It’s quite an incredible feat to build a muscular body. It takes hard work in the gym consistently over time, and sticking to your diet. But staying in shape does have a few drawbacks. While they’re few and far between, one in particular is finding clothes that fit.
These days modern menswear is formulated for a slender male that has slim to no muscular development. At least no more than that which is naturally achieved by just having the right parents. Even though it may require more work than our scrawny counterparts, by the end of this article you’re going to have all the tools necessary to dress that brawn like a superhero.
Before we get into the meat of the matter let’s cover a few guidelines to make the shopping experience as straightforward as a workout.
You Want Your Clothes to “Hug” Your Body
It’s all about creating a slim silhouette. What attraction research has identified as the ideal male body is one of broad shoulders and taut waist. Essentially the goal is to outline the shape of your body with clothing.
Try Sizing Down
Most men wear clothes that are too big for them. Sizing down may be a quick fix to a fit issue. Try a medium if you typically wear large.
The Tailor Is Your Best Friend
Short of getting custom clothing, befriending a great tailor is going to give you a huge bang for your buck. Develop a relationship with your tailor. Take care of them, and they’ll take care of you.
Find Your Brand
Each brand is tailored to a specific look or body type. You can often tell by the type of models they use for advertising. Two mainstream brands that are tailored for fit men are Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein.
Kickin’It Casual
For the average gym-goer most of don’t have to suit up more than once a week, maybe even once a month. If this is the case casual wear is going to be where you place the biggest emphasis on your wardrobe.
Shirts
Focus on plain basic shirts and t-shirts with minimal propaganda. Most brands have specific fits for all there shirts. Experiment with all fits but in general you can stay away from relaxed fits.
Finding pants is easily the biggest issue among muscled men. Especially with the trend favoring skinny guys most companies are making pants accordingly. However it’s just a matter of looking in the right places, as well as seeking the right fits.
As I said before to goal is outline your body via clothing. We want to strike a blend between tapered fit, slim-fit, and straight cut pants. These 3 fits are straight or tapered at the knee, which contributes to your silhouette.
When there’s a flare at the knee like boot-cut jeans this actually makes you appear short and bulky. contributes to your silhouette.
Shorts are a different beast entirely. I too used to just buy a big baggy pair of cargo shorts and call it good. Now shorts have come a long way. While it’s not so much “don’t buy cargos” it’s more, “break up the bulk.” They’re great alternatives like tailored fit shorts.
You want to strike a balance with the inseam. You don’t want the inseam far past your knee or barely covering your upper thigh. Each extreme has its downsides. You want to shoot for an inseam right above the knee. This will elongate the legs giving you better proportion.
Outerwear is classified as hoodies, jackets, sport coats, blazers, and more. Good outerwear just seals the deal on all things style. It can real complete an outfit and take it from zero to hero. Isn’t it impossible to not look cool in a leather jacket?
As with most upper body apparel the obvious problem areas are chest and shoulders. Here are some off the rack items that will require very little extra effort.
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Casual wear is pretty straightforward for muscular men. However, trouble can rise to the surface when it’s time to suit up. They’re a few issues muscular men run into when buying a suit:
Jackets are tight in the chest/shoulders.
Well fitting trousers are difficult to find.
Shirts are too small in the shoulders.
Visiting a tailor and knowing exactly what to buy can solve all three of these issues.
Short of spending thousands of dollars on a custom suit there’re some great off the rack options, as many brands are starting to catch on that fit men also want to dress well too.
If you’re really pushing the limits of your maximum muscular potential but don’t want to spend the money on a custom suit, your best bet is size up and take it to a tailor.
The conservative nature of a dress shirt makes it a pretty easy shopping experience. The only problem area you need to worry about is the typical snug feeling in the chest and shoulders. There’re a handful of brands that make athletic fit dress shirts. When in doubt try classic fit, slim fit, or athletic fit.
Men of all shapes and sizes can be hesitant about upgrading their style and this is equally true for men who are fit and muscular. For the amount of time and dedication you put into your training and diet you should show it off by wearing well fitting and flattering clothes.
Try new things, experiment with new looks, and don’t be afraid to ask for real advice on how you’re looking. How you dress communicates to your environment how you feel and believe about yourself.
You wouldn’t take financial advice from a guy wearing rags and no teeth would you? Those who look the part command respect from peers and colleagues.
You now have some solid ideas about where to find the right pieces at the right places. If you would like to get some masculine outfit ideas featuring the clothes in this article click here.
Legion Featured Author
Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews is the founder of Legion as well as the author of several award-winning fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger, Muscle for Life, and The Shredded Chef.
His simple and science-based approach to building muscle, losing fat, and getting healthy has sold over a million books and helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever, and his work has been featured in many popular outlets including Esquire, Men’s Health, Elle, Women’s Health, Muscle & Strength, and more, as well as on FOX and ABC.
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Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you live in the UK or Canada, your order ships free when it’s over $99.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
Free Worldwide Shipping & Returns
Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
Also, if you don’t absolutely love our stuff for whatever reason, we don’t request you deliver it to a PO box in the Gobi Desert by carrier pigeon.
We just . . . wait for it . . . give you your money back. No returns. No forms. No nonsense. Holy moo cows.
That means you can say “yes” now and decide later. You really have nothing to lose.
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“Natural” doesn’t always mean “better,” but in many cases, natural ingredients are superior to artificial ones for various reasons, including purity, safety, and efficacy.
That’s why all of our ingredients in all of our products come from plant and animal sources, including sweeteners, colors, and flavors.
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In consideration of the services and/or products offered by Legion Athletics, Inc. (“Legion”) including, but not limited to, nutrition plans, exercise routines and coaching, and in addition to the payment of any fee or charge:
I knowingly and voluntarily enter into this waiver and release of liability and hereby waive any and all rights, claims or causes of action of any kind whatsoever arising out of my use of Legion’s services and/or products, and I hereby release and hold harmless Legion and its consultants, officers, contractors, agents, owners and employees from any and all responsibility, liability, cost and expenses, including for injuries, damages or disorders (physical, metabolic, or otherwise), resulting from my use of Legion’s services and/or products.
I understand that fitness activities including, but not limited to, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular exercise, with or without the use of equipment, are potentially hazardous activities that involve a risk of injury and even death, and I am voluntarily participating in these activities and using equipment and machinery with knowledge of the risks involved. I hereby agree to assume and accept any and all risks of injury or death related to said fitness activities.
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