Choosing the Best T-Shirts in 2018

With so many T-shirts on the market, finding the perfect one for your workout can be difficult. However, we believe choosing the correct t-shirt is a highly important factor in getting a good workout.

Choosing the wrong t-shirt may cause you to be uncomfortable. For instance, if you choose a fabric which is unable to get rid of sweat. Similarly, a low-quality shirt may cause irritation to your skin and could potentially cause you to chafe.

However, all things considered, how are you meant to know which gym tshirt is right for you? Do you require a tight fitted tshirt or a loose fitted shirt?

Therefore, we have put together this quick guide to help you choose the best t-shirts for women in 2018.

What to Look for in Workout Tshirts

When choosing your first, or next workout outfit, there are a number of factors to consider.

Don’t fall into the trap of choosing the t-shirts that will go best with your new colourful leggings. Or, alternatively, the shirt that you like the most.

Here are the factors we believe are the most important to consider when looking for the perfect workout t-shirts:

Comfort Levels

Whilst exercising the last thing you want to be focusing your attention on is how uncomfortable your choice of clothing is. Ideally, you want to be avoiding t-shirts that are too small, as this may restrict your movement. But you want to be avoiding those that are really baggy too. A potential good choice of clothing is to look for those with an included percentage of spandex.

Additionally, you want to be avoiding anything that is likely to irritate your skin or cause chafing. This is as it may put you off, or make it harder for you to exercise.

Wicking Abilities

Furthermore, another feature to consider when looking for the perfect t-shirt is whether it has wicking ability or not. Wicking is the ability to retract moisture away from your body, therefore preventing the build of up sweat.

The wicking materials are likely to include a polyester and lycra blend, or even a similar synthetic material. Clothes that can wick are useful as they have the ability to keep you warm during the winter and cooler in the summer.

They can dry quickly and will be comfortable to wear. Other examples of workout tshirts with wicking properties include wool and bamboo.

Is it Appropriate?

Knowing what activity you are wanting to participate in is the first step before you choose the shirt you want. Rather than going for the one with the most stylish pattern, or some of the funny tshirts, firstly consider the style.

Different types of sports will benefit from different styles of tshirts. For instance fitted tops may be best for HIIT, lifting weights, and going on a bike ride. Whereas, for activities such as yoga and Zumba, a loose t-shirt may be better suited.

However, it is all down to personal preference. Therefore, we recommend trying tops on and testing out some of the moves you are likely to be doing in that tshirt. For instance, a few stretches, or some star jumps. Why not even buy a number of cheap t-shirts in different styles first, in order to truly find which is best for you.

Types of Tshirt

Yoga Tshirts

The right top for yoga depends on what type of yoga you enjoy. For instance, if you are a fan of hot yoga, a sleeveless tshirt may be what you are after. Alternatively, if you enjoy a gentle yoga class, a long, loose fitted top allowing you plenty of room to move freely while keeping you covered may be best suited.

Compression T-Shirts

Compression t-shirts are more commonly seen in the men’s department but are becoming increasingly popular within women’s workout fashion too. Popular amongst athletes, compression shirts are so popular because of the technology they provide rather than the way they look.

Compression tshirts are intended to be tight fitting. They cling to your skin and are intended to maintain your body temperature, keep you warm or alternatively keep you cool.

Some people claim that the benefits of compression shirts are that they can help prevent injury, stiffness and sore muscles. Some even claim that it is able to hasten muscle recovery. This is as compression can help to improve circulation during exercise.

Furthermore, the sleeves of a compression shirt can help to stimulate blood flow which inevitably helps reduce the risk of lactic acid build up which can prevent muscle soreness.

V-neck or Crew Cut?

A V-neck t shirt is a type of shirt not loved by everyone. Some simply don’t like the look of them, whereas, for others, the way they sit and how much they may reveal is also a concern. However, we find that V-necks are capable of looking good on most women.

In particular, V-necks are best suited to women who fall into these categories:

Small – Due to the elongating and vertical qualities a V-neck t-shirt has, shorter people are likely to appear better proportioned.

Short Waist – Similar to height, the attention a V-neck can draw in the vertical direction can sometimes prohibit a person’s noticeably short waist.

Large Bust – Where a high neckline is able to make the bust look larger, a V-neck is able to effectively break up the visible expanse of a person’s bust.

Short Neck – Unlike a high neck which seems to shorten the neck, a V-neck helps to elongate the length of the neck.

Broad Shoulders – The accented vertical view a V-neck provides can help to take the attention of the shoulder line. Some may even claim a V-neck shortens it.

Whereas, on the other hand, crew necks feature a round neck. They are intended to follow the line of a person’s collarbone. Hailing its name from the types of shirts worn by oarsmen on a boat, a crew neck is considered a casual item of clothing.

The Best T-shirt Fabrics

Once you know what style of tshirt you require, finding the ideal t-shirt fabric is the next challenge. As with the style of tshirt, knowing what exercises you are going to undergo may have an effect on which shirt material is best suited to you.

Here are a few fabrics we believe are worth knowing about:

Natural or Synthetic T-shirts?

Deciding whether natural or synthetic is right for you will depend on what you prefer. Would you rather be kept dry throughout your workout, or be kept smelling fresh?

Well, for those who are looking to smell fairly pleasant throughout their workout, natural materials such as cotton is the way to go. However, bear in mind that although you may not smell unpleasant, the fabric will absorb liquid, such as sweat. Therefore, causing the clothing to get sodden which may end up feeling uncomfortable when you sweat.

On the other hand, synthetic clothes have sweat-wicking qualities. This means you will be kept dry throughout the length of your workout. And, yes you may smell, but this can be fixed by a quick spin in the washing machine. This can help reduce the bacteria known as Corynebacteria, which can cause you to smell, from multiplying on your clothes.

Therefore, in our opinion, opting for synthetic tshirts are a much more sensible option than natural materials. Because, yes you may smell during your workout, but at least you will be comfortable throughout.

Cotton

A popular fabric for clothing, especially tshirts, cotton is renowned for its comfy feel when putting against the skin.

Furthermore, if opting for cotton tshirts, chances are you are unlikely to chafe. This is ideal when wanting to be worn for a long period of time. However, note that when worn continuously, cotton may lose its shape. This means a once tight fitted tshirt may become looser over time.

Nylon

One unique feature of nylon is that it is unlikely to rip. Therefore, you could say that nylon t-shirts are strong and durable.

Other than this, it could be said that nylon is similar to many other materials on the market. For example, it is thin, lightweight and is able to dry quickly.

Spandex

Commonly seen in compression clothing, spandex is a piece of fabric that has stretching capabilities. Furthermore, one big plus of spandex is that it is resistant to perspiration. This includes sea water, sweat, various dry cleaning methods as well as some suntan lotion.

Other advantages of spandex include soft to touch and therefore comfortable to wear, and large elongation allowing you to feel as if the tshirt was made for you and you only.

Conclusion

To conclude, finding the correct items of workout clothing is simply the first step to starting an effective workout journey. High-quality clothes suited to the sport you are doing can get you in the correct frame of mind which could lead you to experience a more intense workout.

However, remember not to rush into spending lots of money on tshirts which are not suited to you or your exercise style. This is as, chances are, you are likely to regret it at a later stage.