Clothes

Corwin · #1 December 17th, 2003, 06:23 AM

Don't know if this is the right place to post this, but...

Recently, I've begun to put on some muscle mass. Thanks to some really great guys here, I've put on about 10 pounds. Now, I've noticed that some of my clothes are getting rather tight, particularly in the upper arm and chest. (People at work have even commented that I look more muscular).

I've never been a big guy, but it seems like I may need to begin allocating part of my budget to buying new clothes. My question is, when? When are clothes too small? I don't mind tight, but I think ripping out of a shirt at work (regardless of how erotic the thought may be) is not socially acceptable.

Hmmmm.... maybe the issue is that moving up a size will mean I'll be in baggy clothes again, while the current size makes me look bigger. Oh well, thoughts? advice? coffee? (ya, coffee!

)

Thoughts?

polomuscle · #2 December 17th, 2003, 07:45 AM

go to www.polo.com i think you'll find some nice stuff for your new body

Corwin · #3 December 17th, 2003, 07:53 AM

heh -- it is the designer clothes that I am having the most trouble with

Eager Muscle · #4 December 17th, 2003, 10:01 AM

..........

RyBearATL · #5 December 17th, 2003, 10:59 AM

Aalways, how about an updated picture?

<g>

-r

Corwin · #6 December 17th, 2003, 11:09 AM

Me, or the Eager Muscle stud

I need to take some pics -- probably after the holidays...

hecad84 · #7 December 17th, 2003, 12:03 PM

Congrats to you Corwin! Ah yes, the "problems" guys here must face

Now that's a problem that I'm looking forward to having!!

Norseman · #8 December 17th, 2003, 01:23 PM

Corwin-

It's a real good question ... Im having a similar but opposite dilemna.

As I have been losing fat and gaining muscle, I am noticing two things

1) The waists on all my pants are loose. When should I buy new pants ... what will my eventual waist size be? I seem to be moving one belt notch every 2-3 months, but obviously this will stop eventually. Question is when.

2) Shirts. Chest, neck and shoulders are tighter ... and its baggier around the waist and torso. Maybe other tall guys can tell me what to do, but when I am shopping for shirts now they either (A) tuck in nice around the waist and are too tight up top with too short sleeves or (B) fit up top and have long enough sleeves and are all billowed out when i tuck them in.

As for when a shirt is too tight ... It's a bit easier with buttondowns cause I think anything is acceptable until there is some bowing in between buttons. If the shirt pulls outward between buttons, you probably need new ones. And this is with movement as well.

Polos and such are more difficult to judge I think ... What polodude and many others would find hot in a tight polo or golf shirt ... would probably be innapropriate at work. I would say that they shouldn't be follow the curve at the bottom of your pecs, but rather hang or fall down.

Anyone agree? disagree?

Corwin · #9 December 17th, 2003, 01:41 PM

I've always been skinny. Right now I have a 29 inch waist at about 7% body fat. The advantage is that any muscle I have LOOKS bigger than it is. I will never get 20 inch arms -- my bones and joints just aren't that big. But if I get 18 inch arms, they will have the illusion of being bigger.

I bought a shirt this summer that fit nicely. I'm wearing it today and it is tight (almost uncomfortably so) around the chest and arms. I'd say that it shrank except that it is non-shrink (and I am growing). Even though it is tight in the chest, the shirt is very lose around my waist.

I suspect the ultimate solution will be tailored clothing, but only after I reach my growth goal. Not there yet and I WILL BE BIGGER

Scott

RadRx · #10 December 17th, 2003, 02:17 PM

One of the tricks used by models/photographers is to tuck excess waist material around and in the back of the pants.

Speaking from recent personal experience, it does a nice job of 'trimming' down the waist while simultaneously filling in extra waistband space.

I wouldn't go so far as to wear clips/pins like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, however.

Norseman · #11 December 17th, 2003, 03:17 PM

Yeah, I agree that tucking it in behind, or a fold works well ... i just dont think it ends up looking as good as something that actually might fit. if you got a trim waistline, damn, man, i want to show it off.

arpeejay · #12 December 17th, 2003, 04:13 PM

The problems people have!

It's been an issue for me in both directions. I've gained a lot and lost a lot over the years. When to buy more is really a question of budget as much as anything else.

Personally, I like clothes (polo shirts are a great example) that tend to expand and contract with you. Anything significantly more tailored probably isn't going to work well with me, just given my annual fluctuations in weight.

So if it's feeling tight, go buy something new! But don't throw the old stuff away and consider buying things that are form fitting but flexibile.

xoxo

richard

#13 December 17th, 2003, 06:40 PM

I remember going from medium to large and being ecstatic about it. However, a greater thrill was visiting Denver and seeing a big bodybuilding friend of my tending bar there. I wanted a
t-shirt from the bar and he brought back one for me. It was an extra large. I looked at him and said "no way" and made him bring me back a large one instead.

The next day I tried on the shirt and it was too small. Sheepishly and joyously I went back into the bar the next night and requested he exchange it for the XL. He grinned, and said something to the effect that "it happens fast, doesn't it?"

A year or so later I was back in Denver. I'd continued working out and was a little bigger. I wanted to show him my progress. He was working at a disco where hundreds of people a night saw him and talked to him. He was always very busy behind the bar and I couldn't get much time to talk to him so I just wandered around out front and had a drink or two. While waiting for a chance to talk to him a moment I was stopped a several times by patrons who thought I was he and who started talking to me or asked what I was doing on "this" side of the bar.

Being mistaken for a 6th place national bodybuilding winner was the greatest moment of my totally amateur bodybuilding experience. I've never been that big again but just telling about it now reminded me about the rush of pride and accomplishment I'd felt that night. Thanks for the opportunity.

-- LeatherGryphon --

Jim USA · #14 December 22nd, 2003, 02:48 PM

Been there. I think there is a time to show your new bigger self and a time not to. For work, I bought bigger shirts but for the weekends, got those black t-shirts with cotton / lycra to show off the bigger me ... and, of course, to hear the comments. "My god Jim, when did you get muscles?" I loved it!!