[sebbie]

Properly sizing your running tights

I have been wearing the Tesla brand of running tights I obtain on Amazon ever since the end of the year, and I am very happy with how they have worked out from the perspective of both quality and price. A typical pair runs about $13 and they are delivered in a few days. The color selection is very wide. There are a number of different brands on Amazon, but these Teslas appear to be winners, so what is the point of searching farther?

Sizing is always the real question when buying any compression gear, tights, shorts, and tops either long sleeved or short sleeved. The Tesla brand generally seems to fit true to size, as in if you think you wear a MED in most clothes, the MED will be an OK fit here as well. The sizes you see listed for Tesla are not Asian sizes, two or three sizes down from their US equivalents, but pretty much normal US sizes.

The whole point of wearing compression gear is to compress, so oversizing generally not a great idea. I am 5’10” and about 150 lbs, and a MED would fit me, but I have discovered that the SM still fits well, but snugger, giving me an extra measure of compression with what I can only describe as a skin-tight fit everywhere. Feels great! Looks great! I am suddenly in a place I will call Lycra heaven! I love wearing these sized that way.

Let’s say you are instead 6’0 and 175 lbs. You might think you are a perfect LRG, but at that weight and height you are better suited to the MED. That will get you the look, fit and feel that you are after. In short, downsizing one size from where you initially think you should be is perfect from both the perspective of look and feel. Besides, with this bit of undersizing you can easily wear these tights right under your slimmest pair of skinny jeans for an additional treat to be had.

What about compression tops? I tend to wear short-sleeved in the summer and long-sleeved in the winter. All of you know I do a lot of stationary rowing. No better exercise for building chest and shoulder muscles. Some years ago I used to get myself into SM compression tops, then I went to MED as my chest and shoulder muscles kept getting bigger from all the rowing. This winter I ended up ordering a couple long-sleeved tops in LRG. Getting in and out of the smaller sizes was just becoming too difficult.

Still, you might be able to fit into a smaller size if you are not constantly doing upper-body exercises. The lower body works fine undersized but the upper body sizing is a bit more of an experiment, or at least it has been for me.

Should you wear anything under the tights? A swim brief? A thong? A pair of tighty whiteys? A strap, cupped or not? On most days I tend to prefer the tighty whiteys, in part because the extra cotton padding is nice sitting either on the rowing machine or the stationary bike, But I do not feel exactly the same every day, and probably, neither do you. Some days I feel hornier than other days, and somehow one of the options I mentioned other than the tighty whiteys might have an appeal. I’ve long thought that this is one of the weirder aspects of being a guy as in sometimes I am enthusiastic about one of the options I mentioned other than the tighty whiteys but only on certain days.

For example, wearing a snug fitting thong with an elastic cord cutting between my butt cheeks can feel, well, interesting as I stroke my way through a rowing session or ride perched up on that seat on the stationary bike. A strap, maybe less so but then add a cup to shake things up a bit. The swim brief as a liner is easy to “tolerate” but that may not be what you are after at that moment in time. The bottom line is that your choice of what to wear each day will likely vary day by day as happens to me. Don’t be concerned if it does. That is “normal”. I love playing with myself and continually stressing myself out this way with each new combination.

In the winter I have been pulling on sweat pants and a sweatshirt over my Tesla gear for warmth when I am working out or not. As warm weather approaches I will discard the heavy gear in favor of lighter stuff, but stick with the same compression gear. Maybe a looser fitting pair of shorts over the tights and an old white tee shirt over the top. Heading out, the idea of wearing skinny jeans over running tights sounds fun too.

Above all, whatever you decide to do with and to yourself always make sure that you find a path that leaves a lot of time to just kick back and enjoy yourself and your body. My (strenuous) exercise program (at least for a 72-year old) means I get to do this every day and have a lot of leisurely time for just kicking back and enjoying being me. I’ve had and continue to have a great life in a host of different ways.

The best to all of you and if I have helped you by even a small amount in thinking about gearing yourself up for an adventure in these trying times, that is even better.

Sebbie