Hey all...

Being my first post on this forum, I'm sure someone will likely accuse me of being a troll and trying to add to the hilarious nature of this thread. I'm not a troll....just another enthusiast looking for any diversion while working ...and I enjoy writing.

A little bit about me. About 9 months ago the doctors wanted to put me on cholesterol & blood-pressure medication. The idea of taking drugs that would alter my liver and heart function scared the (insert profanity here) out of me. I've always been heavy and fighting it all my life, but I found new inspiration to shed the weight. I hate to quote world-reknown fruitcake Richard Simmons, but in a recent interview he claims you have to ask yourself a simple fundamental question: DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

In short, I modified my diet and incorporated exercise into my routine. My favorite exercise: mountain biking. Not on tricky/twisty dangerous single-track trails, but rather on mountain fire-roads that run through the hills....beautful view, no cars, lots of nature, awesome cardio...good stuff. Working the biggest muscles of the body in a low-impact method soon started to work the weight off. I'd ride for 2+ hours and then come home and jump in the pool...I figured lower-body on the bike, upper-body in the pool.

As the weather warmed my cotton t-shirts became mini-sauna's...they get moist and don't breathe. The worst part was the mountain biking shorts...they went down to my knees and had heavy lining, they were bulky, heavy and cumbersome. All my riding buddies told me to do the lycra-thing, they swore I'd never go back. I calmly said....one problem: I'm not gay!

Anyways, I finally gave in and ordered a pair. I wore them under my shorts as I left the house in my car to head to the trail...yeah, that embarrassed. When I got to the trail I took off the shorts and started off feeling naked in lycra. But OMG, WOW what a difference!!! My legs felt light, cool and moved swiftly. I felt a little odd, but heck...80% of the riders out there are wearing them; now I know why. Felt kinda sexy too. But seriously, the lycra shorts help the riding almost as much as clip-in shoes!!! No air-resistance, no friction, great ventillation, great grip, compression fit over muscle...feels really GREAT too.

SO...here's the deal:

The picture of those guys is just plain wrong. When I wear anything lycra, I'm looking for good padding that fits tight & snug...all you should have is a smooth/modest bulge that offers ZERO DEFINITION of what's underneath. Men's reproductive parts are NOT boobs....woman don't wanna see 'em. I once ordered a triathlon suit from Spiuk, it had a seam down the center of the crotch!!! Ya heard of camel-toe for woman? Well, a seam down the center = groin-toe for men. Like those riders in the red outfits: GROSS & WRONG.

Rule #1 If you put on some spandex/lycra that fits wrong (revealing): take it off and find something that fits right. Because, DAMN!

Just for the record, men's reproductive organs don't include bone or cartlidge: it ain't nothing that can't be compressed (just ask the drag-queens). When the weather is cold, your body can actually suck them in to the point where you look like a woman (think turtle). My outfits are snug, padded and never "disclosing"....and that makes it a lot easier for woman to be around and more functional on the bike!

Rule#2 Wear it while on the bike or swimming....but afterwards, put on a t-shirt or shirt long enough that it drapes over your groin most the ways. In this you can quickly go to the bank, run into the market or have lunch in a casual setting....but don't go walking around like it's daily clothing; you have to look like you are heading home from the gym. Woman can wear it as part of their regular clothing....not men.

Rule#3 Wear black of dark colors...the lighter colors exaggerate the area.

That said...what I've noticed about woman looking at men in lycra/spandex:

Woman are FAR more discrete then men....but yes: they do look and some of them seem to be drawn to look at the crotch. BUT, much like we all look down into the toilet before we flush, they do it from some inexplicable reason. I don't think the front is what woman are looking it...it's the booty they like....IF you have a good booty.

What woman DO look at is the rear and the leg....BUT here's the thing; they only look if you gots the goods. Us men don't oogle at fat woman, so it should come as no surprise that overweight men and men that are out of shape aren't going to get that kind of attention. If you have a tight ass and strong legs: THEY WILL LOOK & LIKE.

And here is where I make an observation. Sooooo many woman will say "no" to men wearing lycra.....yet, OMG, how many woman are walking around in spandex leggings with their fat hips, wide butts and massive girth just spilling out for all us men to gag at???? Newsflash: men carry it in the gut, woman in the butt: more woman are in fashion violation wearing the lycra then men!!!! So there!! Which brings me to my next rule....

Rule #4 Lycra is a privilege

Spandex/lycra is unforgiving....it shows everything and there is no hiding. If you don't have the bod to pull it off, then know your role and step down. Lycra says "if you want it, you gotta earn it". And as noted above, it's just as horrible when woman abuse it as men, indeed: lycra is an equal-opportunity challenge

As for me, I'm fortunate to apparently have "the goods"...my wife and her (female) trainer go nuts and check me out when I'm on my way out to ride, they make no secret of it. I have no idea what they see or appreciate, but apprently all my biking has paid off. I've seen other woman checking it out too, some are into it, others don't even flinch to notice...but I've seen a few woman go out of their way to move into a better viewing position. I'm noticing them discretely looking....AND I DIG IT....it's part of my motivation to look better and work-out as hard as I do. Why not? I'm sure not getting any pleasure from eating fattening foods anymore...the idea of being eye-candy for woman is just plain wonderful and it's not like I'm getting any younger.

As my biking and swimming continued I discovered the ultimate outfit: the triathlon suit. With shorts and a jersey the pants can roll down and the shirt hike-up, so some wear a "bib"...which is shorts with built-in suspenders. I just went past that and got the triathlon suit...it's a one-piece outfit and I ride in it and then jump right into the pool and swim in it. Ya gotta love the auto-clean feature...after swimming you just rinse & let dry.

I'll go on record right here and now: I LOVE THE ONE-PIECE....it fits like a body-sleeve and you almost feel naked while wearing it. When the fabric gets moist it allows perfect evaporation for maximum cooling...when the fabric is dry, it offers a bit of insulation to keep you warm. Some of the outfits have vertical stripes that go down the side and look quite sporty, it's surprisingly thinning. For the most part it looks like a wrestlers one-piece singlet. And let me tell ya, when you're out on the bike cranking away for hours with a runners' high and music playing in your ears...there just isn't anything better!!! Most men won't wear one, it's too revealing and we're just not used to the one-piece sensation....but I honestly pity any guy who doesn't get to feel what it's like. I do all my riding & swimming in them and often I don't take it off and wear it under the clothing during the day....it feels kinda neat and reminds me what I'm working hard for.

And here's where I make my last observation. Why is it woman are expected to have "hot" bodies and look like supermodels....yet most men are marshmellows and have no accountiblity as such? It's a double-standard and it's not fair. So I say, put on the suit and if you don't look good in it, do something about it!

In conclusion, lycra can be worn by men if worn proper, woman DO look and like it IF you look good in it....and it feels sexy too!

Btw...

To date I've lost about 45 pounds, gained 12.8 pounds of lean muscle and lost 13.8% body-fat.

Best of all, my tryglycerides have plummeted from a dangerous 470 down to 135 (and that was 3 months ago). My cholesterol is great: LDL is 104, HDL 42 and my total is 175. NO DRUGS FOR ME!

Exercise and proper nutrition is the answer. Wearing proper gear and looking great in it is just part of the fun & side-benefits.

- Steve

yeah, shorts over the spandex. keep them in a locker and you can still run in just the spandex.

I think it's a great idea for men to wear tight Spandex shorts. It makes guys like me look better to the ladies. So, keep wearing them!

I disagree dude......

Woman enjoy seeing a guys body IF he has a good body worth checking-out....simple as that.

When it comes to lycra, some woman can "take it or leave it", but I've met several woman who enjoy it and even a few who are really into it....but again: you gotta have the bod to pull it off (Hmmm....same rule applies to woman, eh?)

I've seen some guys committing major "presentation" breaches, but if you have proper padding to keep definition to a indistinguishable shape, then you're still offering some nice leg & arse action. I've seen woman go out of their way to check it out...and THAT kind of ego-stroking is the kind of motivation that helps me pass on the junk food and work-out a bit harder. Nothing wrong with that.

Chicks dig my junk.

This thread...

For the record, under shorts, unless you're ridiculously buff. And even then, it better be the kind that leaves enough room to hide the shape of your junk. I know I have a few pair. I wear them under shorts, BECAUSE I HAVE MANNERS. As NBS was saying, the junk flapping all about and whatnot, it's uncomfortable.

As of recently, I do all my athletic stuff in compression shorts. I almost always have something over it, but make no mistake-- if I wore shirts that were long enough to cover my groin, I would wear just the compression shorts to the gym.

Anyone else thinking of a remake of Grease... starring Jackie Chan?

What's the matter, Lei, don't have a dress shirt?

I workout naked.

I dont mess with this Sh@t.



ROCK ON!



Chillen

My opinion...leave the spandex at home.

Leave the spandex at home, gotcha!

But the lycra is okay!

well you can always tell who's trying to "present" and it can be a bit of a turn off also..I guess it depends on the person! enjoy whatever you feel comfortable in!

Shar...

I totally hear ya & agree with you.

I play racquetball at the local gym and sometimes we're out in the hallway when some of the spinning-class come walking by. Some (not all) of the guys really need to take a good look in the mirror and realize what they're "presenting". As one forum member put it, "Balls aren't Boobs" and I once overheard a gal saying she can tell who is or isn't circumcized....see, that's just plain wrong!

Proper fitting riding shorts should offer 2 things: compression & crotch padding. If it's tight enough to offer compression and you have padding, the area to which you are referring to is pretty much strapped, secured and reduced to a moderate/mild indistinguishable bulge: no outline! After all, there's no bone, cartlidge or anything that the body can't literally suck-in during cold weather.

Front-area aside, I've just experienced too many woman actually going out of their way to discretely check-out the legs & backside. I train with my wife's trainer Roz, and he openly gets weak in the knees when guys wear it...so how can I ignore that kind of attention? I'll take whatever motivation I can find.

I know you can't see the suit I'm wearing in my avatar....but it's super-comfortable, very sleek and it feels incredibly sexy. My wife & trainer love the way it looks on me and I notice some of the gals checking it out (in a good way). I only wear it while biking and if I run to the bank or market afterwards I always wear a shirt over it and I notice woman discretely checking it out....but I love wearing it, it feels great, it's a privelege to wear and no way no how I'm getting away from wearing it! I earned the bod to pull it off and it's my equivelent of your little bikini

Well said!!!

Ya see.....that's a classy woman!

Instead of saying "Enjoy your delusion, ya freak!"....she instead gave me what I wanted to hear.