Thermal shirts vs. cotton shirts - what's for training?
In order for you to feel comfortable during your workout, you need properly selected clothing. A very important element of sports attire is a thermal shirt. It should be a comfortable model, not restricting freedom of movement and effectively wicking away moisture. An ill-fitting sports blouse, made of the wrong material, can excessively store moisture, stick to the body, irritate and impede exercise.
Gym, fitness, running or cycling. These are just a few examples of activities, the practice of which allows us to take care of fitness and a healthy body. We can train in many different ways. Some exercises are peaceful in nature and do not require our body to go into higher gear. Others will cause sweat to pour from us in streams. The latter include various cardio-type exercises designed to burn body fat. It is this type of activity that places the greatest demands on the clothing used during workouts.
Sports shirt - natural or synthetic?
The offers of stores until they are overflowing with sports shirts and blouses. However, it is worth knowing that not every T-shirt that has the term "sports" in its name will be suitable for training. The most important element of a sports T-shirt, which we should pay attention to when shopping, is the type of material used.
T-shirts made of natural cotton are breathable and pleasant to the touch. However, they tend to store moisture, which we are able to produce a lot of during training. As a result, a cotton T-shirt quickly becomes saturated, heavy and sticky to the body, causing discomfort. A thermal shirt made of synthetic material, on the other hand, is able to quickly wick sweat away from the skin to the outside of the material, where it can evaporate freely. As a result, synthetic functional T-shirts dry very quickly. Models made of good synthetic materials are able to dry in a few minutes of rest.
Functional T-shirt, or what kind of shirt?
Under the term functional T-shirt or thermal shirt, the most common are models made of synthetic blends. As a rule, these are polyester, polyamide and elastane. Polyester and polyamide are responsible for wicking away sweat and quick drying of the fabric, makes the material comfortable and stretchy.
Functional T-shirts often have additional elements to support and enhance the comfort of training. Solutions that can be found in good sports shirts are, for example:
-
mesh panels to help cool the skin,
-
anti-odor technology to slow the formation of odor,
-
reflective elements to increase safety for evening activities,
-
UV filter to protect skin from the sun's rays.
We can often find mesh panels in summer thermal shirts dedicated to intense activities such as running. The panels increase airflow and help cool the skin. Also deserving a few words of explanation is anti-odor technology, which slows down the growth of bacteria and thus the formation of odor. This functionality will be especially useful if you plan to use the functional jersey for several days without washing it, for example, during a multi-day hike or bikepacking trip.
If you plan to train outdoors after dark it's a good idea for your function shirt to have reflective elements. They won't replace a good flashlight or bicycle lamp, but they will increase your visibility and, at the same time, the safety of your evening activities. And if you have sensitive skin to the sun or you know that during your workouts you will be for a long time in places where the sun operates intensely, such as in the mountains, it is worth that you opt for a model containing a UV filter, which will stop the sun's harmful rays and protect your skin from burns.
Thermal T-shirt - key features
Many people think that by buying a functional (thermal) T-shirt, they will not sweat during training. However, this is a wrong thinking. If we force the body to exert itself, the appearance of sweat is natural and desirable, because this is how the body cools the skin. The task of a good men's or women's thermal T-shirt is to wick this moisture away from the skin to the outside of the material. This ensures that the T-shirt does not get soaked, does not stick to the body and dries faster.
Another important issue to pay attention to when choosing a sports blouse is the type and location of seams. Models equipped with thick seams can abrade the skin. So it is best to opt for T-shirts equipped with flat, elastic seams. In general, we can adopt the rule that the fewer seams a T-shirt has, the better.
The most important features that a functional T-shirt should have are therefore:
-
breathable, effective moisture-wicking fabric,
-
comfortable cut that does not restrict freedom of movement,
-
stretchy fabric that adapts well to the figure,
-
flat seams in the smallest possible amount.
Compression shirts
Developers of sportswear strive to design comfortable and breathable thermal shirts that provide a high level of training comfort. Some manufacturers, however, go a step further, designing garments that not only provide comfort, but also help you perform better. An example of this type of thing is compression garments.
Men's and women's thermal shirts equipped with compression properties are clothing for people who are not ashamed of their bodies. This is because such models adhere much more, than traditional sports shirts. Compression improves blood flow and increases the amount of oxygen in the tissues. As a result, the muscles are able to work at high speed for longer. Functional compression shirts also have the advantage of minimizing the shock and vibration that our muscles feel during movement. This translates into less fatigue for them. An important feature of compression garments is also that they reduce the time needed for muscle recovery. This is possible because muscle compression facilitates the drainage of lactic acid from the muscles. Compression sports blouses are often used by road cyclists. Compression helps them deal with back pain after a long ride. Compression shirts are also used by runners to reduce fatigue in the abdominal, back and shoulder girdle muscles.
Thermal or cotton T-shirt - which one to take for training?
It is accepted that garments made of natural materials are better than those made of plastic. In reality, however, the synthetics produced today are of very good quality and are superior to natural fabrics in many aspects. An excellent example of this is precisely the men's thermal shirt and women's thermal shirt. The advantage of synthetic fabrics over natural ones is, first of all, much better moisture wicking and the absence of the effect of soaking the material with sweat. As a result, a functional T-shirt made of thermoactive material provides a much more comfortable workout than a cotton T-shirt.
In the offer of MILITARY.PL you will find a very wide selection of functional shirts. We offer models for various activities, for example, for the gym, running or cycling. It is worth mentioning that you will be able to take this type of T-shirts not only for training. They are lightweight and comfortable, so they will be great for mountain trekking or a trip to the woods.
In addition to thermal shirts, we also offer other clothing for athletes. In particular, we recommend sports blouses, workout shorts and pants, sports underwear and various accessories. In category training and sports n addition, you will find nutrients and supplements, as well as exercise equipment such as dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, pull-up bars, exercise mats and many other products to help you strengthen your muscles and take care of your body.