Skinny legs + shorts + trainers = argh!

February 9, 2008 4:53 PM

Shorts + Trainers on a skinny, gym going guy.

I've become a die-hard gym goer. I've been going 5 nights a week for over a month now and I'm liking the results I'm seeing. But when I work out I get far too hot and sticky in the pants department.

I usually wear jogging pants, as they cover my skinny legs. I want to wear shorts instead, but my legs make the trainers look HUGE and I'm very self conscious about it.

What do I do MeFites? How do I make this look good?

posted by lemonfridge to clothing, beauty, & fashion (15 comments total)

Just wear shorts, no one will notice. Everyone there is working out toward a goal and no one has a perfect body. They're all too busy trying to hide their perceived faults to care much about yours.
posted by sanka at 5:21 PM on February 9, 2008 [2 favorites]

Just wear a T-shirt which says on the front

YOU KNOW KNOW WHAT BIG FEET MEANS?

And on the back...

BIG SHOES
posted by unSane at 5:38 PM on February 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wear shorts, nobody who is worth caring about cares about your skinny legs. The guys ashamed of their chunky legs will be jealous, the serious fitness guys will admire/diss you based on the exercise you're doing, and some girl there will think they're hot. Most people will never even notice you exist.
posted by jacalata at 5:44 PM on February 9, 2008

chicks dig pale skinny guys. go for it.
posted by msconduct at 5:52 PM on February 9, 2008

I doubt anyone else notices, but if you really want to cover up, make sure you're not wearing 100% cotton pants. If you pick up some pants in a "technical" fabric they should wick away moisture. When I used to run I avoided cotton like the plague and was always dry.
posted by loiseau at 6:01 PM on February 9, 2008

Your feet look weirder to you because of the angle, looking straight down. Look at what your feet look like in a mirror, sideways. Less weird, right?

My point is, your trainers don't look that weird to anyone else. Also consider shopping for trainers that look less bulky, if this is seriously bugging you.
posted by desuetude at 6:43 PM on February 9, 2008

People will only care if they see your balls
posted by uandt at 7:12 PM on February 9, 2008 [6 favorites]

yeah, what uandt said.

Honestly, a nutsack flopping out at the gym from those ridiculous little Richard Simmons shorts is just.. bleargh. Yuck.

Get knee-length shorts that give you good freedom of movement. And personally (when I used to work out...) I always preferred ankle socks.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 7:37 PM on February 9, 2008

i would recommend - shave your legs, put on fake tan once a week. silyl fashion, but it looks more neat and athletic than white hairy legs. dont wear short shorts, wear neat gym style long shorts with short white socks. also, mountain bike style shorts with a chamois are more comfortable if it is hot.
posted by edtut at 8:15 PM on February 9, 2008

I'm a relatively overly self-conscious person, but I can guarantee you that no one will think your trainers look big. No one will care. People look like shit at the gym, anyway. Some roll out of bed and barely drag themselves to gym before work. Others come after a long day at work and don't care how you or they look. If you're really uncomfortable with it, get some Puma or Converse shoes that are small and have no tread or padding.
posted by HotPatatta at 9:45 PM on February 9, 2008

As in Elizabethan times, skinny man-leg is totally hot right now. If you need confirmation, look at Michael Cera in Juno, with his lanky skinny self in gigantic trainers and shorty-shorts. Hundreds of thousands of teenage girls agree: so dreamy. You can even check out this promotional video for the film ("See this guy in distractingly high-cut shorts ... the legs are fetching"). I urge you to work it.
posted by ourobouros at 10:16 PM on February 9, 2008

I find skinny legs hot...actually skinny guys in general.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 12:53 PM on February 10, 2008

when i'm dorking out at the gym in my shorts, i like to just go ahead and wear mid-calf or almost knee-high socks, with or without stripes at the top. it makes me think of basketball players from the 70s and that makes me laugh. that's fun.
posted by pieliza at 6:03 AM on February 11, 2008

Do more squats. Startingstrength.com
posted by tiburon at 10:22 AM on February 11, 2008

Please do not shave your legs.
posted by TrixieRamble at 9:29 AM on February 13, 2008