In the world of heavy lifting, what you wear isn’t just a fashion choice – it can make or break your performance. Whether you’re into strongman or powerlifting, the right gear matters. But it’s not all about functionality; it’s also about comfort and confidence. When you feel good in your clothes, you perform better.
In this blog post, we’re going to break down the essentials of women’s apparel for strongman and powerlifting, and cover a few of Coach Kelly & Coach Jess’s go-to brands for fitness wear.
Brand: Old Navy
Size Range: XS-4XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $
Comfort rating 1-10: 8
Style rating 1-10: 8
Notes: Good standby for inexpensive basics
Brand: Athleta
Size Range: XS-3XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $$$
Comfort rating 1-10: 9
Style rating 1-10: 7
Notes: Comfy and well made clothing. Mostly targeted towards runners & yoga, but they have a lot of great all purpose shorts, bras, etc. Lose points for boring colors and their sizing could be more inclusive. I do find that their XL+ sizes are cut on the larger side, so that 3XL is legit a 3XL!
Brand: GRRRL
Size Range: They use their own sizing chart, but it is equivalent to about XS-4XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $
Comfort rating 1-10: 7
Style rating 1-10: 8
Notes: I love their fun prints, but their sizing is a bit inconsistent. Shorts mostly have pockets, and when I get ones that fit, they stay put and are nice thick SQUAT-PROOF fabric! Their bras aren’t the greatest if you have a larger chest. You can often catch great deals on their sales!
Brand: Superfit Hero
Size Range: L-7XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $$$
Comfort rating 1-10: 9
Style rating 1-10: 7
Notes: Love Superfit Hero for plus sizes! They are a bit spendy, but they hold up great and it is a small business. I really love their bras. They’re comfy enough to wear all day, but still give enough support for moving around.
Brand: DSG from Dick’s
Size Range: 2XS-2XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $
Comfort rating 1-10: 9
Style rating 1-10: 9
Notes: Good variety, with lots of styles and fabric choices. Great cotton spandex leggings to prevent sliding/slipping for loading events.
Brand: Calia
Size Range: 2XS-3XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $$$
Comfort rating 1-10: 9
Style rating 1-10: 8
Notes: Expensive but well made and can withstand gritty strongman training. Bonus points for high waist that holds you in without restricting movement!
Brand: Aviva from Walmart
Size Range: XS-3XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $
Comfort rating 1-10: 7
Style rating 1-10: 8
Notes: My go to for athletic no show socks and bras. Lots of color ways and at that low price point, I never mind if they get jacked up from strongman training!
Brand: CVG
Size Range: XS-2XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $
Comfort rating 1-10: 8
Style rating 1-10: 9
Notes: They have great prints and leggings with pockets! We love pockets 🙂 Their more slippery fabric makes them good for deadlifts!
Brand: Redbubble
Size Range: 2XS-XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $$
Comfort rating 1-10: 6
Style rating 1-10: 9
Notes: If you want to dress according to the theme of an event, check them out. They make every print imaginable!
Brand: Joy Lab from Target
Size Range: 2XS-XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $$
Comfort rating 1-10: 9
Style rating 1-10: 8
Notes: Trendy two piece outfits that are well made. Loses points for sizing that is a little all over the place, and is capped at XL.
Brand: All in Motion from Target
Size Range: XS-2XL
Price rating on a $-$$$ scale: $
Comfort rating 1-10: 8
Style rating 1-10: 7
Notes: Great plus size friendly basics!
To wrap up, here’s a few quick tips from Coach Kelly on picking clothes for different events, especially for strongman training! If you need your clothing to have grip, so that implements won’t slide off of you, cotton blends are best. For some events, slippery fabrics will work better, especially for deadlifts. For stone loading, consider a shirt with a large screen print on the front – this will help keep the stone on your chest when you get it there! High socks are great for shin protection. Kelly likes Moxy Socks; Jess likes Crazy Compression socks. If you deadlift without shoes on, check out barre socks – they have little grips on the bottom so you get the feel of barefoot lifting without the risk of sliding around in socks.
Overall, your clothes to lift don’t have to be insanely expensive. Wear stuff that makes you feel good, comfortable, and confident!