With more people hitting the gym, wearing spandex as a workout outfit is trending. For that reason, it’s also becoming harder to not notice the confusion of many guys on how they’re supposed to wear their spandex.
The thing is that spandex is great, especially for athletic activities. I recommend the Everworth Workout Shorts (link to Amazon). It keeps your muscles compressed and improves your overall performance. Still, it can be a little too revealing depending on how you wear it.
That got me thinking about how you should do it. No matter if you’re going to the gym or taking a walk around the park, there’s a right way of doing things.
So, are you supposed to wear underwear with Spandex? Yes, you are. Spandex is a garment that can be too revealing. Not only that but it can cause chafing and a lot of embarrassment. Still, there are some models, which are exceptions, that are supposed to be worn as underwear. They come with a crotch line, and those you can wear without underwear, but with shorts on top.
If you’re wearing your spandex to go to the gym, for instance, you’re going to notice a lot of benefits. Your muscle fatigue will take longer to be felt. You’ll immediately notice performance improvement while wearing it.
Still, when you’re at the gym, you want your concentration on other things. You’re there to get your reps and improve your body. You don’t want to be concentrating on the looks you’re getting or the discomfort of knowing you’re showing more than you should.
This is why, you’re going to learn how to properly wear spandex, and when it’s actually a good idea to wear it without underwear. Yes, there’s such a situation. Read below and find out.
It’s A Personal Choice
First of all, wearing spandex with or without underwear is a personal choice. If you feel more comfortable in one way or the other, go for it. No judgment.
Now, if you’ve never worn spandex and you’re curious to know what is the best way, here’s a more detailed answer.
So, spandex is a synthetic material that is also known as Lycra. It stretches and compresses better than any other fabric. For that reason, spandex adapts itself to the body of the person that is wearing it.
This means that it will make some sort of mold around your body. In other words, it will shape around your private parts. Not only that, but it’s usually so thin that it makes things a little visible, which is enough for that area.
So, you could wear the spandex without underwear, but not with a great chance of revealing too much of your crotch area. There are also other disadvantages like chafing, bacteria, and etc. that you can learn about it below.
Modesty
As we talked about in the last section, wearing spandex without underwear will make your private parts too visible. If you’re like most people, you’ll feel uncomfortable knowing that everybody can get an idea of what you look like naked.
Not only that, but you won’t be the only person who will be uncomfortable. Pretty much everyone else will be uncomfortable. You probably don’t want that in the gym, or anywhere else for the matter.
For that reason, you can solve all your problems by wearing underwear. Or you can wear shorts on top of the spandex.
Actually, wearing shorts on top of the spandex is the best solution most of the time. The reason is that if you wear underwear, you’ll lose some of the effects that the spandex has over your circulation and more fabric layers mean worse breathing for your skin.
What you must keep in mind is that for modesty reasons, you should either wear underwear underneath it or shorts on top of it. If you do one of the two, you’ll be good to go to the gym.
Chafing
I guess we can all agree that you’re never supposed to wear only your spandex. You should either opt for shorts on top or underwear underneath. Now, you shouldn’t also do both at the same time.
Anyway, the guys that give preference to wearing underwear instead of shorts, usually use chafing as their reason.
When you wear spandex for more than 1 hour, you do risk chafing your legs. The spandex material is too tight and causes friction between the fabric and the skin. These micro lesions become what we know as chafing.
The best way to solve this problem, in particular, is by wearing underwear. When you do this, you eliminate the direct contact between your skin and the spandex fabric. With this simple method, the chafing is gone.
Now, there are some guys that tried to use baby powder to solve the problem without underwear, but it doesn’t work if you’re wearing it for long periods of time. The best you can do is to try for yourself, but underwear is usually best when you’re cycling or doing any activity for 2+ hours.
Prevent Bacterial Infection
There’s only one reason not to wear underwear + spandex +shorts; bacterial infection.
When you exercise, you sweat a lot. It’s a normal body function to regulate your temperature and eliminate toxins. Sweating is not only necessary but helpful to make you achieve your fitness goals.
Now, the problem with all this is that sweat makes your body humid, obviously. This humidity is perfect for bacteria growth. A humid, dark, confined place has perfect conditions for bacteria to grow and spread.
What this has to do with wearing spandex is that the more fabric that you wear, the more likely it is that you’ll create those conditions.
When you’re working out, you sweat a lot for a long period of time. Then you take a shower, and if you don’t use your towel properly, you’ll create the perfect place to encourage bacteria growth
So, what you do is to create an environment where your skin breathes and when your body sweats, the sweat easily evaporates. You do that by wearing fabric that allows your skin to breathe.
Does It Have a Crotch Line?
This is the most important question you’re going to answer. If your spandex has a crotch line, then the discussion is over. This is the only kind of spandex that you could and should wear without underwear.
Now, even this type of spandex can cause chafing, but this will vary from person to person, so you have to see how your skin reacts to long usage of this model.
Anyway, if your spandex has a crotch line, it was made to be worn without underwear. In this situation, you can just wear shorts on top of it.
Also, if your spandex has a crotch line, it will usually come with a second fabric in the crotch area to prevent chafing and protect your genitalia.
Are You Wearing Shorts or Just the Spandex?
As we’ve talked over and again here, if you’re wearing the spandex only, you probably should wear underwear.
It will prevent you from revealing body parts and chafing. Now, if you are wearing the type of spandex that has a crotch line and you’re wearing shorts on top of it, then go ahead and don’t wear underwear.
Obviously, you can throw all this out the window if you want to wear your spandex without anything else even if it will reveal too much. But beware that you’ll be that guy in the gym that people are looking at for the wrong reasons.
Still, just remember to follow the rules regarding bacterial infection since this can cause you a lot of headache. And bacterial infection in the body, it’s a little more difficult than usual to get rid of. So, the best treatment is prevention.
Fashion vs. Athletic
The last important thing to consider in here is the reason why you’re wearing your spandex. You’re most likely to be wearing spandex for athletic activities since it helps improve performance.
Now, if you’re wearing as just to go out, this means with fashion purposes, you should never wear the spandex only. No matter where you’re going, put shorts or pants on. It’ll help you avoid a lot of awkward and uncomfortable looks.
If you’re going to the gym or bicycling around the park, you can wear your spandex without shorts on top of it, but then, you wear some underwear as well for this activity.
Related Questions:
Are you supposed to wear underwear with leggings?
Yes. For the same reasons that you’re supposed to wear underwear with spandex. Now, in the case of leggings, you should never under any circumstance wear it without underwear. It will collect bacteria faster. It will certainly cause chafing, and it will reveal everything. So, just put on your underwear and you’ll be fine.
Is spandex better than regular underwear?
Yes, if you’re exercising. For people that workout, spandex will improve blood circulation, muscles fatigue, and many other things that ultimately impact your performance. Now, the disadvantage is that some spandex garments cause an itchy sensation on the skin. Just test different models to see which one is more comfortable for you.