Leggings aren’t just for young women who want to look cute while working out. In the past few months, NYC men have ditched track pants for compression leggings, dubbed “meggings,” to stay warm and look cool while exercising outside.
We caught up with seven men in Central Park about the skintight look.
Brett Cione, 41, Upper West Side
The Columbia administrator paid less than $20 for his Layer 8 leggings. “I was going outside to run in the winter and I needed them fast. I went for affordability instead of a fancy name,” he says. “They’ve worked perfectly, kept my legs warm and are comfortable.”
Jobin Abraham, 31, Upper West Side
As someone who works in health care, Abraham makes fitness a priority. He loves to wear his $35 Nike leggings, both when running in the park and in his CrossFit classes. “I like to work out in them,” says Abraham. He wears shorts over his tights for “aesthetic” reasons.
Sato Go, 29, Upper East Side
Go, a finance coordinator, digs his $15 Uniqlo leggings for their affordability and function. In fact, he has six pairs of them in rotation, and they’ve been useful, since he’s training five times a week for a half marathon in March.
“I like to wear shorts over my leggings, because it looks awkward if I’m just wearing tights,” Go says.
Kasper Knokgaard, 38, Midtown
This banker and avid runner’s $200 Gore leggings are like a second skin. “You’ll hardly ever see any fast runners wear anything but tights if it’s too cold outside to wear shorts,” he says. As for shorts over his tights, that’s a no. “Shorts looks stupid, and runners who wear them over their tights are seen as slow runners,” he says.
Otis Blum, 24, Union Square
Blum, a comedian, wears $40 neon-green Nike leggings while he trains — some three days a week — for a Norwegian marathon coming up in June.
“I thought, if I was going to wear a pair of tights, I might as well pick a ridiculous color,” he says. “I think they’re fun.”
Brian Crofts, 38, Upper East Side
Right now, this software exec runs in shorts over his $80 Nike leggings. His goal, he says: To shed the shorts.
“I’m not in my best shape,” he says. “I have a muffin top right now. That’s why I’m trying to run it off.”
Zach Crane, 22, Nashville
Even in the cold, this running trainer would rather wear his $50 Nike shorts than sport leggings. “They give me freedom to move,” Crane says. “Unless it was below 20 degrees, I’ll always wear shorts.”
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