Why You Shouldn’t Workout In 100% Cotton

Comfy workout wear is a must, and people will often reach for 100% cotton as it is breathable, easy to wash, and comfortable, but it really isn’t the best thing to grab if you’re headed for a sweat session. Let’s take a look as to why. 

What is Thermoregulation?

In order to understand what’s happening to our bodies when we heat up and sweat, we need to understand what thermoregulation is. In a nutshell, thermoregulation is your body’s way of maintaining a healthy body temperature. 

As you start to heat up, your brain, specifically the hypothalamus, will send a message to your skin, glands, muscles and organs to start producing sweat in order to remove heat from your body. This process of evaporation through sweat is your body’s natural way of reducing internal temperature, but in order for that to be effective, the sweat has to actually evaporate. If sweat is still on your skin due to wet clothing your body cannot properly cool down. 

So Why Not Cotton?

Cotton soaks up the sweat that your body produces, but it doesn’t do a very good job of evaporating the sweat. Instead, it lays against your skin like a clammy, smelly, uncomfortable, and bacteria filled piece of yuck. 

And after you sweat in a piece of cotton too many times, it starts to break down and lose its shape. Necks start to stretch out, the garment may shrink or stretch in odd places, and it starts to look worn out and old. 

The Best Alternative

So if 100% cotton isn’t a great idea, then what is? I’m so glad you asked. 

There’s different options on the market, but going with a tri-blend will give you the comfort that you want along with the sweat wicking that you need. A tri-blend fabric consists of 50% polyester, 25% rayon, and 25% cotton. 

Polyester is naturally moisture wicking, meaning that it pulls the sweat away from your body and allows it to evaporate faster than 100% cotton does. It is also incredibly durable, wrinkle resistant, odor resistant, and doesn’t shrink. Sounds like a winner to me.

Rayon gives the shirt its smooth feel and nice drape so that it hangs on your body in a pleasing way. It’s not as durable as polyester, but when used in a blend along with polyester it makes for a very comfy article of clothing. 

Cotton also offers the familiar comfy feel that we all know and love. It also has good breathability. 

By combining these 3 different fibers together, we get a durable, moisture wicking, and comfortable shirt to workout in. It’s really the best of both worlds, and it’s the reason we choose a tri-blend for all of our shirts. We want our customers to experience the best when they’re getting their sweat on, and we believe that is found in a tri-blend fabric.