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The Muscular Man’s Guide to Style

You've worked hard for your muscular frame, here's how to show it off outside the gym.

by Melissa Mohabir
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The Muscular Man’s Guide to Style

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1 of 6

The Muscular Man's Guide to Style

The Style Guide

You’ve worked your ass off for your shredded physique but finding the right clothes to show it off can be a difficult undertaking. We understand the struggle. That’s why we’ve put together this guide of what to wear (and what to steer clear of) to keep your body looking in tip-top shape outside of the gym. SEE ALSO: The Best Haircuts for Guys With Thinning Hair

2 of 6

The Muscular Man's Guide to Style

Stay away from anything “skinny”

The skinny trend is hot right now and if you want to look cool, you’ve got to keep up with the times, right? Wrong. While this trend might work for your lanky bros, it’ll just end up making you look like a stuffed sausage.When it comes to jeans, skip the skinnies. In all honesty, a regular fit will end up looking like a slim fit on you anyway because of the size of your legs. If you try to stuff yourself into a pair of skinnies, you’ll just wind up constricting your lower half. We know it’s hard to find stylish jeans that fit your massive tree trunks, but that doesn’t mean you need to resort to baggy jeans, or even worse, bootcut jeans. Stick with a classic tapered or straight-leg jean such as the Levis 501s.In terms of suiting, always go with the standard width tie and lapel. Skinny ties and jackets with narrow lapels will look funny because they aren’t proportionate to your size. Stick with standard widths to keep your body looking balanced.  SEE ALSO: 7 Jeans to Fit Any Athlete

3 of 6

The Muscular Man's Guide to Style

Find a size (and brand) that fits

It doesn’t matter how hard you’ve worked for those muscles if they’re getting covered up by ill-fitting clothes. Different brands have different sizing, so a medium isn’t always going to fit the same. Many muscular men make the mistake of sizing up because they think they need the extra room for their extra bulk. Wrong idea. When in doubt, always size down. And always choose pieces that are stretchy to accommodate the varying sizes in your muscles. A stretchy smaller size will hug your arms and show off your muscles much better than a large over-sized tee.When it comes to dress shirts and suiting, it can be hard to find pieces that accommodate for your massive upper body and quads and slim waist. Finding brands that work for your body is just as important as finding the right size. Hugh & Crye makes the perfect shirt for athletic men. They are cut with more room in the shoulders, chest and arms while maintaining a fitted and tapered look in the waist. J.Crew is one of the only stores that has designed a suit for the muscular build. Their Crosby suit allows for extra room in key areas, such as the arms, chest and legs. 

4 of 6

The Muscular Man's Guide to Style

Find pieces that accentuate your shape

There’s nothing a muscular man wants more than the coveted inverted triangle shape (besides maybe a shredded six-pack?). One key piece every fit guy should have in their closet to accentuate their figure is a bomber jacket. It’s cropped and tapered to highlight your narrow waist and broad shoulders. Avoid the big, bulky shoulder-padded style of the MA-1s and opt for a thin, lightweight style with minimal excess fabric. 

5 of 6

The Muscular Man's Guide to Style

Stick with the basics

Your casual wear should consist of an arsenal of t-shirts, henleys, polos and lightweight knits. As mentioned before, the key here is to choose pieces with stretch. This allows the clothes to hug your body and tastefully show off your muscles without being that douchebag in a muscle tee. Don’t get us wrong, there is a time and place for a muscle tee—namely in the dead of summer when you’re on a beach somewhere. But for your everyday threads, keep it classy with these basics. An added bonus is they’re hella comfortable, so you wont feel cramped or awkward while running your daily errands. SEE ALSO: The Best T-Shirt & Tank Top Workouts

6 of 6

The Muscular Man's Guide to Style

Find a tailor and make them your best friend

While you can try to scavenge the depths of the earth for that perfect-fitting article of clothing, sometimes tailoring might be necessary. Everybody is not created equally. While an “athletic fit” dress shirt with broad shoulders and slim waist might work well for some people, you might have more of a broad waist that doesn’t fit that bill, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A great tailor that understands your body type is something that everyone should have in their back pocket. A good tip when getting something tailored is to go a size up and have it taken in at all the right places.

Back to intro

The Style Guide

You’ve worked your ass off for your shredded physique but finding the right clothes to show it off can be a difficult undertaking. We understand the struggle. That’s why we’ve put together this guide of what to wear (and what to steer clear of) to keep your body looking in tip-top shape outside of the gym. 

SEE ALSO: The Best Haircuts for Guys With Thinning Hair

Stay away from anything "skinny"

The skinny trend is hot right now and if you want to look cool, you’ve got to keep up with the times, right? Wrong. While this trend might work for your lanky bros, it’ll just end up making you look like a stuffed sausage.

When it comes to jeans, skip the skinnies. In all honesty, a regular fit will end up looking like a slim fit on you anyway because of the size of your legs. If you try to stuff yourself into a pair of skinnies, you’ll just wind up constricting your lower half. We know it’s hard to find stylish jeans that fit your massive tree trunks, but that doesn’t mean you need to resort to baggy jeans, or even worse, bootcut jeans. Stick with a classic tapered or straight-leg jean such as the Levis 501s.

In terms of suiting, always go with the standard width tie and lapel. Skinny ties and jackets with narrow lapels will look funny because they aren’t proportionate to your size. Stick with standard widths to keep your body looking balanced.  

SEE ALSO: 7 Jeans to Fit Any Athlete

Find a size (and brand) that fits

It doesn’t matter how hard you’ve worked for those muscles if they’re getting covered up by ill-fitting clothes. Different brands have different sizing, so a medium isn’t always going to fit the same. Many muscular men make the mistake of sizing up because they think they need the extra room for their extra bulk. Wrong idea. When in doubt, always size down. And always choose pieces that are stretchy to accommodate the varying sizes in your muscles. A stretchy smaller size will hug your arms and show off your muscles much better than a large over-sized tee.

When it comes to dress shirts and suiting, it can be hard to find pieces that accommodate for your massive upper body and quads and slim waist. Finding brands that work for your body is just as important as finding the right size. Hugh & Crye makes the perfect shirt for athletic men. They are cut with more room in the shoulders, chest and arms while maintaining a fitted and tapered look in the waist. J.Crew is one of the only stores that has designed a suit for the muscular build. Their Crosby suit allows for extra room in key areas, such as the arms, chest and legs. 

Find pieces that accentuate your shape

There’s nothing a muscular man wants more than the coveted inverted triangle shape (besides maybe a shredded six-pack?). One key piece every fit guy should have in their closet to accentuate their figure is a bomber jacket. It’s cropped and tapered to highlight your narrow waist and broad shoulders. Avoid the big, bulky shoulder-padded style of the MA-1s and opt for a thin, lightweight style with minimal excess fabric. 

Stick with the basics

Your casual wear should consist of an arsenal of t-shirts, henleys, polos and lightweight knits. As mentioned before, the key here is to choose pieces with stretch. This allows the clothes to hug your body and tastefully show off your muscles without being that douchebag in a muscle tee. Don’t get us wrong, there is a time and place for a muscle tee—namely in the dead of summer when you’re on a beach somewhere. But for your everyday threads, keep it classy with these basics. An added bonus is they’re hella comfortable, so you wont feel cramped or awkward while running your daily errands. 

SEE ALSO: The Best T-Shirt & Tank Top Workouts

Find a tailor and make them your best friend

While you can try to scavenge the depths of the earth for that perfect-fitting article of clothing, sometimes tailoring might be necessary. Everybody is not created equally. While an “athletic fit” dress shirt with broad shoulders and slim waist might work well for some people, you might have more of a broad waist that doesn’t fit that bill, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A great tailor that understands your body type is something that everyone should have in their back pocket. A good tip when getting something tailored is to go a size up and have it taken in at all the right places.

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Written by Melissa Mohabir
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