What Personal Trainers Wear to Work Out
8 professional exercisers on their go-to activewear
I’ve never been closer to hiring a personal trainer than I am right now. And that’s a threat, btw.
I should preface that having a personal trainer was always unthinkable to me. That was only for billionaires and celebrities, obviously. What business do I, a girl who works in marketing, have spending money on individual fitness instruction?
Beyond unthinkable, a personal trainer was also utterly undesirable. I don’t want to make small talk with—or worse, stand in silence next to—a stranger while they count the number of sit ups I do. I just want to listen to my music and curl a 3 lb weight in peace. And if for some reason, I’m really trying to get fancy with a deadlift, couldn’t I just consult my best friend, the Internet?
Oh sweetie. Talk about the ignorance of youth—I was wrong about so many things. For starters, I now know that deadlifts are one of the least fancy exercises you can do. I’ve also come to the conclusion that information, specifically from the Internet, can only get us so far. Novel idea, I know, but in this fitness context, watching a trainer on a screen isn’t going to ensure we’re doing the moves right. It’s not even going to ensure we’re doing the moves at all…
Don’t get me wrong, I love my online workout programs as much as the next girl, but something tells me it will never hit quite as hard as having someone in the room with me who’s solely devoted to my body, session after session. Yes, I heard how that sounded. Please don’t make it weird.
I’m not the only… Zillennial… who’s willing to fork it over for IRL fitness experiences. According to McKinsey’s recent report about the Future of Wellness, Gen-Zs and Millennials are overindexing on discretionary wellness purchases much more than older generations. Of those discretionary wellness purchases, longevity, in-person experiences and weight management are seeing the highest growth. And if we want to double click on that last point, even in our current GLP-1 craze, exercise is still the number one behavior of choice.
So yes, I, like my peers, am willing to invest monetarily in my long-term and short-term health. I’m also eager to resuscitate my current workout routine, which I’d describe as stale at best. All of these are reasons for the burgeoning personal trainer purchase.
But here’s the part that’s really pushing me over the edge: it’s come to my attention that personal trainers aren’t just dorks walking around the gym in joggers. They’re very cool people with incredible amounts of knowledge and unique taste. As I seriously consider paying one of them to hang out with me help me workout more effectively, I’d love to hear more about the clothes they work out in. Because that’s literally what they do. For a living. Plus, nothing breathes life into a dying workout routine quite like a new outfit. How Carrie Bradshaw of me.
Rebekah Santiago
Private Personal Trainer (ex-DOGPOUND, Alo) + Instructor at FuzeHouse
I train clients about 9 hours a day, 6 days a week with a mix of personal house calls and working out of a private gym space in Flatiron. I like to get in a workout 6 days a week; a mixture of hot Pilates and weight training so I need clothes that allow me to look put together and professional, but are still versatile, easy to workout out in, and easily layered. My workouts vary on the day, and on my schedule so it helps to always be prepared for something quick.
I found this brand Wear Ones At and fell in love with their stuff! Their Bike Short Unitard is the perfect length and has great hold for weight training and Pilates. The Arena Pants look sleek and can be used as a layering piece for work or to workout in. The Cropped Hoodie completes the look to keep me warm as I travel around the city. :)
I’m a big Salomon gal for sneakers. Great arch support for walking around the city, and an amazing weight training shoe because they’re on the flatter side. All of these pieces work WITH me so I can get in a workout and then go right back to work. The quality being amazing is always a plus so these pieces are built to last.
Favorite Items: Wear One’s At Bike Short Unitard, Wear One’s At Arena Pants, Wear One’s At Cropped Hoodie, Salomon XT-6s
Kirsty Godso
Nike Pro Trainer, Creator of Pyro
I’m always in gym gear for my job as a Nike Global Trainer/Celebrity Trainer which suits me perfectly because it means I’m always dressed for the possibility of movement across my day!
The bulk of my training schedule is strength, and then I also make sure I get my calculated cardio in hitting different zones of intensity and some pilates and yoga and lots of walking. On top of that, I’m always filming for my fitness platform Pyro which also covers all of those modalities. I recently ran the Nike After Dark Tour half marathon in LA so whilst I mostly raw-dogged my training I did start to sneak some more running in. I was obsessed with my race day fit in the photo below!
When I dress for my workouts I’m definitely more of an elevated essentials girl so black is mostly the color theme with an occasional pop of color.
Favorite Items: Nike Zenvy 5” shorts, Nike One Fitted Top, Nike Zenvy Long Sleeve Top, Nike Swoosh Bra, Nike Free Metcon 6 Shoes
Jack Wellborn
Private Personal Trainer based in LA
Most of my training time is spent lifting barbells in the gym and running on trails. I try to only wear natural fibers at all times, so in the gym it’s usually a pair of vintage Champion Spellout Sweatpants, a perfectly oversized shirt from my friends at Phipps, and a pair of ASICS GT-2160s. When running, I exclusively wear Brandt-Sorenson made-to-measure clothing. Their Rib Knit Half Tights, Wool Shorts, and 100% Silk Tank are the go-tos in my rotation.
Favorite Items: Brandt-Sorenson Rib Knit Half Tights, Wool Shorts, Silk Tank, Champion Spellout Sweatpants, Phipps T-Shirt, ASICS GT-2160s
Andrea Barber
Private Personal Trainer, Creator of A Few Fun Moves
On top of teaching A Few Fun Moves, I also coach clients in person, and my own training is a mix of strength, athletic movement, and mobility—plus a little trail running and gravel cycling.
When I’m filming workouts, I go for my black Aritzia 7” Bike Shorts and Tumbler Bra. When I’m training solo, I’m usually in my thrifted Adidas shorts from the men’s section at Value Village, and a 90s-style tank layered over top of the Tumbler Bra.
On rainy coaching days? Oversized Artizia Fleece Sweats over shorts, always. Training shoes: I rotate between Salomon RX MOCs and ASICS GT-2160s depending on the session, and I never train without my trusty black Nike socks and the world’s best hair elastic.
Favorite Items: Aritzia 7” Bike Shorts, Aritzia Tumbler Bra, Salomon RX MOCs, ASICS GT-2160s, Aritzia Fleece Sweats
Max Shannon
Trainer at Complete Body NYC, Designer at Y,IWO
When training both my clients and myself, I like to wear a combination of vintage basics, friends’ brands and my #1 Y,IWO (Yeah, I Work Out). I mostly exercise bodybuilding style and I really enjoy dressing for it. I like to start oversized and layered, and as the workout proceeds, I shed layers, truly earning the visual of my pump.
Favorite Items: Y,IWO “Bad to the Bone” Box Cut Long Sleeve
Makena Rae Diehl
Private Personal Trainer, Instructor at Equinox + FuzeHouse
I teach high-energy cardio sculpt and Pilates-inspired strength classes all over NYC and train private clients throughout the week. Outside of teaching, I love running for myself—it's my favorite way to reset and reconnect.
My go-to outfit is the Free People Movement Good Karma Super Plunge Bra paired with the Adanola Ultimate Leggings — they’re supportive, sleek, and move with me through any workout. I’ve been loving the ASICS Gel-1130 OG Sneakers for their retro vibe and comfort, and I always keep a Bala Power Ring nearby to level up my strength sessions.
Favorite Items: Adanola Ultimate Leggings, FP Movement Good Karma Super Plunge Bra, ASICS Gel-1130 Sneakers, Bala Power Ring
Monice Small
Nike Well Collective Trainer, Founder of Good Form Studios, Private Personal Trainer
My training habits lately have been focused on keeping my nervous system regulated. Since I run and operate my business solo, I need to make sure to take adequate recovery time, maintain a breathwork and meditation practice, and fuel myself with nutrient dense foods. Less focus on lifting heavy to build muscle, more focused on mindful movement to maintain my muscle mass. During the summer I wear Nike Zenvy 4 inch Shorts with the Zenvy Bra to train my clients so I can immediately train and lift after their sessions.
Favorite Items: Nike Zenvy 4 inch Biker Shorts, Nike Zenvy Bra
Dr. Jenna Lagana
Personal Trainer + Sports Medicine-Based Chiropractor at Space 314
I am an extremely phasic athlete - I need to have different goals and training regimens throughout the year in order to continue pushing my personal boundaries. Currently, I am training for a trail Ragnar race and my program consists of 2 full body, barbell based workouts per week and 3-4 running days/week.
This summer, I am exclusively rocking Legends Leni Shorts, Lululemon Energy Sports Bra, Nike Vomero 18s & my nerdy but super useful Garmin Forerunner Watch.
When I am working with my patients I have to dress slightly more professional while still being able to demonstrate movements, get on the floor for corrections and load lots of weight onto bars. My favorite fit consists of Lululemon Align Jogger, a cropped shirt of some sort (can’t help but show off the abs) and some Nike V2Ks.
Favorite Items: Legends Leni Shorts, Lululemon Energy Sports Bra, Nike Vomero 18s, Garmin Forerunner Watch, Lululemon Align Joggers, Nike V2Ks
In case you couldn’t tell, writing this was the nail in the coffin for my impending personal training purchase. If you want to further enable me, feel free to share stories of how a personal trainer completely shifted your mind / body / worldview.
I’ll leave you here with this new playlist for future gym listening, courtesy of all the friends in the Plant Based chat. If you’re a full album junkie like me, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? needs to be spinning right now. Other recommendations include Pang, Apolonio, and *swallows pride* SWAG.
I recently started working with a personal trainer and yes it’s already changing my whole life. Worth the investment! I had struggled with consistency and feeling intimidation about gyms and weight machines—all of that is long gone lol. I get amped whenever gym time rolls around. I am now a hardcore advocate for women learning resistance training. Also my trainer is cool and fun, there’s really nothing awkward about it (I do think you probably have to have sauce to be successful as a trainer)
how did you know i needed new activewear purchases to restart my workout “routine”……