The Very Best Hoodies To Run, Sweat, and Bench Press In
Invented by sportswear brand Champion in the 1930s to keep its warehouse workers warm, the hoodie is an enduring sportswear, nay wardrobe, staple. Equally at home on the catwalk as it is on your hobble out of the gym, having a few good hoodies in your rotation is an absolutely necessity.
Here are eight great hoodies to look out for then. From hoodies aimed specifically at runners (with all the tech you Strava-counters need) to ultra-resilient jacket hybrids, and everything in between, we’ve got you, and your noggin, covered.
8 Of The Best Gym Hoodies To Work Out In
Reiss x Castore Blake Weatherproof Hoodie
The lovechild of premium high street brand Reiss and fast-rising Brit sportswear purveyors Castore, this hoodie combines sleek good looks with a hefty slice of technical know-how. Just look at that water-resistant jersey then for all the breathability your bicep curl could ever need, and those stylish drop shoulders seams, conveniently placed to accommodate for any post-shoulder-day gains.
On Running Mulberry Hoodie
In recent years Zurich-based On Running has thoroughly won the race within the specialized running sneaker space, with it’s genius CloudTec hole-laden soles helping lift them above the pack. But as with any juggernaut it’s time to branch out, and if a recent collab with luxury fashion house Loewe is anything to go by, world domination is soon on the cards.
This berry-hued hoodie is aimed at runners, but can easily be worn as a warming layer as you hot-foot it to the gym, with a cosy fit and feel paired with some neat design touches like an elbow dart to help the hoodie keep its shape and lace guards to prevent those pesky drawstrings from getting in your way.
Vollebak 100 Year Hoodie
Imagine if Batman had spurned the vigilante life for a career in fashion and you might well end up at something quite like Vollebak. Launched in 2015, the British brand specialises in futuristic and extraordinarily high tech clothing like this version of its standout 100 year hoodie, built to last for — you guessed it — a whole century. Its astonishing resilience comes from a three layered fabric originally developed for the elite military which is able to repel rain, wind, snow and fire — now that’s we call standing up to all the elements.
Colorful Standard Organic Hoodie
Some people are stifled by choice — witness the endless struggle many have for settling on the right parking spot in a wide-open car park for this common affliction. For others, it frees them though, and it’s these people that Colorful Standard was built for.
The premise is simple: you have your clothing standards — joggers, tee, boxers, Oxford, and of course, the hoody — and then with each of these a whopping 54 different shades to pick from. Plus all these colours are made using environmentally-friendly dyes, while Colorful Standard pledges to plant one tree with every order made.
colorfulstandard.co.uk, £70.00
Pangaia 365 Signature Hoodie
If you can’t find the colour you were looking for at Colorful Standard, then you might just spot it at Pangaia. It’s a similar USP — basics in all the shades you could possibly want — but with the addition of Pangaia’s trademark transparency tag to the breast so you know exactly what material you’re donning, as well as its upstanding sustainability cred — a badge of honour we can all get behind.
Spiritual Gangster Karma Hoodie
Super hip California-based sportswear label Spiritual Gangster make effortlessly cool yoga wear that it’s hard to imagine coming from anywhere but the Golden State. This hoodie from the brand has that cosy, well worn feel to it that all go-to sweats have — that’ll be the soft-as-you-like tri-blend loop terry fabric — along with a simple but majestic graphic on the back that’ll have you becoming the envy of the yoga studio.
Varley Plains Hoodie
Billed as “a blend of London’s elegance and L.A.’s lifestyle”, Varley is simplicity perfected. This oversized hoodie from the brand cuts down on the unnecessaries — goodbye sleeves, monochrome it is — and instead focuses on a sleek, ultra-modern cut and an oh-so-luxe Ottoman rib that elevates the simple hoodie into something altogether more reservedly brilliant.
Nike Therma Men’s Pullover Training Hoodie
Nike is the king of sportswear for good reason, and this gym hoodie is a fine example of the US monolith’s prowess. The star attraction is that Nike Therma fabric, a double-brushed microfiber fleece that miraculously manages your body’s natural heat, keeping it low when you need it, and vice versa.
Nike also hasn’t slept on the details here either, with a handy zipped pocket to keep your phone secure and in your pocket when you’re moving around the gym floor, and a construction that’s made out of at least 50 percent recycled polyester fibres — because even the big dogs are making sustainable moves now.
