Hello Everyone,
My name is Andrew. I have been bodybuilding for about 9 years. I am a bodybuilding personal trainer and have been doing that for around 3 years or so. I have been wanting to start my bodybuilding apparel business but I want to be different. I want to know what you are looking for when wearing athletic gear. There is no wrong answer, please let me know what you guys are looking for. Thank you in advance for your suggestions and comments, I look forward to reading them.
No real suggestions, but just wanted to say good luck. I’ve been selling apparel on the side for a while now and it’s a difficult and very saturated market. I personally think uniqueness of design is important for a new apparel store, but people do like simplicity too.
For what it’s worth, these are some of my best selling designs over the last 12 months.
I train in as little apparel as possible, such as my morning workout
So…what do you have as far as compression shorts go?
Non-fricton fabrics
Lower body
Shorts that don’t get caught on knees when doing leg work
A half gym short, half swimsuit combo so I don’t have to change after lifting to get in the pool/hot tub/shower
Upper body
Arm pockets for a pen and journal or phone
Some kind of loop around the trap area to keep headphones from falling out. Ear buds are stupid.
Some kind of heat venting along the back or armpits.
An elastic strap over the shoulder blades to help remind posture and form.
Features are more important to me than designs.
I get a new t-shirt, wear it until it’s past it’s prime, then it becomes a workout shirt, then after that its a yardwork shirt, then a camping shirt, then finally a shop rag.
Thank you for replying!! I will keep all of these notes. Thank you for the detailed suggestions this really helps!!
Thank you for replying!! I don’t have any as of right now, I am trying to get a feel for what people are wanting and then I will go from there. I will definitely note that compression shorts are a must.
Also, your designs are awesome!! Did you design these yourself or with a company?
Thank you for replying. your 100% right, the saturation of this market is astonishing. I have always wanted to make something different but it is hard to know what people are really wanting from a brand. That’s why I created this forum, I wanted to hear from the people first hand.
Sustainability at its finest.
Not always.
When I travel overseas I buy clothes from thrift shops and then throw them away during the course of the trip, instead of wasting time washing them, to make space in my suitcase for stuff I bought to bring back.
I’m pretty simple.
No special features necessary, just quality.
Short seams that won’t rip at the balls during squats
shirts with enough room in the shoulder/armpit to press without binding or tearing
Shoes that hold your foot tight enough to prevent sliding while offering enough toe box room to splay. I would suggest socks with some grip as an accessory item.
Nail this stuff and I’m in.
I would benchmark some or the more successful companies. They advertise what their fabric blends are right on the site. To directly answer your question…. Breathable and doesn’t hold stink. I like tanks and short that are cut slightly above the knee but not the real short trend as of late.
I would like to see an offering of some regular clothes options for lifters more so than athletic clothes. There are brands like Barbell apparel that attempt it but fall flat. They just offer tight clothes. I can’t find a pair of short or jeans that fit my legs unless I size up the waist 2+ inches minimum. Then they look sloppy with a tight belt. Shirts same, I would like wider shoulder girth and chest but tapered more trunk. I don’t need to have a painted on look shirt.
Thanks. Some designs are mine and some I purchase from various sites like DesignCuts or T-Shirt Factory.
I will see what I can do! thank you for the suggestion.
x2
I like “athletic” tapering for shirts and loose but not baggy pants but want to be comfortable. Casual, non-gym clothes with room to move in the shoulder/hips/crotch that still fit the torso well would be awesome. Hard to find and I wind up wearing parachutes or uncomfortably restrictive clothes.
Where do I get the gorilla Jiu jitsu one?
I agree. I used to work at Abercrombie and all their pants were terrible. The waist to calf space ratio was not designed to be worn by lifters. Boot cut jeans ftw.
Right now I buy eddie bauer, or Lucky. A 3% spandex mix helps with the comfort factor.
Designer brands never seem to fit right. And now clothes are cut for the overweight/obese, as they make up the market majority. The space is there, but it’s designed for boobs and guts, not shoulders and lats.
I find Polo brand fits well, have good luck with Van Huesen dress shirts if I’m just wanting something off the shelf vs tailored and agree on boot cut. I actually wear cowboy boots so I need them.
I recommend checking out Cinch. Some styles are definitely western, but they have contemporary options too. Built for rodeo events so very sturdy and flexible in the right places once you break them in.
Actually this is a great observation. Wide shoulders always make the sleeves creep up. I roll my sleeves up just to make the trunk look fitted, and the sleeves deliberate.
Below the elbow is for casual. Above the elbow is for manual labor
Luckily cold weather is coming in and I love layering.