At one point in my life, I used to go to the gym wearing home made muscle tees and basketball shorts.
Yep, I was that guy.
I’d like to think I’ve come a long way since then. I don’t really like wearing shirts when I work out, but I have to wear something to and from the gym because #freethenipple, even for me, isn’t always socially acceptable. In the rare instance that I do wear a shirt when I work out, it’s got to be comfy, but not too loose. I don’t want to be swimming in my shirt and I also don’t want the clothes to not show off my body (yes, guys care about this too). The clothes also have to be stylish and have to match (I wear a lot more black and grey now). All of these things factor in with me when purchasing any new gym wear. They’re not only my gym clothes, they’re also my work clothes after all. In a world where everyone and their moms have a clothing brand, Rhone Apparel aims to separate themselves apart from the bunch by offering premium quality, functional clothing, that looks as good outside of the gym as they perform in the gym. Time to step your gym-wear game up. Rhone Apparel offers anything from some of the best socks I’ve ever put on in my life, to gym shorts that have no shortage of pockets unlike another reputable premium brand, to a shirt that I could probably get into a club with, sweat in and be dry by the time the lights come back on.
Full disclosure: Rhone hooked me up with a full outfit to review. Many thanks!
The black V-neck. What should be a staple in any man’s wardrobe. The Sentry v-neck is basically the gym version of what I wore throughout the majority of my 20’s, except much nicer. I’m not a real smelly guy (at least I don’t think I am), but the Sentry include silver anti-microbial threads that prevent your clothes like smelling like you just pulled it out of the bottom of your dirty hamper (you should not do this even if you could). The design has a fancy looking horizontally lined pattern, and is tailored in all the right places to distinguish itself from the rest of the generic dry-fit looking shirts out there. The large is form fitting around my arms, theres a slight taper to the chest area, and the length sits right below my waist. The shirt feels light and is very breathable, never becomes uncomfortable or hot; definitely something I could keep on the whole WOD. The fabric drys up just as fast as you can start breaking a sweat again. A feature that you might not think about is in the neck opening; on the Sentry, the neck is nice and loose so it doesn’t feel like you’re getting choked out by your shirt.
All I really look for in a pair of shorts is lightweight material, some kind of decent stretch, and POCKETS. The Mako shorts, named after the shark, meet my requirements and more. The nylon/poly blend material barely feels like you have anything on, but is substantial enough so that it can take a beating from the toughest WOD’s and looks nice enough so that you could wear these babies out for Sunday funday. It’s slightly thicker than Lulu core shorts, more close to their Assert shorts. You’ve also got five, count them, FIVE, pockets that are actually useable for more than just a key, including rear and side zippered pockets. Fit on the shorts is excellent, plenty of room in the thighs and seat so they don’t become tights when you sit or squat. I wear a size 30″ inseam and when I stand, the shorts end at right in the middle of my knee caps. While I do wish they were an inch shorter, the 9″ inseam never feels too long or gets stuck behind my knees when I squat. Maybe a little side slit would make them feel shorter than they are. Don’t get it twisted, I really like my Lulu’s, and I will continue to wear them because they’re also very nice. The one thing I can’t get over is why in the hell they don’t have pockets on their shorts. A little waistband pocket for a single key is simply unacceptable. We’re guys, we have keys, a cellphone and a wallet to carry around. I need at least 3 pockets, but I can settle for two.
Quite possibly the most annoying thing that can happen to me is when my socks slip down and I end up walking on them. I don’t know how I used to deal with folding my long socks up so they could be “ankle” socks. The no-show socks from Rhone include the same anti-stink silver material, but the most thoughtful feature on the socks is the little grip pad at the achilles area. Theres a little silicon pad that keeps the socks from riding down. Genius!
Premium fitness apparel is still somewhat of an oxymoron to some people, you can see by the way people dress to the gym. When recommending brands like Rhone and Lululemon to people, it usually garners the same “That stuff is too expensive.” response. Yes, the stuff does cost more than your Target brand items, but they also don’t completely disintegrate after a few washes. That being said, the price tag on the Rhone Apparel items does put it out of reach for the average gym goer. $70 for gym shorts or a gym shirt, even to someone that lives inside the gym, is really expensive. Sixty bucks is usually where I draw the line for any single piece of apparel that isn’t shoes or jeans. Lucky for you, I’ve got an exclusive 10% off code, just make sure you subscribe to me on YouTube and then send me an e-mail via the “Let’s talk” tab above.
Code is: AMRAP10
If you’ve got an uncompromising standard for what you wear, especially in the gym, having an outfit of Rhone gear is a must. I still highly recommend you check them out because it’s just that nice, and sometimes it’s okay to spoil yourself. Invest in yourself, and definitely check out Rhone Apparel.
Make sure you guys use my links to purchase your Rhone Apparel!
Look better, lift better!
If I could give Rhone zero stars, I would. I convinced by boyfriend (a gym rat) to pick out anything he wanted from this company based on their reviews (obviously they only post positive reviews and must spend a lot on marketing) for Valentine’s Day. WHAT A MISTAKE! All the pants and shorts are a wrinkly plastic that not even a tumble dry low can solve. I’ve seen better materials at Walmart. Then, the cherry on the top is I contacted them about ridiculous sizing irregularities (he’s a medium and honestly one of the pants is nothing short of an XL). They responded by telling me the pants were purchased on a FINAL SALE and there was nothing they could do (but offer me a 10 percent coupon on my next purchase). We spent 615 dollars and you want to offer us 10 percent coupon in return for pants that could fit Santa Claus and that should have been a medium? We have high quality gym apparel from numerous other brands (Nike, Hylete, UA) and the quality of Rhone compared to these brands is a joke. Our worst shopping experience ever and his worst Valentine’s Day gift ever. Stay away.