Even the most fashion conscious can overlook important details or have misses altogether…. Even the most fashion conscious can overlook important details or have misses altogether. Sometimes it’s just too hard to look good all the time and dress to impress.

But while it’s great to be casual every once in a while, some people take this too far.

A prime example is when dressing for the gym. A lot of students make it there, whether it’s to lift, do aerobics or play a riveting round of racquetball. The gym in the Petersen Center is always full of students clamoring to tighten their bods and bulge their biceps.

Going to the gym has become a very social affair: It’s hard to hit up the Pete and not see someone you know, and it’s just as hard to avoid having conversations that distract from your workout.

When dressing for a workout, many students choose function over fashion. This is usually a good maxim, but there are plenty of exciting opportunities to impress your friends when you hit the gym. Who wouldn’t want to look hot when chatting with friends and scoping out the cute kids you have class with?

Often, students wear clothes to the gym that are just too boring. Even though gray hoodies and sweatpants are comfortable, they don’t combine to create a striking image as you’re fiercely dashing on a treadmill or giving everyone a gun show.

A good substitute would be a nice pair of tear-away pants and a neat-looking gym shirt. This will also help show off your body, which is the reason that you’re at the gym in the first place.

One mustn’t go too crazy, however, when showing off years of protein shakes and iron thrusting. Every gym has a few guys who think its OK to wear UnderArmour, or some other tight spandex whim, as a shirt. While this might show off a sculpted chest, there are those who won’t care to see pectorals as large as grapefruits.

Girls are often guilty of showing off bikini-type bodies as well. For example, short shorts are just sometimes a little too short, and can attract some unwanted attention. Even if this type of guy and this type of girl look really great, they should have mercy on their less-statuesque fellow gym goers who might be intimidated by such greatness.

Dullness is another problem that can afflict gym goers. A lot of guys opt to wear T-shirts that they got for free, even if they are cheap, oversized or advertise an event that already occurred.

For both sexes, I would suggest browsing a second-hand clothing store to find vintage and even humorous tees. A vintage baseball shirt makes a great replacement for something dull – plus, it’s inexpensive enough to sweat in.

But if you’re looking to spend some money, there’s plenty of cool gym clothing and accessories out there that can make it exciting to hit the gym.

The coolest place to go for trendy gym clothes is American Apparel, which sells clothing exclusively made in its own factory in downtown Los Angeles. American Apparel tends to have very basic clothing with a retro touch, making for very stylish gym clothes in modern cuts.

A nice addition to any gym wardrobe can be a stylish track jacket from somewhere popular and sporty like the Puma Store at the South Side Works. Something like this can be worn everywhere, but would look especially at home in the gym.

Finally, going to the gym provides a good excuse to buy a pair of those shoes with a sole that manages to incorporate some complicated hydraulic architecture. Shoes like the Nike Shox will have you bouncing all around while working out.

Looking for a stylish gym buddy? E-mail Derek at [email protected].