Why Guys Are Afraid to Show Off Their Butt in the Gym

Thats Randall Otis , Daily Show writer and host of the new Mens Health video series Get a Grip! where Otis takes five-minute deep dives into a variety of fitness and lifestyle topics. Last week, Otis riffed on fitness apps , especially running trackers (which, most importantly, lets you draw dicks.) This week, weve got gym clothesand, more broadly, mens fashionon our minds.

Just check out The Rock , Otis begins. Hes decked out in the finest gym attire, showing off the muscles he uses to carry the Fast and Furious franchise on his back. And he has a small-to-modest dick towel. Ah yes, the famous dick towel . What a fashion statement. And the dick towel is really nothing new. From Rockys Sly Stallone in the '80s to the adult diaper way earlier into last century to Greeks and Romans just being jacked all the time, apparently, dudes show off at the gym. (Or at the acropolis wherever.)

This dick towel situation isnt that strange, says Otis. He points out the growing industry around male fashionpart of what we at Mens Health call the Manconomy , or the industry using gendered awareness to exploit customers for profit. (Basically, just woke capitalism 101.)

But all the marketing has to be tough, rough, and manly, observes Otis. Bearglove deodorant, for instance. Because: we dont buy flowery, sensitive women deodorant.

The 'Manconomy' also requires rebranding traditionally female attire such as leggings . The Rock wears leggings all the time, but men dont wear leggingsunless theyre dancers or Robin Hood, says Otis. Men wear compression shorts and compression pantsthe Bearglove of gym pants, if you will.

Its funny how so many men are nervous exposing parts of their legs and butts even though its completely normal for guys to work out topless, noted Otis, comparing it to a reverse Donald Duck (Donald never wears pants).

So many gym-going male-legging wearers hide their compression pants under shorts. I think it has less to do with modesty and more to do with gender, Otis says.

And that hesitation to show off butt muscles also includes a hesitation to actually work butt musclesso that we can show them off.

Men, youre covering your butt with shorts. Youre not working it out. Im disappointed. Having a big ass is great. Youre taller when you sit down. Every chair is soft. And you get those sweet, sweet likes on the 'Gram .

So man up and wear some girly leggings. And dont skip on your glutes.