How to Pick an Underwear for Physical Activities?

Fitness has become a part of life. It’s no more only a fad among enthusiasts. With the widespread availability of combined training for mental relaxation and physical fitness, more people are opting for a healthy fit lifestyle.

There has been tremendous development in the workout clothing segment. As important as the choice of workout wear, is the underwear you put on underneath.

Even if your underwear drawer is well and fully stocked with your favourite collection, you will realize that the pair which feels great on workdays and weekends will not work so well during physical activities.

The best underwear during a workout will be breathable, wick away moisture from your skin, and goes well with your workout outfit. The overall workout clothing will protect you from skin irritation and allergies while providing maximum support to your man-parts. Here, we are telling you what to look for when you shop for some dedicated pairs of workout underwear.

Fabric

Just like your fitness apparel, workout underwear should be made from moisture-wicking material. Cotton and its variants (Better Cotton) has remained the topmost favourite fabric because of the softness and comfort it gives to your skin. Most used fabric for fitness underwear are:

Nylon – the most popular fiber used in making athletic and fitness apparel, nylon is a synthetic material. It is increasingly facing tough competition from more eco-friendly fabrics.

Polyester – another popular fabric, polyester is breathable, durable, stays drier for a long time, and lightweight in comparison to many others. It is, however, a plastic-based material and lacks antibacterial qualities.

Elastane – highly stretchable, elastane maintains its shape over a long duration. Elastane is mostly blended with other natural and synthetic fabrics for its capacity to offer unrestricted movement.

Bamboo – is an upcoming natural fiber in the textile sector. It is eco-friendly, sustainable, and soft. Fabric made from bamboo has natural anti-bacterial and moisture-wicking characteristics.

Wool – premium sports underwear is also sometimes made from merino wool. This wool has features such as temperature control, breathability, and sweat-wicking.

Cotton – pure cotton tends to retain the absorbed moisture and does not dry quickly. However new blends using cotton are increasingly being used for their softness.

Modal - with its super-soft silky texture, and 50% more breathable and moisture-wicking than cotton, Modal is now being more preferred to synthetic materials.

Innovation in the garment industry has spawned many fabric blends and combinations. You should consider fabric blends, from the wide range available, that give you breathability, sweat-free, moisture-wicking, and anti-microbial features.

Design

Best exercising underwear have a seam-free design that helps prevent the common problem of chafing on inner thighs. Some of the design elements that give you a smooth experience are:

Flatlock seams - reduce bulk in the edges of the underwear, helps cut down on chafing.

Reverse stitching – ensures there are no inside seams to irritate your skin

Four-way stretch - gives you the unrestrictive feeling of the underwear moving with you

Slimmed and anti-fold waistband – both these features in the waistband give a sweat-free and no-roll up experience.

Comfort pouch – this element keeps your package right where it belongs. Highly recommended for heavy-duty physical activity and contact sports.

Style

Within the athletic and exercise workout wear, there are three types of underwear styles mostly used – briefs, boxer-briefs, and trunks

Briefs provide snug coverage to your man-parts while leaving the legs and thighs exposed. This offers excellent support and freedom of legwork. Trunks and boxer-briefs are the best combinations of briefs and boxers. These styles provide full coverage, maximum support, and minimum bunching. 

Eventually, the style of underwear you choose depends on your own personal ease and preference.

Comfort

Comfortable underwear will have multiple features that will add to it. Important ones would include proper functionality, anti-microbial, anti-fold, wrinkle and piling free, softness, and breathability.

Some Other Useful Hygiene Tips

Some basic hygiene practices are essential when working out, no matter how healthy and intense your physical activity is. If you are sweating it out indoors or outdoors, you should follow the tips given below.

Take a shower after your workout

Put your dirty gym clothes and workout underwear for washing

Never go to bed straight after your running or exercising

Wash your gym bag regularly

Next time you go around looking for quality underwear for physical activities, keep these factors in mind. Shop for a pair of underwear that is best suited for the physical activity you want to engage in, be it indoor gymming or outdoor activities like running, hiking, or playing any sport.