Starter brand Compression gear

[sebbie]

Maybe a dozen years ago Wal Mart marketed a line of athletic gear under the Starter brand name. The manufacturer was originally a separate company supplying Wal mart with discount gear but was purchased by Nike in 2005, as this article makes clear.

https://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Nike-sneaks-into-Wal-Mart-sans-swoosh-1170955.php

What interested me, of course, was not the starter sneakers, but the line of compression tees and shorts that retailed for about $10 each, far less than the premium brands from the Nike-labeled or UnderArmour stuff. The tees and shorts were of very good quality and quite reasonably priced. I went bonkers and bought lots of both the compression shorts and tees. I really liked the fit and feel and they were perfect for my stationary rowing and biking. And when I was still employed not retired I wore these comprssion tees under my normal work wear.

At some point Nike decided that they no longer wanted to market gear through the big discounters such as Wal mart and sadly, the line was dropped, but by then there were lots of places to buy something similar on line.

I still have a lot of these Starter-branded compression items. Some of them that I wore a lot the fabric has deteriorated, but others, both tees and shorts are still in pristine condition.

This week I decided to try wearing some of my old Starter Compression gear, a black MED Tee I had hardly worn and in like new condition, and a pair of navy blue compression shorts in equally good shape.

All my rowing means that I have been building chest muscles over time, and compression tees have been getting more and more difficult to get into. I used to wear SM at all times but gradually upsized to a larger MED. It takes some doing to get into the compression Tee and it really fits skin tight once I am in. While stretchy, the material does not flex as much as the newer Tesla stuff I buy on Amazon. Still, once I am in I am fine, and oddly, it is less difficult to remove the shirt than it was to get into it. Still, this is the snuggest fitting Tee that I have worn in a long time, and the shorts are equally snug. They look great on me. When working out I like to wear a strap underneath.

Also, in my closet. I think I still have a Starter Tee in size SM that I have only had on once or twice a long time ago. I wonder if I can get myself sucked into that one. The SM size should take this even one step farther.

[sebbie]

In buying compression gear of any brand, I believe that it is important to undersize relative to your normal waist size. First off, the whole idea behind compression gear is to compress—that is to put tension on the various muscles underneath—so a skin-tight fit is essential. If you normally wear MED in other kinds of shorts, the SM should fit perfectly fine. Once in, I like the undersized compression tees too, except that the undersized shirt can be more difficult to get into and remove, particularly in hot sweaty weather.

More importantly, the compression shorts if undersized should almost instantly make you feel good down there. Being in a constant state of light arousal is most interesting, but particularly so if you plan to be working out in some way. Getting a fit and feel that your body “likes” is part of the reason to exercise.

I know a lot of guys pull on their compression shorts right over their nude body, but I have always preferred wearing something underneath. My go-to workout combination usually includes an undersized pair of classic tighty whiteys, in part because my workout in the rowing machine requires me to be seated and some extra bottom padding is always good. The seat on my stationary bike is even more demanding in this regard.

But sometimes, depending on my “mood” you might find me using a little pair of thong underwear as my only undergarment. I really enjoy wearing straps too, cupped or not, but a strap is not helpful for padding in a seated exercise position.

If you are going to pursue a daily exercise routine it is important to find gear that makes you feel good as you exercise, because feeling good about yourself and how your body behaves is becomes part of sustaining the exercise activity over the long term. Finding compression gear that fits and feels like a second skin is part of all of this—an integral part of what you are doing and why you are doing it. Maybe guys in part like swimming because they want to have an excuse to put on and wear a swim brief on a daily basis!

Then, if you get really bored you can combine wearing your skin-tight compression shorts with a magic wand )see my other post on that) and suddenly enjoy a whole series of new and interesting sensations. It’s fun to be a guy!