Why Do Free Runners Wear Sweatpants?
As with any exercise regime, you’re going to need the perfect clothes to keep you safe and comfortable while pushing your body to its limits. This has led many people to question, why do free runners wear sweatpants? In all honesty, it’s a combination of a myriad of factors, most of which revolve around staying comfortable while navigating through tough obstacles.
If you’ve ever had the opportunity to watch those amazing videos on social media with people jumping from building to building, you’ve undoubtedly seen free running. In fact, it’s more common than you think as a variety of free running techniques are also used in TV shows and movies.
Whether you’re getting into free running yourself or if you’re simply curious about the trend of oversized sweats, below are some of the most common reasons as to why stretchy pants are the best option.
The Different Types of Sweats for Free Running
There are 3 main types of sweatpants that are recommended for free running. Depending on your personal comfort and what you think is the safest choice; you may prefer one to the other. They include:
Thick and Insulating
Much like the comfortable clothes you bum around in during the wintertime, thick and insulating sweats are a great option for free runners, particularly in colder climates. It’s an extremely physical exercise, and you will need to make sure your muscles are loose enough to take on catapulting from one object to another. The best way to do this is to ensure your legs are warm.
The warmer your muscles are, the looser they become, and the longer you’ll be able to safely work them. For example, imagine if a jogger weren’t to do a warm-up before going on a run. At the end of their trek, they would undoubtedly suffer from muscle fatigue, which can be incredibly painful and force them to take a day off of running. This same rule applies to free running, as you need to make sure your body is flexible and loose.
Loose and Baggy
Even though the appearance of loose and baggy sweats may look anything but fashionable, they’re a preferred type of lounge pants for free runners because they are safe. Imagine, you’re going to be constantly running, spreading your legs as far as they can go, and you need to have the highest level of flexibility that your body can muster. The last thing you’ll want is a pair of pants that aren’t going to be able to move as easily as your body does.
Loose and baggy pants give you the ability to focus more on the activities you’re doing instead of worrying about whether they’re going to restrict your legs or tear every time you make a jump.
Plus, they tend to be a staple amongst most free running communities so you can say it’s a type of “uniform” for these athletes, which is probably the easiest way to answer, why do free runners wear sweatpants?
Tight and Sweat Absorbing
As the third and final preferred type of sweatpants you can get for free running, tight and sweat absorbing designs can be beneficial. But it’s important to note that when you think of “tight”, it means skintight.
As mentioned, it’s important your body isn’t impeded by pants that are going to restrict you from moving as fluid as possible. Your sweats will essentially need to be a second skin.
In terms of the absorbing properties, it helps to keep your body more comfortable while you’re working out. There’s nothing more frustrating than needing to focus on an activity but to instead be worrying about the feeling of sweat trickling down your legs.
It’s best if you find lounge pants made out of some type of wicking material designed to absorb sweat and allow it to evaporate. This will help keep your body cool and limber.
Why Do Free Runners Wear Sweatpants?: The Benefits of Comfortable Clothing
Now that you have an idea of the types of sweats you should be looking for when you’re getting your arsenal ready to try free running for yourself, it’s important to think, why do free runners wear sweatpants instead of shorts and other types of pants?
Protecting Your Limbs
No matter how you cut it, free running is dangerous, and these athletes need to give 100% of their focus to the activities they’re trying to do. Much like other extreme sports, there’s a very high probability you’re going to injure yourself at least a few times before you can be classified as “experienced”.
The idea of falling off of a ledge or missing a jump and scraping your legs on concrete is enough to keep most people away from free running altogether.
But, if you have access to high-quality sweats that will protect your legs from damage, there’s less to be afraid of. Instead of your skin tearing, the pants will tear, and they essentially become your own type of athletic armor.
Feeling Physical Freedom
One of the main benefits of sweatpants is they give your body the ability to feel freedom, unlike denim jeans or shorts. The flexibility of the fabric used to create your sweats allows you to pull moves and jumps that you wouldn’t be able to accomplish in other materials.
Adding Flare to Tricks
There’s nothing cooler than seeing a free runner pull a great aerial where their legs are flared. With the help of sweatpants, they add an additional flare to the moves which can look much more awesome than if you were to pull the same trick in regular pants.
Cleaner Moves
The baggier your sweats are, the straighter your legs are going to appear when you’re pulling a trick. This is particularly important for beginners, as your mistakes will easily be hidden.
This is because your legs will always look like they’re in the perfect position at the perfect time. The cleaner your moves look, the better they’ll transcend into photos and videos.
Aside from the fact that it takes a lot of courage to become a free runner, it also takes a few smarts to pick the right clothes. Sweats are the number one choice of free runners around the world for multiple reasons outside of it being an athletic uniform for the sport.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at Blufashion. She has been steering the website’s content and editorial direction since 2018. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra’s expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
