Leg Shaving - Male Runners?

I think this gets discussed every summer.

I've done it for several years, but it only kind of relates to running. I simply don't want to give ticks - specifically deer ticks - anything to latch on to. Between yard work and trail running I know I'm going to be around them.

I've always wondered if they shaved before or after they put their panties on.

But where do you stop? Do you have a hairy man chest and shave that also? I think shaved legs are going to look silly like if you have any hair at all, hairy butt crack needs to go, shaved lower back. Maintenance must be ridiculous.

Some of us bike too.

In principle the reason is road rash is much easier to deal with w/o hair. Also putting sunblock on is easier though this is less of an issue with sprays available now.

I stop about 2/3 up my thigh. Might be noticeable if I was wearing short split shorts, which I don't wear. Plus Im not really hairy anyway, no torso hair to speak of, so no big deal thankfully. The hairy ape look is not a good one, especially for the average spindly runner.

If I had back hair, I'd do whatever it took to get rid of it.

I heard some people shave their legs because it makes massages less painful.

hobbyjoggers do it because it helps them get their compression socks on

people just like to make excuses.

really they just think its cool

i keep it old school, number 2 or 3 body trim every now and then

This comes up every summer. I've been doing this for longer than some posters here have been running. Here's the deal.

Fur is hot. Hair is just a thin layer of fur. Shaved legs are noticeably cooler. For everyone who scoffs at this, put aside your fragile self-esteem issues and try it. The first time I do it every summer, I'm shocked at how much cooler it feels. In summer, the heart rate goes up fractionally because it is working harder to keep you cool. Theoretically, if you could keep your body temperature cooler, you could run fractionally faster.

In fact, in winter, it's darn cold, so I don't shave my legs in winter.

As others pointed out, if you cycle it cuts down problems with road rash. If you swim, it cuts down water resistance.

Athletic women seem to like the look.

It's really not too time consuming. If you just use the sideburn trimmer edge on an electric razor, you could probably do it in 3-4 minutes.

I've been meaning to shave again. I'm not a hairy beast so shaving my legs then trimming the rest is easy. Shave the legs, trim the goods, tummy, and chest. The problem with a full shave of the tummy and chest is all the peach fuzz you can't shave unless you shave your entire body. And that's just weird. So a nice trim is all the takes to balance with shaved legs.

And don't tell anyone, but jeans feel AMAZING with shaved legs. And we wonder why girls like to wear tight jeans. Its not because they look good. Its because they feel AMAZING!