Men Should Wear Compression Leggings To Work Out - Here's Why
What about men? Our sweatpants slimmed down as joggers gained popularity, and the baggy basketball shorts that hid men's knees from the '90s through the late-aughts thankfully shrank as dudes realized working out wearing enough cloth for a bigtop tent is counterproductive.
But we can take the movement further, guys. It's time to fully embrace leggings—without anything layered on top—when we hit the gym.
That dismissive attitude does exist. Go to any gym or athletic event and you'll find tons of guys rocking compression leggings as a base layer, but most (if not all) of them will also be sporting a loose pair of shorts on top. That doesn't always make sense for performance— you'll get the same compression benefits and comfort whether you layer it up or not.
Most of the responses from men in the chat referenced how exposed they feel without the buffer a pair of shorts provides between their privates and the world, not anything about the physical comfort or functionality of the setup.
I asked famously buff actor Zac Efron his preferences in an interview to kick off 2019, too. "I’m not going to knock anyone for the leggings look—I’m sure there’s reasons superheroes wear tights," he told me. "If you pull it off and it works… I just have to wear something over them or I feel too self-conscious."
Efron's open-minded approach is on the right path, even if it's on the other side of my point. Everyone should feel as comfortable as possible when they exercise—and that includes guys who've been too wary of the status quo to break free of the shorts covering their crotch. I never thought I'd be okay with exposing so much in public myself, but now, I'm a convert.
How Men Can Wear Compression Leggings and Tights With Less Bulge
But more men than ever are prepared to wear the tight clothes, and they're finding new clothing options that are increasingly geared to solving the problem of overexposure. I have the opportunity to test a ton of workout apparel as a fitness editor, and I've been surprised recently in some changes to the crotchal region of compression pants from a pair of brands.
Shorts, dick towel, or overlong t-shirt—all of this extra material serves the same purpose: covering up the bulge. Many men aren't ready to expose their crotches to the public, crying modesty. At its worst, pushback against men wearing revealing clothing in public is virulently homophobic, as social media comments on my articles on the subject and video appearances wearing leggings can attest, even as athletes, dancers, and movie superheroes are commonly seen rocking skin-tight duds.
But more men than ever are prepared to wear the tight clothes, and they're finding new clothing options that are increasingly geared to solving the problem of overexposure.
Matador Meggings founder Valentine Aseyo started the company after he felt uncomfortable wearing leggings in a yoga instructor class full of women. "I don't think those women were ready to see my balls on display, it would be pretty pornographic," he recounted his eureka moment on a phone call. "I said, surely someone like Nike or other big brands like Under Armour should be making leggings for men. I looked around I research I could not find any. And I said, You know what, I will do it."
We live in a society that represses male exhibitionism and enforces narrow guidelines for what is and isn't an acceptable representation of masculinity. If Matador Meggings' target consumer can help to normalize men wearing bright, tight-fitting leggings to Sunday brunch, other men everywhere can be more free to wear whatever they want, however they want, wherever they want.
The Rock Speaks About His 'Dick Towel' When He Wears Leggings
This is a good and smart question. Originally, I did note that the towel is a solution for dudes who want to feel less exposed in our original coverage—but is that really why Johnson was using it? To cover his own Johnson?
Turns out, Johnson says he's a heavy sweater and needs a towel to wipe the grime off his hands mid-workout. Since we've seen photos of him sans towel and he doesn't seem to be too apprehensive about sharing his Herculean body, he's probably not putting up a front.
Other guys who try to pull off the look might not have the same excuse, so they should take a look at themselves in the mirror and ask why they feel like the world can't handle a little bulge. If you can't come up with a good answer for yourself, ditch the dick towel too next time you hit the gym. Take The Rock's advice and save it for date night instead.
Do you feel self conscious when wearing compression shorts or even sweat pants at the gym that you wear shorts underneath the compression shorts to cover the bulge or a dick towel over your sweat pants. Do you think more men should stop being very self conscious about their bulges and just wear whatever they want.
What about men? Our sweatpants slimmed down as joggers gained popularity, and the baggy basketball shorts that hid men's knees from the '90s through the late-aughts thankfully shrank as dudes realized working out wearing enough cloth for a bigtop tent is counterproductive.
But we can take the movement further, guys. It's time to fully embrace leggings—without anything layered on top—when we hit the gym.
That dismissive attitude does exist. Go to any gym or athletic event and you'll find tons of guys rocking compression leggings as a base layer, but most (if not all) of them will also be sporting a loose pair of shorts on top. That doesn't always make sense for performance— you'll get the same compression benefits and comfort whether you layer it up or not.
Most of the responses from men in the chat referenced how exposed they feel without the buffer a pair of shorts provides between their privates and the world, not anything about the physical comfort or functionality of the setup.
I asked famously buff actor Zac Efron his preferences in an interview to kick off 2019, too. "I’m not going to knock anyone for the leggings look—I’m sure there’s reasons superheroes wear tights," he told me. "If you pull it off and it works… I just have to wear something over them or I feel too self-conscious."
Efron's open-minded approach is on the right path, even if it's on the other side of my point. Everyone should feel as comfortable as possible when they exercise—and that includes guys who've been too wary of the status quo to break free of the shorts covering their crotch. I never thought I'd be okay with exposing so much in public myself, but now, I'm a convert.
How Men Can Wear Compression Leggings and Tights With Less Bulge
But more men than ever are prepared to wear the tight clothes, and they're finding new clothing options that are increasingly geared to solving the problem of overexposure. I have the opportunity to test a ton of workout apparel as a fitness editor, and I've been surprised recently in some changes to the crotchal region of compression pants from a pair of brands.
Shorts, dick towel, or overlong t-shirt—all of this extra material serves the same purpose: covering up the bulge. Many men aren't ready to expose their crotches to the public, crying modesty. At its worst, pushback against men wearing revealing clothing in public is virulently homophobic, as social media comments on my articles on the subject and video appearances wearing leggings can attest, even as athletes, dancers, and movie superheroes are commonly seen rocking skin-tight duds.
But more men than ever are prepared to wear the tight clothes, and they're finding new clothing options that are increasingly geared to solving the problem of overexposure.
Matador Meggings founder Valentine Aseyo started the company after he felt uncomfortable wearing leggings in a yoga instructor class full of women. "I don't think those women were ready to see my balls on display, it would be pretty pornographic," he recounted his eureka moment on a phone call. "I said, surely someone like Nike or other big brands like Under Armour should be making leggings for men. I looked around I research I could not find any. And I said, You know what, I will do it."
We live in a society that represses male exhibitionism and enforces narrow guidelines for what is and isn't an acceptable representation of masculinity. If Matador Meggings' target consumer can help to normalize men wearing bright, tight-fitting leggings to Sunday brunch, other men everywhere can be more free to wear whatever they want, however they want, wherever they want.
The Rock Speaks About His 'Dick Towel' When He Wears Leggings
This is a good and smart question. Originally, I did note that the towel is a solution for dudes who want to feel less exposed in our original coverage—but is that really why Johnson was using it? To cover his own Johnson?
Turns out, Johnson says he's a heavy sweater and needs a towel to wipe the grime off his hands mid-workout. Since we've seen photos of him sans towel and he doesn't seem to be too apprehensive about sharing his Herculean body, he's probably not putting up a front.
Other guys who try to pull off the look might not have the same excuse, so they should take a look at themselves in the mirror and ask why they feel like the world can't handle a little bulge. If you can't come up with a good answer for yourself, ditch the dick towel too next time you hit the gym. Take The Rock's advice and save it for date night instead.
Do you feel self conscious when wearing compression shorts or even sweat pants at the gym that you wear shorts underneath the compression shorts to cover the bulge or a dick towel over your sweat pants. Do you think more men should stop being very self conscious about their bulges and just wear whatever they want.