggings, and dri-fitt-shirts — not just your underwear and socks.
It can be tempting to wear basketball shorts, fleece shorts, Bermuda shorts, and other types of activewear more than once, especially if they’re sweat-resistant and contain moisture-wicking properties like All Citizens’ shorts. Still, just because a short is sweat-resistant doesn’t mean you’re not going to sweat in them.
Even if it’s a light workout and you’re not breaking that much of a sweat, you should still wash your shorts. Gyms, through no fault of their own, can be pretty filthy. Think of all the equipment you’re sitting on and touching.
So, yes, please wash your sport shorts after every workout — especially if you’re working out in a public gym or tend to sweat a lot during your exercise.
What Should You Wear With Workout Shorts?
Your workout apparel should be whatever makes you comfortable. Still, there are some items that can help you find the functionality you need for your workout.
Consider wearing a shirt that’s sweat-resistant or designed for workouts. If you want to go shirtless, that’s fine too (as long as your gym allows it).
Under the shorts, however, is a different story. Working out in boxers underneath your athletic shorts probably isn’t the best idea, and neither are tighty-whities.
You need a perfect pair of underwear that’s not too loose and not too tight — something that can protect you from the elements. Typically, you’ll want to choose between compression shorts or performance boxer briefs for your workout underwear.
What Are the Different Types of Athletic Shorts?
There are two primary types of athletic shorts: Training shorts and compression shorts.
Training Shorts
Training shorts (sometimes called sweat shorts) are the most common type of shorts you’ll see at the gym, on the field, or while you’re out adventuring. These are constantly trending due to their simple and high-accessibility design.
They are made for workouts and exercise, but you’ll still see people rocking them while lounging. Like we mentioned before, these training shorts should be nice and snug. Anything too loose or tight will be detrimental to your workout.
Training shorts will typically be made with spandex and other materials that you wouldn’t find in more casual pants like khakis and sweatpants.
Compression Shorts (AKA Compression Baselayers)
Compression shorts (or baselayers), on the other hand, serve a slightly different purpose.
These mesh shorts are meant to be almost like the big brother of underwear. Compression shorts will improve your comfort and help eliminate chafing. Athletes often wear these underneath their shorts to help prevent injury.
Our Endurance Compression Baselayer features strategically-placed Mesh Breathe Zones to get rid of swamp ass for good with micro vents that create uncompromising ventilation and increased airflow. With no ride-up legs thanks to our Grip Thighs, a compression pouch that stops the “boys” from bouncing, and a designated phone pocket, these compression shorts get you through any workout in style.
What To Look for in Athletic Shorts
Before we send you off on your own in search of the perfect pair of athletic shorts, there are a few more details you should consider.
A good pair of athletic shorts simply gets the job done. An elite pair of athletic shorts, however, will actually help you during your workouts through the durable stretch fabric, reinforced seams, an ultra-flexible fit, and plenty of pockets.
Durable Stretch Fabric
All Citizens’ versatile Contender Training Shorts are made with a midweight fabric so you can utilize them for any workout or sport.
For high-impact training, rough environments, and hard-hitting routines, our Heavyweight Training Shorts offer a hard-wearing, substantial fabric alternative so you can go the distance — and beyond.
Reinforced Seams
Nothing is worse than ruining a pair of nice shorts during a workout. First, you feel like you lost money. Second, you have to stop your workout in order to get a different pair.
With All Citizens, you’ll never have to worry about that. Our reinforced seams are double-lined on the gusset in order to increase torsion and strength.
The gusset seams feel the most movement, such as rubbing and friction, making durable seams of the utmost importance.
Ultra-Flexible Fit
The bottom gusset on All Citizens shorts allows for an extremely versatile range of motion. Without any flexibility, it would be like trying to lift weights or run in khaki shorts. Trust us, we’ve tried it before — it sucks.
Plenty of Better Pockets
We’ve all had our phone or wallet fly out of our pockets when we’re working out — and some of us have even resorted to carrying our phones in our hands when we run.
Don’t settle for less. All Citizens’ offers two side slash pockets, a phone pocket, and a secret stash pocket for your cards and keys. Our phone pocket will keep your phone from bouncing during workouts, and each pocket is sewn using double-lined stitching for durability.
Even more reinforced stitching is added to pocket corners, making blowouts a thing of the past. Finally, our pockets’ mesh materials create improved airflow and ventilation, even during your sweatiest sessions.
Wrapping Up
When you’re shopping for your underwear or athletic wear, All Citizens has what you need to go the extra mile.
We are truly the best in the game at what we do. Most importantly, our bestseller shorts are built for all people, no matter who you are or what you need. Join us in our mission to democratize comfort throughout the world — it all starts with one checkout.
Sources:
Can Fashion Ever Be Sustainable? | BBC
How Long Your Athletic Shorts Should Be, Based On Your Favorite Sport | Mens Health
Here's how often we should actually wash our gym clothes | Fit and Well.
