Best Underwear for Running: 4 Key Things To Look For
Whether you’re just starting out with running or you’re a seasoned pro, you’ll likely have shoes that provide effective support and clothes that keep you cool, dry, and comfortable for any conditions you might find yourself in. However, you may be overlooking an essential element of your kit that could make all the difference to your performance - the right kind of underwear.
Performance underwear is designed to keep you optimally supported and comfortable all day long while warding off painful rubbing and irritation thanks to an array of sophisticated benefits. Below are the features you should look for in performance underwear to run to your potential - or anywhere your daily adventures take you!
Quick-Drying Fabric
Cotton may be the most common material for underwear, but when it comes to more intense workouts - such as clocking up the miles in a marathon - it simply doesn’t make the grade. The fit is too loose to offer proper support. But if you size down to try and make up for this, it will restrict your movement and possibly create even more issues of discomfort and irritation.
Cotton is known for trapping moisture against rather than wicking it away, potentially creating a heavy, and unpleasantly moist sensation in your nether region. Being distracted by this kind of discomfort is bad enough, but damp fabric against moving skin will lead you right down the road to chafe - not ideal in any situation, let alone when you’re looking to be out on the trail for long periods!
Even worse, warm, wet conditions such as these create the ideal breeding ground for all manner of nasty bacteria and fungi. Not only can these make things a whole lot whiffy down there, but they can lead to nasty skin infections in a place you really don’t want them to be.
Snug, Supportive Fit
Endurance activities are demanding due to their nature. When you’re focused on coaxing your body to continue long past its comfort point, the last thing you’ll want is any distractions or obstructions. That’s why you need underwear so well-fitting that you can forget you’re wearing it. While the exact amount of support you require will depend on your personal preference as well as the speed and intensity of your workout, you’ll always want underwear that sits against your skin without riding up.
Picking tighter-fitting underwear such as briefs may seem like the obvious choice for preventing the kind of jostling of more looser-fitting boxers. However, these can lead to worse problems. Supportive is one thing, but if your underwear clings too tightly, it will impair your movement, ride up, and maybe even send you on a one-way ticket to wedgie land. You’ll be lagging behind, trying to discreetly shift your underpants about before you’ve even had a chance to properly hit your stride.
Breathable Material
So, we know by now precisely why quick-drying fabrics are so vital to your comfort when running. However, products that brag about these qualities may be missing another key detail of quality athletic clothing - breathability. The reason so many of us like cotton undergarments is that they allow for better air circulation that helps things feel cool down there. The heat generated from an intense workout can lead to that “pants on fire” feeling that isn’t only displeasing, but can be potentially harmful for your lil swimmers too.
Despite their many magical moisture-wicking properties, synthetic materials are sadly not the best for this. Those closely woven fibers are excellent for keeping the heat in - in the very worst way. Including well-placed ventilated sections in clothing designed for motion is a vital part of tailoring them to be comfortable to wear for working out while enhancing their anti-chafing qualities too. This is especially important for more snug-fitting performance underwear as compared to t-shirts that allow for a better breeze.
Seam-Free, Full-Coverage Design
Once you’ve found quick-drying, breathable underwear, the next thing to consider is their construction. The best fabric in the world won’t make one bit of difference if it’s held together by thick, bulky seams with raised edges. The material itself may feel great against your skin, and, at first wear, you might be happy with what you’ve got. However, introduce a little moisture to the equation, and you will soon have a problem.
While seams are sadly a fact of life, better quality sporting gear will make use of minimal or flat-locked ones. With the latter, the two pieces of fabric touch but don’t overlap, reducing the bulk of the seam and its friction potential. This “seamless design” is best in all clothes that sit directly on your skin. Reduce rubbing even further by selecting underwear with slightly longer legs that cover your thighs, reducing skin-on-skin contact.
Why Choose Turqs?
Turq’s Performance Underwear has been specifically engineered with movement in mind. Created for active men everywhere, we have taken into account both fit and comfort in our seamless, ventilated, moisture-wicking performance underwear and even upped the ante with additional features that elevate these to the next level.
Our quick-drying microfiber fabric is silver-infused, giving it extra antibacterial and odor-repelling properties. Fight against junk funk with underwear that can actually kill off 99.9 percent of microbes brewing in your land down under!
The seamless, smooth fit is further enhanced with our Paradise Pouch. With a dedicated space to stash your manhood for added separation without restriction, you’ll eliminate painful rubbing on your most sensitive parts. You’ll be able to work out harder and for longer, too.
If you’re the sort of person that likes to have the very best workout gear, don’t forget about your base layer. While you might get away with low-quality underwear for short bursts of activity, if you’re looking to spend longer on the track, you’ll want to invest in anti-chafe performance underwear. That way, you can protect and support your family jewels while keeping you cool, calm, and comfortable all day long.
Live up to your potential on the field, off and anywhere the day takes you with Turq’s Performance Underwear so you can take on the world without the chafe!
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