To run shirtless, or not

To me, it's a no-brainer that you shouldn't run shirtless around town. Some people won't like it, and most men won't look good anyway without a shirt. That's two good reasons to keep your shirt on. I'm not saying there should be a law against it, I'm just saying it's not a good idea. People who go shirtless around town are displaying poor judgment as well as skin.

However, the track is a different story. The track is for working out. I go shirtless at the track whenever it's hot. If some people don't like it, tough. The track is my domain as a runner. People who are offended by skin shouldn't go to the track.

My two cents.

80+ posts on this? The correct answer: do whatever you want. No one gives a $hit! OMG - I've got to get off these boards.

Decades ago. Yawn. Damn you Yanks are repressed. C'mon up north. But take your bug repellant with you.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/women-s-topless-court-victory-20-years-later-1.1026403

I’m 43. Sometimes I’m fit and sometimes I’m not fit.

I take my shirt off to run no matter how I look if it’s over 70’ish.

Some of y’all are a joke.

if you aren't basically naked why are you even bothering to run, especially in the summer

Don't think it's about looking good. But you're prolly gross.

This is the worst response here. So you're argument is that the track is for working out, and thats your domain. And you don't care - tough, as you say. So that's different than someone who works out around town......... which would be their domain.... and if they say tough..?

Go home.

Blame Canada wrote:

This is the worst response here. So you're argument is that the track is for working out, and thats your domain. And you don't care - tough, as you say. So that's different than someone who works out around town......... which would be their domain.... and if they say tough..?

Go home.

The town is for all sorts of people who are engaged in all sorts of activities. Some of these people may not want to look at shirtless people, and in my opinion they shouldn't have to. It's a matter of simple politeness. Not hard to understand. Yes, you can run around town shirtless without breaking any laws, but in my opinion it's heedless and a little rude.

The town is not the same thing as a track, which is for one activity: running. Runners get hot. Sometimes they take off their shirts. I think society understands and accepts shirtless runners at a track. Of course, if the runners are out of shape and look unappealing, I'd argue it's a faux pas for people like that to run shirtless even at the track, and if I were them I wouldn't do it. But at least it's more socially acceptable.

Clearly you are looking for a quarrel and refusing to accept the reasonableness of what I am saying.

Canada Gurl wrote:

Wear a singlet. Very few men actually look good running shirt-less, and those who do just look like they’re showing off. If women can wear 2 layers in stifling heat (singlet and sports bra) then you can handle a singlet.

If it's above 15C I'm running in a sports bra only. Hurting your performance and causing yourself discomfort because you are self conscious is dumb regardless of your gender.

Despite what people assume, no one really cares what you are doing or what your body looks like when you're exercising. They've got their own stuff to think about for the most part.

Where I live running shirtless is a matter of safety. If it feels like over 105F and 70-100% humidity you run with as little clothes as possible to avoid overheating. Especially if you're in the sun and out there for any longer than 30 mins it can be dangerous wearing cotton or any sort of unnecessary covering. It's pretty much shirtless here from Late May to Early October.

Canada Gurl wrote:

Wear a singlet. Very few men actually look good running shirt-less, and those who do just look like they’re showing off. If women can wear 2 layers in stifling heat (singlet and sports bra) then you can handle a singlet.

How men look shirtless to you is irrelevant. Women can strip down if they want and plus they get to run in a g string practically.

LOL, no normal person is thinking that much about you when you run by shirtless. I guess maybe 60 years ago that would have been the talk of the town? Are split shorts inappropriate to you as well? The older folks do hate them short shorts in my experience.

I can imagine you now - "My goodness, did you see that fit man run by without his shirt earlier this evening? I could hardy stomach my dinner after such lunacy. What if the children saw!"

sub sub elite local hobby jogger wrote:

Just get some singlets. Even those get soaked in sweat, but at least it keeps you decent.

LAAAMEEEEEE.

It does not keep you decent, it prevents you from keeping cool

Swim Bike Run wrote:

Run however you're comfortable.

For me, that is shirtless 99.9% of the time. I hate the feeling of something hanging off me so it's either a tighter fitting shirt or shirtless. I feel like more of a dumbA wearing my trisuit singlet coming off a brick workout than I do running shirtless.

Who gives a flying F what others think? If they are judging you, that is their problem, not yours. We don't wear shirts at the pool, the beach, the lake, etc so why does it matter on a run? If someone gets offended by the sight of a male chest or a female with a sports bra, they can jump right back to the 1910's for all I care.

This guy gets it. Free the nips!

Brittle Master, I think you must have died in the 1700s and now your ghost is haunting these boards.

A shirtless male is absolutely not taboo and it never has been. It's not nudity. It's not a cause for offense.

a shirtless dude running down the street is NOT being rude and if anyone has a problem with it that's their fault.

I live in Phoenix. I used to wear a shirt in the summer, but it would always come off 5 or 10 minutes in. I don't even pretend anymore in the summer. No point.

I do get way more cat calls shirtless though. Which is always unexpected as a middle age dude. Weird thing is it's almost always teenage boys.

runnER/DR wrote:

Weird thing is it's almost always teenage boys.

Like the ones that pollute this running board?

shirtless no regrets wrote:

I run shirtless on pretty much any run above 45F. Or I'll start in a shirt and as I warm up I take it off. Run mainly on a seawall path and in trails in a large park in a city area. Doesn't feel right running with a shirt on, it's like I need to feel the air on my body to get my running to feel in sync.

I run shirtless when it gets above around 110F.

104F here in Spain I run shirtless with half tights. Even 6am its 71F and shirtless makes the air cooler. Wet skin is cooler when air touches it thats the whole point of sweating . In UK i go shirtless because i want the vitamin D and you gotta get as muchas you can. i will put a shirt on through the city but not on trail or park

runnER/DR wrote:

I live in Phoenix. I used to wear a shirt in the summer, but it would always come off 5 or 10 minutes in. I don't even pretend anymore in the summer. No point.

I do get way more cat calls shirtless though. Which is always unexpected as a middle age dude. Weird thing is it's almost always teenage boys.

They've got PTPS....Post Traumatic Pedophile Syndrome