How to choose clothes for running?

Many scientists have proven the benefits of regular exercise: an ordinary evening jog will help everyone not only to keep the body in good shape, but also provide a healthy sleep and good mood the next day. Much of the effectiveness of such training depends not only on the efforts of the athlete, but also on the convenience and quality of the clothes in which he trains. In this article you will learn how to choose the right clothes for professional or amateur running.

Regardless of which season you are going to run, and what scale are the sporting goals you face, for any sportswear There should be a number of specific requirements.

• Ease. Any sportswear should be extremely light. Heavy items of clothing will not only put an extra burden on your body, but will also hamper your movements. Such clothes can lead to fatigue and will interfere with the implementation of the daily norm. This, of course, does not mean that you should wear a thin T-shirt or short shorts for winter walks. However, preference should be given to lightweight winter clothing that will keep you warm and not interfere with ventilation.
• Optimum temperature. Some jogging lovers are of the opinion that suitable clothing for running, for example, in winter seasons, should warm the body already in the first minutes of training. The task of quality sportswear, on the contrary, is to promote proper thermoregulation during the workouts themselves. This means that at the beginning of your workout you may be slightly cold, however, over time, it will become quite warm for a comfortable jog.
• Clothes sizes. An important nuance in the selection of clothes for jogging is to ensure that it fits snugly to your skin in all places, but does not constrain the movements of your legs and arms. Some people prefer to buy clothes for jogging in several sizes more, however, it is not worth going to extremes either. It is unlikely that you will be comfortable to run in a T-shirt and shorts, which will fly in the wind like a flag.
• Security. If you are jogging in the evening somewhere in the suburbs or near the road, be sure to buy clothes with reflective elements. Some of the items, such as stripes or flickers, can be purchased at any stationery store and zipped up jackets or a pocket of shorts. Keep in mind that reflective inserts should be on both the front and the back of the garment, as well as on the shoe.

Shoes are also an element of clothing.

There are a number of specific requirements for proper sports shoes.

• Spaciousness. Any tight shoes extremely negatively affect the blood circulation in the legs. Inexperienced athletes believe that the tighter the shoe sits on the foot, the less likely it is to catch a cold foot. In fact, everything is different: during runs, tight shoes pinch important blood vessels in the legs, which leads to disturbances in the bloodstream. When choosing shoes for jogging, make sure that between your thumb and toe of the shoe there is at least 1 centimeter of excess length.Also, make sure that your heel is not strongly rested against the heel of the shoe, otherwise rubbing simply can not be avoided. That is why it is desirable to choose shoes with soft and mesh backs.
• Socks. Regardless of the season, socks are a complete element of clothing. Quality socks not only retain heat, but also provide good ventilation. Try to choose a pattern of sports seamless socks.
• Insoles. Another important element in the shoe - quality and removable insoles. They not only warm the shoes, but are also able to retain moisture, provide additional elasticity and softness of the shoes. You should choose the model of shoes with removable insoles - so you can dry shoes faster and, removing or inserting insoles, use it during different seasons.
• Ventilation. Do not forget that your legs need high-quality ventilation, which not all sneakers can provide. It is advisable to choose a shoe model where the outer fabric material is presented in the form of an air-permeable mesh.
• Sole. The correct sole is not the last factor to which you should pay attention when buying shoes. The sole should be soft enough and thick enough to soften the pressure on your feet. Moreover, the thin and hard sole is erased over time, which will necessarily lead to injuries, chafing and ordinary discomfort while running. The ideal option would be to buy sneakers with special shock-absorbing inserts in the sole at the toe and in the back.

In cool weather, sportswear can warm your body and not cause discomfort, it should consist of not one, but several layers, each of which will be responsible for a particular function. In this material, which is located directly at the skin itself, must be water-repellent. That is why in the selection of winter clothing are rarely found elements from natural fabrics - they all just absorb moisture. The ideal option here would be clothes made of synthetic materials, like polyester.

Professional athletes in training during the winter seasons always use special thermal underwear.

Therefore, if you want a thorough acquaintance with professional runs, you should purchase several sets of such clothes. For example, a set of clothes that will keep your body temperature at a comfortable level in the range from +5 to -20 degrees, and a set designed for more extreme workouts, at temperatures below -25.

Then you can get acquainted with the tips that will help you approach the preparation and selection of clothes for jogging in the winter period.

• Usually, even the most expensive winter T-shirts or suits are not able to provide high-quality warmth, therefore it is recommended to wear an extra sweatshirt or a moderately fitting sweater over the suit.

• In winter and late autumn, not only low temperatures are dangerous for the body, but also precipitation and humidity levels. For jogging under these conditions, you should choose sports jackets or trowels with a tight hood. The models of membrane fabric will be ideal: it is thin, light, repels moisture, provides high-quality ventilation, and at the same time does not allow external air flows.

• In any jogs, most of the work is done by the legs, and therefore special socks are needed to insulate them and ensure healthy blood flow. Today in the range of sports shops you can find thermosocks.

• If your sportswear does not have a quality hood, you should take care of buying a special hat. Usually, athletes prefer to choose dense caps from natural materials - for example, knitted.They retain heat well and absorb sweat from the hair, but, as a rule, do not provide high-quality ventilation. For jogging on especially frosty days, professional athletes advise buying special “mask” caps that will protect not only the head, but also the face from frost and weathering.

• Hands play a huge role in any jogging - not only the speed of the run, but also the result of the training itself depends on the freedom of their movements. To save hands in comfort and warmth, you need to buy woolen or gloves from high-quality knitwear.

• Before you go on a jog, do not forget to treat the skin on the face with a special lotion to save the skin from wind and frost. Under the influence of low temperatures, the skin begins to dry and peel off.

• When choosing sneakers for jogging in the winter period, you should pay attention to the optimum operating temperature of a particular model. Some sneakers are made of materials that harden at low temperatures, this can lead to damage to the shoe itself, as well as to injury when it breaks directly during a run.

The main part of the athletes, regardless of whether they are amateurs or not, arrange training with jogging in the summer season. It is believed that evening jogs before bedtime help calm the nerves and stress the body, which leads to a long and full sleep without dreams. Unfortunately, hot weather does not mean that we can choose everything that comes handy for clothes. The choice of sportswear for summer walks should also be considered carefully.

Until the beginning of the XXI century, professional athletes used only clothes from natural and high-quality cotton. Clothing made of cotton fabrics did have excellent ventilation, however, it got wet too quickly and acquired an unpleasant smell, creating discomfort. Today, only synthetic clothing with a water-repellent effect is used in jogging for any distance.

Consider a few recommendations when choosing clothes for the summer run.

• The disadvantage of wearing synthetic materials is that, in close contact with a sweaty human body, they can cause an allergic reaction or irritation on the skin. To protect yourself, you should buy not fitting, and loose-fitting clothing. In addition, tight-fitting clothing will hamper your movements and prevent you from running.

• Clothing should be as light and comfortable as possible. If in the autumn and winter seasons it is better to choose clothes covering the whole body (trowels and T-shirts with sleeves, pants and leggings), then in summer it is advisable to wear shorts or sports pants and leave the torso open.

• Summer is the season with the most sun and direct sunlight. Do not forget to take to workout caps or any other hats that would protect you from sunstroke when practicing outdoors. As a dress can be an ordinary cap or a sports shawl. The main condition is that the hat was light, but did not fly while running.

• Your skin needs the same protection. Before each workout under the sun (10-15 minutes before jogging) and outdoors, do not forget to carefully treat the exposed areas of the body with special sunscreen sprays or creams. To inflict minimal damage on your skin, train in the early morning or evening. Avoid the phase of the highest activity of ultraviolet rays - from 11 to 16 hours.

• An additional protection from the sun, as well as a good accessory will serve as high-quality sunglasses, which will sit firmly in front of your eyes and do not jump with each step.

• Some athletes and lovers of jogging prefer to put on the forehead a special fabric bandage that will accumulate sweat and prevent it from falling into the eyes.

Autumn and spring are seasons in which you still want to keep yourself in shape due to the increased risk of catching a cold or becoming infected with dangerous infections. Nothing helps this better than a rich and long evening run. However, with the wrong selection of clothes for autumn workouts, you are more likely to harm your body and put it at risk of disease than harden it.

In terms of the selection of clothes for the winter, autumn and spring seasons, the same thing works correctly - you should dress in 2 layers.

• The first or bottom layer, depending on the temperature and weather conditions, can be either a regular sports shirt, or a sweatshirt, thermal underwear. This layer performs the function of moisture removal from your body, and also maintains a comfortable temperature level.
• The second or top layer is usually a sweatshirt, a sports vest, or an ordinary jacket with a water-repellent coating. The task of this layer is to provide good ventilation and contribute to the removal of moisture from under the bottom layer. This is done to create the effect of a so-called greenhouse, in which sweat does not linger on human skin or under one of the layers, but goes outside, while preserving the natural heat.

There are certain tips on choosing clothes for autumn and spring, we’ll dwell on them in more detail.

• For clothes for spring and autumn walks are more stringent requirements than for summer. It should not only ensure complete freedom of movement, but also be of the highest quality for simultaneously keeping heat, removing moisture and keeping the bottom layer of clothes dry. That is why the clothes of the autumn or spring plan usually cost much more than even winter clothes, because they are made of better materials.
• If summer clothes are designed to protect only certain areas of the body, then the sports items of the autumn and spring plan should cover almost all areas of the body, in addition to the face. Here, shorts or an ordinary T-shirt are not suitable for training; in this case, long-sleeved tops and special running pants are needed (they are also called “tights”).
• An important element of autumn clothes is warm, fitting and breathable socks. Thermosocks (for training in the rain or wind) or ordinary sport socks are suitable here.
• At the end of winter and at the very beginning of autumn there can still be very sunny days. If for some the sun is an exceptional plus (it warms, pleases and gives motivation to work), then for athletes it can cause a lot of problems. Do not forget to take on a workout tight headgear and goggles to protect yourself from aggressive ultraviolet rays.
• As a headdress, you should choose the options of caps and caps that can protect you from the sun and save from a little rain.

Today the market of sportswear and uniforms can provide us with a huge selection of products for every taste. Despite this, not all of the products offered are of sufficient quality so that we feel comfortable in them during training.

Below will be considered the most popular brands of T-shirts, since it is this element of clothing that does most of the work of providing ventilation and moisture removal. It should be noted that these brands offer options for both men's, women's and children's clothing.

Mostly men tend to buy non-fitting, namely free T-shirts, which will keep everything warm, but not constrain movement

• Asics Ss Graphic Top. One of the most popular running models from this company. The material is polyester, thanks to which the T-shirt freely fits the body and retains its elasticity even in rainy weather. There are also special reflective inserts especially for running in the evening.

• Mizuno Drylite Premium Tee. This T-shirt is made using the unique Dry Lite technology. With this technology, the athlete's skin remains dry even after the most intense workouts. There are also reflective elements.

• Saucony Short Sleeve. Completely composed of high quality polyester, has a unique elasticity and remarkably removes sweat from the body.

Women more often prefer fitting equipment, in which features of a figure are perfectly visible.

• Asics Liteshow Graphic Top. Perfectly wraps the whole body, emphasizing its most advantageous qualities. In addition to soft, warm and breathable fabric, has reflective elements.

• Nike Dri-FIT Miler. A great option for summer runs in the open air. The model is equipped with a light and water-repellent fabric, does not constrain the movement, and also has an interesting design.

• Mizuno Drylite Core Tee. Thanks to a special technology, these T-shirts remarkably drain moisture from the whole body and quickly bring it out. In addition to the interesting design, the model is equipped with good reflectors.

Before you choose a certain element of sportswear in the store (in this case, T-shirts or windbreakers), you should pay attention to a number of factors that will help you determine in advance whether the product will fit you or not.

As already mentioned, when choosing clothes for sports training, regardless of how long they take time, you should give preference to synthetic materials.

During any strength training, a huge amount of sweat is released, which should be properly removed from the skin with the help of high-quality synthetic clothing.

If you choose sportswear for amateur workouts that do not involve long-distance running, it is better to choose models that will be loosely attached to the skin and leave it with room for action. However, if we are talking about professional jogging for time and for long distances, you should choose clothes that fit snugly to your skin.

During training, and especially in cold weather, any, even minimal irritant can affect your motivation to train. In clothing, such irritants are bulging seams (armpits, near the neck or along the body), which can rub skin. Try to choose a model in which the seams, even when stretched, will not bulge and rub against the skin.

In some modern T-shirts and tights, there may be special inserts for fixing the muscles of the body in a certain position.

Also, such clothing is simply necessary for athletes with recent injuries, such as fractures and dislocations.

Only a small part of modern athletes pay attention to the design of the elements of clothing when choosing it.

Meanwhile, professional athletes are convinced that clothing with the right color, pattern or design of pockets, locks and inserts motivates to perform an elevated plan of tasks.

To date many athletes increasingly prefer compression clothing for running. Such clothing helps to reduce pain in the joints after a long workout, improves blood circulation in the limbs, perfectly removes moisture and retains heat.

How to choose clothes for running, see below.