Hey gents. For today’s article, I've brought in my friend and colleague Zach since he’s physically a bit more qualified than I am to talk about the topic at hand.

I know a great many of you have builds more like Zach’s so I wanted to give you all a few recommendations for a unsung hero of the men’s wardrobe:

T-shirts.

Keep reading for some of his favorite brands. Even if you don’t have Heisman Trophy shoulders like Zach does, check these brands out. They also make sizes for slimmer guys, like me!

Ready gents? Let’s get into it.

Slim Fit Vs. Muscle Fit

First, let’s cover some terms.

The main differennce between the two is how much taper is in the waist in proportion to the chest, shoulders and arms. Unsurprisingly, muscular men like Zach tend to prefer shirts with slimmer waists that still have enough room in the arms for the gun show.

Perhaps a bit counterintuitively, a slim fit tee has less taper around the waist. Tees with a muscular fit, by contrast, have slimmer waists.

For this reason, muscular fit tees aren’t necessarily the best option for powerlifters or strongmen since washboard abs don’t tend to be the priority in those disciplines.

They’re a great choice, however, for guys who have larger chests and arms in proportion to their midsections. Finding tees (and dress shirts, for that matter), that fit this body type is often difficult, which is why I’m so grateful to Zach for offering his perspective.

Now, let’s get into the brands.

True Classic Tees

Wer’e starting off with the most budget-friendly brand, True Classic Tees. At their price point of $15/shirt, they’re a great deal cos their quality is way beyond Jockey or Hanes.

They also have a wide range of other products, including long sleeve tees, sweaters and hoodies in a variety of colors. Obviously I don’t have to remind you, my readers, that such things as color choice do matter. Even at the gym.

Most of their tees are a very comfortable blend of ringspun cotton and polyester jersey: pretty standard for athletic wear. Because it’s 60% cotton, it doesn’t count as a technical fabric by industry standards, and this may be why it’s markedly cheaper than the next two brands, but it’s a really good-quality t-shirt just the same. Comfortable, moisture-wicking, perhaps slightly less durable than the next two brands.

But again, the price can’t be beat. $15 per shirt, less than $100 for a six-pack. Plus, I’ve got a discount code for you: enter Muscular15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase.

If you’re really muscular, there might be a bit more room around your waist than is ideal, but the shoulders and arms fit bigger guys really well. One quick fix for this is if you put them in the dryer at a slightly higher temperature. As with most garments that include cotton, this will shrink the garment a bit. Washing them in hot water will do the same, although I can’t advise doing this often since the heat will cook any stains, including oily sweat, into the fabric. Not a good look.

I highly recommend True Classic Tees if you’re on a budget or looking to buy some workout gear in bulk. Definitely worth checking out.

HYlete

Next on the list is Hylete, whose t-shirts are rather in-between a slim fit and a muscle fit. If you aren’t particularly large in the chest and arms, you’ll want to pick a size down since the larger sizes will hang on you a bit.

The best thing about these t-shirts is their fabric: a very interesting rayon-cotton-poly blend. Really comfortable, soft and durable, which we all want for our workout apparel.

They usually retail at $30 each. Price point seems a bit high but I’ve found this is often the case with garments made from any kind of performance fabric, which is all the rage now for pretty obvious reasons. For my money, it’s a good investment, especially when it comes to athletic wear. These aren’t t-shirts that we’re going to slice up and repurpose as kitchen rags after just a few months, gentlemen.

Hylete, and many other brands using technical fabrics nowadays, are built to last.

And last they will.

Barbell Apparel

The guys at Barbell Apparel have been making muscle fit clothing for a long time and they really know what they’re doing. Their t-shirts are made of an excellent performance fabric, more specifically, a poly/spandex blend that’s very durable and has a good stretch.

Yes, they’re expensive at $48 each. I can soften that blow with a coupon code: enter Muscular10 at checkout for 10% off your order.

They have a great fit through the waist, shoulders, and even arms. Be warned that this shirt won’t fit you well if you’ve got a belly. It’s quite slim through the waist.

These t-shirts will keep you cool, and they always look great cos they don’t wrinkle at all. This is largely because of the performance fabric but with Mizzen & Main, Rhone and several other brands making dress clothes out of performance fabric, it’s pretty obvious that it’s becoming an acceptable choice even outside of the gym.

Unlike the other two choices, Barbell Apparel’s tees can even be dressed up a bit. Pair the rifle green v-neck in the picture with jeans and some brown shoes, maybe throw on a blazer, and you’re perfectly dressed for a casual night out.

Which You SHould Buy And Why?

If you’re on a budget or want to buy t-shirts in bulk, opt for True Classic Tees. Soft cotton, good quality, they get the job done. And don’t forget the discount code I mentioned above: Muscular15 for 15% off at checkout. Not a bad deal.

If you’re ok spending a bit more, or want to invest in a more complete set of workout clothes, try for Hylete. At $30 each, these t-shirts will stretch your wallet a bit further but their fit is fantastic, as you’ll see from all the verified reviews at the bottom of their website. They also offer options with some graphics as well as their plain tees.

If you REALLY want the best and you’re less worried about price, Barbell Apparel might be a good investment for you. A lot of guys understandably aren’t willing to spend $48 (around $43 with the Muscular10 discount code) on a single t-shirt, but they really are top-shelf t-shirts. Awesome fabric, really comfortable, built to last. And they look really good.

Conclusion

So there you have it, gents. All of Zach’s favorite muscle tees.

If you’re as swole as he is, or aspiring to be, check out his blog here and his YouTube channel here. He’s also doing a fantastic giveaway (free t-shirts!) that you can enter here. Just remember that you need to subscribe to his YouTube channel in order to be eligible!

What do you think, guys? Do any of you have favorite brands of muscle tees or other workout garb that Zach missed? What’s your go-to brand for athletic apparel? Let me know down in the comments or DM me on Twitter or Instagram.

Want a run-down of MY favorite undershirts? Check out my recent video on them here.

Until next time gents, this is The Kavalier.