5 Mistakes When Choosing Sports Underwear (And How to Fix Them)

Whether you're a seasoned athlete or a weekend warrior, the right gear can make all the difference in your performance and comfort. And while a lot of attention is paid to shoes and outerwear, what’s underneath – your sports underwear – plays a crucial role. Making the wrong choices here can lead to discomfort, irritation, and even health issues. Let's dive into the top 5 critical mistakes men make with sports underwear and, more importantly, how to fix them for a better, more comfortable workout every time.

1. Defaulting to Cotton for High-Intensity Workouts

Cotton has been the go-to for everyday underwear for decades due to its softness and breathability in casual settings. However, when it comes to high-intensity exercise, cotton becomes your enemy. It's highly absorbent, meaning it soaks up sweat like a sponge. Instead of wicking moisture away, it holds onto it, leaving you feeling damp, heavy, and clammy. 

This prolonged moisture against your skin can lead to significant discomfort, painful chafing, blisters, and create a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. Furthermore, wet cotton loses its shape, can feel cold in cooler conditions once you stop moving, and does a poor job of regulating body temperature during a workout.

Solution: Embrace Performance Fabrics

The solution is to choose underwear specifically designed for athletic activity, made from advanced performance fabrics. Here are some of the prominent examples:

• Synthetics (Polyester, Nylon, Spandex): Engineered for moisture-wicking, these materials draw sweat away from your skin, allowing it to evaporate rapidly and keep you dry and comfortable. They are also lightweight, durable, and provide good stretch, ensuring unrestricted movement. 

• Merino Wool: Merino wool is surprisingly soft and not itchy, making it an ideal performance fabric. It excels at temperature regulation, keeping you cool or warm as needed. Additionally, it's highly breathable, effectively wicks away moisture, and naturally resists odors. 

• Modal/Tencel/Bamboo Blends: While prized for their supreme softness in everyday wear, some performance blends incorporating these cellulosic fibers offer good breathability and moisture management, particularly when blended with synthetics for enhanced durability and stretch.

Overall, you should prioritize "moisture-wicking", "quick-drying", and "breathable" on the label. Synthetic blends or merino wool are generally superior to cotton-heavy options for high-sweat activities.

Mistake 2: Choosing the Wrong Size (Too Tight or Too Loose)

For athletes, every factor must be ensured to bring the best performance. Including choosing the right underwear size. Do not underestimate the importance of underwear, because if you do not select good underwear, you must at least ensure that your underwear does not cause trouble for you. 

Underwear that’s too tight can cause a host of issues:

• Constriction and Chafing: Overly tight leg bands or waistbands can dig into your skin, causing painful chafing and irritation, especially during repetitive movements.

• Restricted Movement: Tight underwear could hinder your range of motion.

• Circulation Issues: Extremely tight underwear, particularly around the waistband or groin, can potentially impede blood flow.

• Increased Testicular Temperature: For men, overly tight briefs that push the testicles against the body can elevate scrotal temperature, which some studies suggest could impact sperm health over time.

On the other hand, underwear that’s too loose is equally problematic:

• Lack of Support: Insufficient support can lead to discomfort, bouncing, and potential strain, especially during high-impact activities like running or jumping.

• Bunching and Riding Up: Loose fabric will invariably bunch up and ride up your legs or around your waist, leading to constant, annoying adjustments and friction.

Solution: Find Your Perfect, Supportive Fit

As previously mentioned on how to choose the right fit for men, there are a few things that buyers should pay attention to before purchasing, to avoid making this mistake.

• Consult Size Charts: Always refer to the specific brand's size chart, as sizing can vary. Measure your waist accurately.

• Snug but Not Constricting: Sports underwear should fit snugly against your body to provide support and move with you, but it should never feel restrictive, leave deep imprints, or cause pain.

• Activity-Appropriate Support: For high-impact sports, men will benefit from more compressive fits or designs with specific support features (see Mistake 4). For lower-impact activities like yoga, a comfortable, flexible fit is key.

• Leg Openings & Inseam: Ensure leg openings have enough elasticity to stay in place without digging in. For styles like boxer briefs or trunks, an inseam of at least 5.5 inches can help prevent riding up and inner-thigh chafing for many men.

• Test if Possible (or Buy Singles First): If trying a new brand or style, buy a single pair to test the fit and comfort during a workout before investing in multi-packs.

Mistake 3: Not Changing Underwear Immediately After Exercise

This is also a problem that many people have, whether intentionally or not. Staying in sweaty workout clothes, particularly underwear, poses a serious hygiene risk. Sweat-soaked fabric creates a warm, moist environment ideal for bacterial, yeast, and fungal growth. This can result in skin irritations and rashes, including chafing, redness, and itching, as well as fungal infections like jock itch. 

More severe bacterial infections, such as folliculitis, can occur if the skin is broken. Even the mildest issue, odor buildup, can be a great hassle, as bacteria decompose sweat and create unpleasant smells that can become difficult to remove from fabrics.

Solution: Change Promptly & Practice Good Hygiene

• Immediate Change: Make it a non-negotiable rule to change out of your sports underwear (and all workout clothes) as soon as your exercise session is over.

• Thoroughly Shower: Shower thoroughly after your workout to wash away sweat, bacteria, and potential irritants. Dry yourself completely before putting on clean clothes.

• Moisture-Wicking Fabrics Help (But Don't Replace Changing): While performance fabrics are designed to pull sweat away from your skin during your workout, they still hold moisture. They are not a substitute for changing into a clean, dry pair afterward.

• Pack a Spare: If you're heading straight from the gym to another activity, always pack a clean pair of underwear and clothes.

Mistake 4: Overlooking Activity-Specific Support & Construction

Many active individuals adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to their sports underwear, grabbing any pair labeled "athletic" without considering if its specific design and support features truly match their chosen sport or workout intensity. 

Using minimalist underwear for high-impact running, or a loose style for activities demanding secure containment, can lead to significant discomfort, inadequate support, increased chafing, and even hinder overall performance. The mistake isn't just about the fabric; it’s about ensuring the underwear’s entire construction is engineered for the task at hand.

Solution: Choose Underwear Purpose-Built for Your Endeavors. 

Modern sports underwear offers a spectrum of specialized support and construction features. Matching these to your activity is key:

Overall Garment Fit & Style (Briefs, Boxer Briefs, Trunks, Compression):

Matching Features to Your Activity:

How to Choose: Analyze the primary physical demands of your sport or activity. Do you need to control bounce? Maximize flexibility? Prevent thigh rub above all else? Then seek out underwear explicitly marketed with features that address those specific needs. Don't assume any "sports underwear" will do the job for every activity.

Mistake 5: Incorrect Washing and Care of Sports Underwear

Performance sports underwear often utilizes specialized fabrics and technologies (moisture-wicking finishes, antimicrobial treatments, delicate elastane fibers). Washing them incorrectly can quickly degrade these features, shorten the garment's lifespan, and reduce its effectiveness. Common care mistakes include using hot water, harsh detergents, fabric softeners, and high heat in the dryer.

Solution: Launder with Care to Preserve Performance

To preserve the properties of underwear, prolong its usage time, and bring long-term effectiveness, there are a few things you should pay attention to when taking care of underwear:

• Read the Care Label: This is always the first and most important step. Different fabric blends may have specific requirements. Brands such as Aristino always put their care instructions on the label.

• Wash Promptly: Don't let sweaty underwear sit in a hamper for days, as this encourages bacterial growth and odor setting. If you can't wash them immediately, rinse them out and let them air dry.
• Cold Water & Gentle Cycle: Generally, wash performance underwear in cold water on a gentle cycle. Hot water can break down synthetic fibers like spandex and damage moisture-wicking treatments.
• Use a Mild, Performance-Focused Detergent: Harsh detergents can be abrasive. Consider detergents specifically formulated for activewear, which are designed to clean effectively at lower temperatures and rinse clean without leaving residue that can clog fabric pores.
• Skip the Fabric Softener: Fabric softeners coat fibers, which can impair their moisture-wicking and breathability capabilities. They can also trap odors.
• Air Dry When Possible: This is the gentlest method and helps preserve the elasticity and shape of your underwear. Hang them or lay them flat to dry away from direct sunlight.
• Tumble Dry Low (If Permitted): If the care label allows machine drying, always use the lowest heat setting. High heat is a primary enemy of elastane and performance finishes.
• Wash Separately or with Like Items: Avoid washing performance wear with heavy cotton items like towels, as cotton lint can cling to synthetic fibers and cause pilling. Turning items inside out can also help protect the outer surface.

Conclusion: Invest in Your Foundation

Your sports underwear is the first layer of your athletic gear – the foundation upon which your comfort and performance are built. By avoiding these common mistakes and making informed choices about fabric, fit, support, and care, you're not just buying underwear; you're investing in a better workout experience. "Quality Starts from Within," and that includes choosing the right gear to support your active lifestyle from the inside out. So, gear up intelligently, and enjoy the enhanced comfort, support, and confidence that comes with wearing the right sports underwear.

Key Takeaways

• Fabric First: Ditch cotton for high-intensity workouts; opt for moisture-wicking synthetics or merino wool.

• Fit is King: Ensure your sports underwear is snug for support, but never uncomfortably tight or restrictively loose.

• Change is Crucial: Swap out sweaty underwear immediately after exercise to maintain hygiene and skin health.

• Support Matters (Especially for Men): Consider sports underwear with specific support features, like ergonomic pouches, tailored to your activity and anatomy.

• Care Counts: Proper washing and drying will significantly extend the life and performance of your sports underwear.