Compression shirts for "shaping" - anyone?

[poppapo]

I put "shaping" in quotes because most guys would react funny to the word "girdle" in reference to a man....

Anyway, I discovered "Under Armor" and other brands of compression wear last year, and I love it! I'm 5'11, 32 waist, and get plenty of exercise - but I've always had trouble getting rid of the side-handles - to me, they look huge! A friend turned me on to sleeveless compression tops - which are normally worn for athletics, are constructed of a very stretchy, spandex-like material, and serve several purposes - warming of the muscles, wicking away moisture, and - sculpting the body. Here's a photo of a Nike brand compression top, similar to what I wear (except in black - I wear white ones) -

and here's a couple links to related stuff -

Same as above, with whole page

http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/art...Girdle-17.html

Anyway, not only do these garments slim down my midsection and make dress shirts look and fit great, but they are amazingly comfortable - almost addictive in a way! They also seem to improve my posture and save my back some misery.

I will also admit that, in college, I did some acting and was in a period piece that took place during the early Victorian years... the director wanted all the men corseted (the women were NOT, because they wore the high-waisted fashions of the time) because men of higher society - the dandies - DID wear corsets at that time to achieve a narrow waist. Anyway, since they were custom made for each of us, those of us men that wanted to keep them were allowed. And, I still wear it at times - I find it extremely comfortable, in an almost erotic way (and no, I'm not a ***********er) and the effect it has on my waist - cinching it in about 4 inches - is really fascinating. I don't wear it ever in public - I've only wore it a few times, in fact - but I have worn it (under a heavy coat) while driving long distances, and it really helps prevent lower back pain after hours in the car.

Anyway, long off-topic there, but I'm curious - has anyone else here tried "body shaping" garments, and if they have, what did they think?

And if you haven't, would you ever try it?

 

[Eason]

I would never try it, seems like it would just enforce bad lifestyle habbits.

 

[poppapo]

Oh come on - it actually makes me feel more confident, more powerful, for some reason.

We could start a trend in Seattle! Then again........

 

[Brian278]

I'm curious as to how you explain wearing a compression top under everyday clothes to work or whatever if anybody notices. And what you say when you take your shirt off in the presence of your special lady friend. Why would you want to advertise something that you can't back up?

 

[Philosoph]

What happens when a chick takes your shirt off and is stopped cold by your man-corset?

Don't mean to accuse you, OP, but this seems to me to be pretty high on the poser-meter. I would think that going to the gym and getting in better shape would be a better way to increase power and confidence, instead of faking it with something like this.

Brian beat me to it...

 

[robin]

Problems with this:
* These will show through your dress shirts (tacky!), unless you're wearing some heavy oxfords.
* These will start to stink eventually.

Just get cotton undershirts that are form fitting instead - they'll help give the same slimming effect.

 

[lawyerdad]

Or better yet, get comfortable with the way you look and/or hit the gym.

 

[JayJay]

It's hard for me to imagine how anyone could wear this and not be extremely hot in summer.

 

[Epaulet]

Seems alright to me if it works for you. After all, is wearing a white compression shirt underneath a button-down really all that different to wearing a cotton undershirt? Not too sure about the black ones though.

 

[converge]

This is just a bad idea. How can you even wear these under button-down shirts without a tie? Won't you see that huge black collar sticking out?

 

[datasupa]

i need pics to give an accurate evaluation

 

[Bradford]

I'm not really seeing how this works. I have a black Under Armor long sleeve shirt that I wear for working out sometimes, but I'm not sure what benefit it would provide as daily wear that wouldn't be offset by the shirt over top of it.

Plus, if I recall correctly, the Nike shirts have a higher collar than a regular t-shirt, so that seems odd as well.

 

[alliswell]

Originally Posted by poppapo

I... similar to what I wear (except in black - I wear white ones)

Originally Posted by converge

This is just a bad idea. How can you even wear these under button-down shirts without a tie? Won't you see that huge black collar sticking out?

Converge - I'm sure this speaks for itself.

There is something to be said for trying this. I wore my Under Armours a couple of time under Versace knockoffs (hey, everyone here was an AmJack at some point, except for LabelKing) and the shaping effect was flattering. There's no cotton/lycra mix to compare, IMO. However, it is the equivalent of the padded bra, so those of you in the market for getting naked with someone else for the first time might be better staying away.

OP- nice choice of tag

 

[greg_atlanta]

To get a shaping effect from the shirts you'd have to buy them one or two sizes too small..... so small that it's almost impossible to put them on. I think your experience is more perception than reality.

I sometimes wear underarmour compression shirts under normal t-shirts when it's cold, or in the summer when the AC is cranked up at the gym. They're great for 3-4 hours but feel weird to wear all day. It does keep your muscles warm and provide light support, but it won't make a fat man skinny.

I hope the UA or nike logos don't show through your dress shirts.

 

[poppapo]

The ones I buy are plain white, sleeveless, and basically they look like a tight muscle-t. I do buy them a size smaller, and have absolutely no problems getting them on. I first tried one with "short sleeves" but found that I didn't like them nearly as much, because they tended to bind a bit on the arms.

We're not talking "girdle" here. And it's definitely not an excuse for no exercise - in fact I also wear them for jogging. No, they don't stink - they are very "wicking" and they dry fast - hence, they don't smell.

Even if the outward aesthetic effect is small - they do a great job of smoothing out the "handles" - which refuse to go away - under a dress shirt - and like I said, they really do help with posture and my lower back pain.

Hey, what can I say - I was a chubby kid - I work hard not to go back to that. The slimming effect that I get from wearing the shirts makes feel more confident - and what can I say - a little more sexy too! Trust me - it does NOT look like a girdle (or a mirdle..........)