When I was coming up, back in the stone ages, jocks were still acceptable to wear to work out. It was not uncommon to see a guy in the locker room stripping down to his jock. Nowadays, jocks are rare to see in the locker room. There are a few reasons for this decline in the jock in the locker room. In sports (football, Baseball, and etc) you can see them.
The Rise of Compression gear
One reason the jock is no longer the underwear for working out is the rise of the compression gear. Brands like UA came onto the market and have done lots of research into keeping guys cool and giving them even extra support. I for one, when I do workout, prefer wearing compression gear on my legs. It makes recovery much faster.
This is one time where technological advancement has replaced an old school design. This isn’t a bad thing at all. New designs should improve on the pervious designs. One thing that is awesome in the UA line up is their jock. A spandex jock made for a protective cup. One of the best on the market.
Guys are wearing better underwear
When you look around the locker room, guys are starting to wear much better underwear. Underwear that has better pouches and fabric. This includes straight guys. UNB is the perfect example of that, we have 1/3 reading about underwear. This is further done by stores like Target carrying the Champion brand that is not the boring ill-fitting boxer briefs.
This is a trend we will see more of as the years go by. Guys are wanting underwear that is super comfy and reliable for every day and working out.
Are jocks completely gone?
There are still some old school guys who believe in wearing them. Guys who have higher impact workouts are more likely to wear jocks or something similar. Just lifting and cardio is not a reason for guys to wear them. I would recommend them for running, crossfit and other high impact sports. The support you get will be totally amazing.
If you wear jocks let us know or if you’ve never worn one! Just curious who out there wears them for working out and when.
8 Comments
Reasons that I am currently wearing a jockstrap to the gym. 1. I HATE compression shorts. OMG! I tired them and I hate them! You say that it assists in recovery and maybe there is science to that but I just can’t stand them. I hate they way they feel, the way they squash everything, and they do not keep me cool. A jockstrap, obviously, has great ventilation and instead of squashing your man-bits they secure them nicely. 2. I really like they way they feel, the way they move with you and the freedom of movement, you can experience because of no material back there. 3. They are a right of passage, that piece of equipment you get when you enter that exclusive club called manhood. We have so little these days that are exclusive to us anymore. A jock meant that you are passing that line between boy and man something, a compression short does not give you. 4. There are jockstraps that are made specifically for sports and workout. I wear jocks in my everyday attire as well, I do so because they are comfortable but I specifically buy gym gear (jockstraps) for the purpose of going to the gym. I use them for running, elliptical, biking, and yes, lifting. I do not need them specifically for lifting but they are the piece of clothing that I can don specifically to get me in that gym frame of mind.
Ok, so maybe I am the only one that feels this way but I do not consider myself and “old” school kind of guy. Is compression gear and better fitting underwear really pushing the jock out? I changed into my SafeTgard jock in the locker room yesterday while some other guy was wearing boxer shorts. I still think that your gym gear is up to your comfort level and what you like. However, it saddens me that this may be a prevailing idea and that my choice of wearing a jockstrap could be looked at as me clinging on to an era gone by. Do I really need to try compression shorts again?
I agree….I hate compression shorts and all they do is compress. I like my jock. It fits me tight. It does not have to be too tight for everything to stay in place!
This is American. Yes, I see sometimes Under Armour at the gym, but not often at all.
(Un)related: why do American guys wear sports / gym / work-out clothes even when they’re not? That has always puzzled me.
I switched to thongs a while ago. Way more comfortable and supportive, especially under compression.
I’ve still wear jockstraps while working out.
1.) I like the pouch support
2.) better air flow
My collection of over 80 jockstraps doesn’t include the traditional Bike style jockstrap; rather it consists of Pump, AussieBum, Andrew Christian, Timoteo, C-in2, JockUp, 10Seven, Diesel, Fort Troff, and Jack Adams.
The goto for me when working out is still the 1″ leg straps and traditional cut; however, I do like 1-1/2″ – 2″ waistbands. Occasionally, I will wear the traditional 3″ band to change it up.
You could call me a “Jockstrap Junkie” although I do wear boxers and boxer briefs as well.
I am a traditional jockstrap man. 3″ waist band and 7/8 to 1″ leg straps. Got a problem with seeing me in my jock. Maybe you have some issues…..LOL
Yes I still prefer wearing a jock over compression shorts. Like others I think the allow for better movement, are cooler to wear in warm months and still offer the needed support. Definitely a fan of UA jocks , one of the best jocks I owned. They offer good support thats comfortable. The only thing I found is sometimes they can be tough to find. I hope they never drop them from their line. Maybe add a color or two would be nice.
i wear jocks with and without cups depending on what I’m involved in, and have done so since 6th grade, and wearing a jock over compression shorts is a bit backwards for me , especially if I’m wearing a cup, other than that my underwear consist of jockey briefs, I’m pretty simplistic as far as those things go , and i never ever let anyone else ever dictate what i have on, especially my underwear, woman do not have the equipment, so that’s and instant disqualification, and other men haven’t earned the right.