to expect keep fit clothes to come in BIG sizes?

[punter]

I am looking at you Sweaty Betty - your XL translates according to your website as a size 16 which is the average UK women's size. As you have a sale on I ordered 3 different styles, they arrived this morning and looked like they had shrunk in the wash when I tried stuff on.
Surely people who want to get fit should be able to get clothes that are comfortable and fit for purpose (that came out as a pun sorry.
Suppose I shall have to try dreaded M&S ....

And if you run races (and Park Runs), you will see that not every runner is under a 14.

I run plenty of races bitoutofpractice, not just park runs. I know what runners look like, thanks.

Plenty of brands have been suggested. Its hardly an insurmountable barrier. The problem is not trying on items and ordering online surely?

I would think its financially unworkable for every brand to target every sector of the market, and I think you and some other posters are possibly confusing running clothing with general sportswear and trendy gym gear.

Incidentally, I tried on the 2XU in a shop and didn't think they were much different from other tight fitting running gear I already have, but I might go along to my local running shop and try it on again if its that good!

I've chosen an image from the first line of the Karrimor site. Even though there are no actual people in the vests you can see the difference between the ens and the womens. The womens is skin tight. Them mens has been illustrated with creases and ripples in the fabric where it is close fitting but not skin tight

I don't see women in skin tight stuff either. I run with the local running club, sometimes go to the gym's circuit sessions and am often running round the park. Men and women wear form fitting stuff. I'm clearly not going to the right places.

I can see why women's stuff needs to be slightly tighter actually, simply due to body shape and keeping stuff in place. Men tend not to have boobs and hips and so their tops don't ride up so easily. Women probably do need things slightly tighter but as I say, round here people tend to wear proper, fitted workout stuff and there's little difference between men and women's running stuff in particular.

No, the problem is that branded sportswear is made very small. And not available at all to women sized 14 and up, which is the majority of the UK population. I don't want to wear crappy, unappealing big girl running tights but I have to, or work out naked. Or in fleece sweat pants.

bitoutofpractice that's because you have chosen a women's race singlet and compared it with a men's training tank top. If you had chosen a men's race singlet, you will find that tend to be tight (individual preferences aside). That men's top is not something even your local level top 10 in a 10k would tend to be wearing. Its a weird looking thing.

Have you seriously never seen athletes on tv or gone down to your local track or 10k?

We don't live under the bloody Taliban fgs, women are perfectly capable of wearing tight, form fitting clothing if they want to.

And Davina McCall as a sports role model? I'd rather look up to an actual athlete not someone selling a fitness DVD. eg Jessica Ennis. But each to their own.

British athletics team men's distance running kit looks pretty tight to me:

www.bbc.com/sport/0/athletics/25220542

I'm a size 18 - 20.
I power walk and do karate 3 times a week.
I get my stuff from Sainsbury's and it is great but mu issue is the lack of short length trousers! I have very short legs, even the 'short' length are a weenie bit too long but I find it so hard to get the size I need in the length I need.
My biggest issue is my karate gi. Try getting one that fits! They are all sized in height....... there seem to be no specific women's fit ones. I have to wear my gi jacket with generic black trousers, my sensei is fine with this as I can't actually get the second biggest size over my thighs! Obviously I am trying to get htinner and fitter and will one day do a karate class wearing a full gi.

At my last grading I pulled on my new trousers and discovered I had bought extra long by mistake..... 5 minutes before going out of the door I had to hack 6 inches off the bottom... luckily they didn't fray!

I didn't know fat lad at the back did womens stuff. Thanks for the link pp. The same with Sports Direct (although I'm not that happy about giving my money to Mike Ashley, but that's another issue ). I have spied some cycling leggings on there for £15 in my size which I am tempted by, as the only other ones I can find which will fit me are £££.

I find with cycling clothes there are a lot of italian brands which are cut extremely small. I am a size 18 and managed to fit in some Sportful bib shorts and a Spiuk jersey but it's not a pretty sight!

TheChandler I know women can wear skin tight stuff. Obvs. I'm saying not everyone want to.

Erm and yes, I run with a local club and race regularly and mens and womens clothing is definitely different.

And as for "Have you seriously never seen athletes on tv"? Erm yes. I give you the winners of the 5k at London 2012

I like sports direct, for running gear the sizes do look tiny but I find they are generally true to size. I buy a size up in sports tops, not because the correct size does not fit but because the correct size shows by body for what it is rather lumpy still. Most of the women at my running club are below a size 12 but many still wear leggings and t shirts. The men generally wear form fitting.

To give credit where credit's due, I think Davina is a great fitness role model. She has three children and has worked bloody hard. She is very fit, promotes a healthy lifestyle and has kept in shape for 10 years. She isn't a ridiculous dieter who produced a DVD and then went back to old habits. Her DVDs are actually her trainers' DVDs and she is the face of them. She's a really realistic role model for women, particularly mothers. She is passionate about health and fitness and isn't just selling a DVD.

Incidentally, I have some of her fitness range (was sold in Next) and I like it.

Lidl and Aldi often do fitness stuff too. I have some cycling bib tights from there but no other bottoms. I do have several jerseys and running tops though (as does DH) and they're very realistically sized.

DH has some of the marginally looser training tops you pictured. I can't wear them, not least because we're not the same size, but post DS when I WAS the same size, I couldn't do burpees or plank jacks or mountain climbers or similar in them because they would ride up ridiculously and I may as well not have bothered. Women's clothing does have a different fit through necessity but decent sports brands make form fitting clothes for both sexes without pandering to fashion. It's annoying that you have to look for it and that the bigger fashion brands are not catering to different sizes but that's business.

Here goes...

Fat = does exercise properly, eventually needs small size clothes
Slim/skinny/stick insect = does exercise properly, needs small size clothes

Get it? In the end people commited to a healthy lifestyle, spending money on workout gear are, drum roll please... SLIM

I don't know what point you're trying to prove bitoutofpractice, maybe you need to go down to your local track or something, but you seem to be trying to make women very size conscious about wearing form fitting clothing. If that's not your aim then its what I'm reading from you. You also seem to be suggesting that men don't wear form fitting sports clothing and therefore women should too, which is just bizarre.

Anyway, I don't have time to learn how to post images of all the very many male athletes who don't look precisely like Mo Farah. Because I'm going out for a run!

And surely the problem is that the OP didn't try on a new brand before ordering it in multiple online?

Ha Sophieelmer I hope you have a good tin hat!

My xH is very very slim. Skinny even. Never been to a gym in his life. My best friend (female), who happens to be nearly 6ft, runs a 5km in 20 mins and exercises "properly" is a size 14. Go figure!

www.adidas.co.uk/running-clothing

Some good stuff on the Adidas sight, plus sale stuff. Goes up to a size 22 (2XL).

*site

FFS. I'm going to do some weight training...

TheChandler absolutely not! That is not my intention at all! Sorry if that's what's come across. Think we are talking at cross purposes!

What I am trying to say is that, on the high street, womens sports wear is skin tight. Mens is not. Not all women want to wear skin tight clothes and should have the choice not to have to. Perhaps they'd like a looser fitting, but still sports grade, vest top or t-shirt. This thread has demonstrated over and over again that women do not have that choice. It's all skin tight. Like it or lump it. And that's if you can even find anything in your size.

That's my last reply too. Off to the gym (in a skin tight top!) Sadly confined to the treadmill at the moment because of my dodgy knee. Enjoy your run

And I have no idea why you're on this thread Chandler, apart from to brag and sneer. I never said Davina McCall was my sports inspiration, I said I wanted the gear she wears in her dvds, for my gym classes. I'm not a runner, I don't need running gear.

Despite the oodles of women here talking about how hard they find it to buy sports clothes fit for purpose, you are ignoring this and saying OP should have ordered multiple sizes. That wouldn't have helped her though would it? Sweaty Betty go up to a size 12.

bitoutofpractice My best friend (female), who happens to be nearly 6ft, runs a 5km in 20 mins and exercises "properly" is a size 14. Go figure!

Um well not wanting to come across as hyper-critical, but 20 mins for 5k is not that fast, its good club level stuff but nothing overly special, and any proper athletics coach might suggest, depending on her build etc that she could get down to sub-19 minutes if she lost some weight. Go figure that.

Honestly though I find you so full of hang ups and so ready to put them onto other people that I actually don't want to read what you write any more. Its so depressing and if I listened to it too much, I'd probably become really self-conscious and self-limiting. I'd rather surround myself with positive people who don't try to pedal this average sized woman thing and who just get on with enjoying their sport, which for me means running a damned site faster than that! (or at least when I was a bit younger).

Don't worry bitoutofpractice I polished it especially before posting!
I would say being a size smaller than average clothes size and way above average height would make your friend slim in most people's eyes (although I bet she's never called a stick insect by fat people)
It sounds likely also that your XH doesnt over consume more calories than he uses.

Crikey TheCHandler are you absolutely determined to pick apart everything I say? Are you determined to misconstrue everything I say? I'd say you have been the negative person here not me! I think you could do with that run you are supposed to be going on to clear the cobwebs away

And I didn't say my friend was "anything special". I posted that as an indication that she's no couch potato. Bloody hell you've really annoyed me now and I was in a good mood before! And I see it's not only me who you've grated on. Get out for that run!

We all want to get on with enjoying our sport, that's kind of the point of the thread. Nothing anybody can say will convince you that size 14s or non high performing athletes have any right to wear attractive and functional fitness gear.

Just to explain why I like to buy proper cycling tops despite hating the tightness - the pockets are huge so accommodate my pump, inhaler, phone and banana easily! No other tops have these pockets :-(