The Case of Athleisure: Trading the Runway for Treadmills

If you’re like me, you think the most fun part of working out is selecting your gym ensemble. Athletic and leisure clothing (often abbreviated as athleisure) is at the height of its popularity within the fashion world. It’s hard to ignore as a consumer. I can walk into any retail store and always find myself gravitating towards the brightly coloured lycra and the counters full of always-flattering yoga pants. Thanks to athletic giants like lululemon, athleisure has certainly chiseled its place within the wardrobes of many women – even if they don’t frequent barre classes or yoga studios.

Why are so many companies trying to make a name using fitness clothing? Because athleisure has grown to adapt to women’s lifestyles. Instead of old t-shirts and sweats reserved for grueling gym sessions, more and more designers strive to invent multidimensional pieces that can take you from your spin class to a dinner date without a wardrobe crisis. Athleisure is practical. It supports you by wicking away the sweat beading on your back during deadlifts but also keeps you cool and comfortable in line at the supermarket. With all of the multi-use possibilities, it’s no secret why women (myself included) dish out hundreds of dollars on the latest lululemon trends.

Athleisure is a staple in the closets of many teens, stay-at-home moms, and fitness junkies, but it is also making its way into couture collections. Versace revealed its Spring 2016 collection with bold straps and daring cutouts undoubtedly influenced by strategic ventilation panels found in athleisure.

Versace (Top) and Fabletics (Bottom) comparison. Note the use of decorative cutouts in both photos.

Although you won’t (hopefully) see a Versace ensemble in your local squat rack, it’s clear that even major influencers in couture are taking notice of the athleisure movement. After all, fashion is all about expression and your gym outfit should both perform and act as an extension of you.

What’s next for athleisure? It’s impossible to predict whether or not lululemon models will strut alongside their couture colleagues in New York Fashion Week, but there is no doubt that it is here to stay. As long as women lead busy lifestyles, there will always be a place for stylish sport wear that can take you from bikram to business meeting faster than you can say Namaste.

 

 

So a Crossfitter, Bodybuilder, and Powerlifter Walk up to a Bar…

Just like figure skating and hockey, sprinting and long distance running, sports of the iron variety differ greatly. Even though the equipment remains the same, differences in technique and goals set these three sports apart from the rest.

You’d think that since all three use weights as their tools that they’d all find something in common.

Wrong.

Discrimination against Crossfitters, Bodybuilders, and Powerlifters can be heard amongst any of these iron heavers. Bodybuilders are too vain. Powerlifters lift heavy just so they can stay fat. And Crossfitters… well, do they even lift?

Don’t knock it ’til you try it

I think all of this boils down to a classic example of neophobia: the fear of trying anything new. How will you be able to accurately evaluate something without trying it yourself?

I started out with Zumba. Next, I got into running. Finally, I started lifting weights. I was more interested in body sculpting – most of my workouts I got from Bodybuilding.com’s figure/bikini athletes. My weights weren’t extremely heavy and I did anywhere between 10-12 reps for everything. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, but I wanted to lift heavier.

Strength in fitness competitions like bikini and figure competitions is not required. That’s not to say that bikini competitors don’t have immense strength. Canadian athlete, Hailey Goss, can deadlift 300+lbs.

Clearly Hailey knows the feeling of satisfaction and overall badassery you feel when you lift something really heavy from the ground. This is exactly why I decided to take more of a powerlifting approach to my training.

However, I don’t consider myself a strict powerlifter. I’m more of a sweaty generalist. I like doing a lot of obstacle racing (think Tough Mudder and Rugged Maniac). For obstacles, you need a lot of coordination and functional strength to help you. Last summer, I tried Crossfit for 6 weeks.

I’ve never sweat so much in my entire life.

Each WOD exhausted every ounce of power within my body and even though workouts were only 45 minutes in length, each time I wanted to puke mid-sled push. I did discover something I really loved, though, and that was Olympic lifting. I don’t quite have the mobility for it yet, but I really want to make an effort to train with some oly lifts and learn to snatch, jerk, and clean with the best. If you want to get more of a sense of what Crossfit is like, Buzzfeed made a great video:

Timing and high reps give Crossfit its cardio-focused reputation and, if you have a great coach, the “bad-form stereotype” will quickly disappear from your mind.

Where is the love?

Whatever your preference, we all love iron and have the callouses to prove it. There needs to be a paradigm shift within the fitness community because, well, the gym would be a better place if we all supported each other – no matter how we’re lifting.