When professor Klump lost all of his weight in “The Nutty Professor,” he wanted spandex, all spandex. For most, especially women, spandex remains an object to be feared as it hides nothing.
Exercisers often forget that there is a stylish middle ground between spandex outfits and an oversized T-shirt and tattered shorts.
Leah Venable, a lecturer in the health and kinesiology department and a personal trainer at Gold’s Gym, suggests a Nike combination of shorts and a sport-bra-fit tank top for girls.
“Spandex should have never been invented, and too many people wear it that should not,” Venable said. “But it does serve a purpose for bikers, just not in the weight room.”
While spandex is on-the-outs for most, velour tracksuits, made famous by the ultimate diva, Jennifer Lopez, are hot right now for women as not only exercise attire, but an outfit for class as well. Although the style originated with designer labels such as BCBG and Juicy Couture, Nike has jumped on the bandwagon, making the style more affordable, and has designed them more for athletic, rather than fashion, purposes.
Jennifer Frank, a sophomore accounting major from Houston, sports her velour tracksuit around West Campus as well as at the Student Recreation Center.
“The outfit is incredibly comfortable,” Frank said. “It is slimming, too, because it is all one color and you look cute no matter what setting you are in.”
Even though there seem to be more options available for women’s workout attire, there is opportunity to add to a man’s style in the weight room.
Venable said she believes more is more, and guys should choose shorts that come to mid-thigh, steering clear of short shorts of any kind.
“The big no-no for guys are shirts with no sleeves and tank tops,” Venable said. “No, it’s not cool, it just makes you look like you are trying to be cool.”
“A typical T-shirt, like Nike or Abercrombie and Fitch, with pants work well for guys and usually looks very good,” she said.
The exercise clothes at Academy are usually more expensive, and stores such as Target and Ross Dress For Less often carry the same brands at a significantly lower cost.
“What a lot of people do not realize is you can find workout clothes that are attractive, inexpensive and serve the purpose of intent,” Venable said.
In the age of Internet shopping, there are also many helpful Web sites to direct people on the road to developing a stylish workout wardrobe.
Sites such as championcatalog.com, FitCouture.com and danskin.com offer fun items at a reasonable price.
There is definitely a distinct style between what women and men can wear.
Rory Graham, a senior petroleum engineering major, said she likes to wear a headband to keep her hair out of her eyes and to add an accessory to her workout attire, but cannot handle it when guys with longer hair do the same.
“I do not know what the deal is with all these guys with slightly longer hair wearing bandanas tied around their heads,” she said. “I mean, is that honestly necessary at all?”
For other Rec-goers, attire does not matter in the least, and they go with one purpose: to get in, burn calories and get out.
Kendall Hodges, a sophomore recreation, park and tourism sciences major, said she just looks for a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and does not spend a lot of time primping.
“I feel like at A&M, no one really cares what you look like,” Hodges said. “We are all just pretty laid back.”
She works up a sweat at the climbing wall in the Rec center, a section that seems to have a style of its own.
“Everyone at the rock wall is super chill,” Hodges said. “If you come in a T-shirt and longer shorts or pants, you will be ready to climb.”
As you open up your drawers and decide what to wear as you are heading to the Rec, it is important to consider what activity you will be doing. An outfit change could effect how comfortable you feel when working out.
“If you don’t want to stand out, just wear a maroon T-shirt,” Graham said. “There is no way that you won’t blend in.”