Socks and jellybeans. My two favorite things. If my feet are wrapped in the pelts of Muppets and my belly is full of sour simple sugars then I am a happy girl. Unsurprisingly I have a wide assortment of both but today I’m just going to talk about the socks. I have furry socks, loud socks, knee-highs, thigh-highs (with little bows!), invisible socks, patterned socks, holey socks and lacy ankle socks. But do you know what I do not have? Real athletic socks. I know. The tragedy is unspeakable. Despite owning – I kid you not – 30+ workout tank tops, for some reason I never buy athletic socks. Probably because I can’t get them second hand like I do everything else.
At first I was dubious that “real” athletic socks were anything more than a marketing ploy. After all, feet just sweat whether they are clad in my $10/6 pack of Target cotton ankle socks or in these $50/pair Goretex babies, right? But then the Gym Buddies schooled me good. Apparently there is an advantage to be had from actual athletic socks made with things like antibacterial silver and wicking fibers and support arches. These new fangled socks come with everything but a SETI program to multitask during your rests.
Runner’s World agrees with the Gym Buddies. According to them, the right socks can prevent blisters, help with plantar fascitis and even help you run faster. But Brian Sell sums it up nicely with his advice: Wear socks. They even offer a “sock guide” with an in-depth analysis of the top 10 best sports socks to help you find the style just right for you.
At $10-$16 a pair though, I’m still going to take a lot of convincing. I – knock on wood – never get blisters. I don’t have arch or heel pain. And sweaty feet don’t bother me much. Now I don’t want you to think my feet aren’t important to me. I shell out a lot of money for decent athletic shoes. (Confession: I actually own three pairs at any given time – one for running, one for cross training and one for dance.) I’m very brand loyal and I’m easily sucked in with new marketing ploys like “gel support soles” and “shock balance” and “three different flavors swirled in one pint of ice cream.” (Yes I’m talking to you Ben & Jerry’s, you Dairy Siren.) Also, and I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’m a sucker for colors and crazy patterns. My running shoes right now are bright pink with both polka dots and paisley on them (I love you Aasics!) Although I do draw the line at buying two separate pairs of shoes to fit my differently sized feet, curse them.
All of the cash I drop on shoes is kind of ironic considering how little I spend on the rest of my workout apparel. My favorite source of clothing is the thrift store. I’m such a Sweaty Betty that this way I can pit out my tanks and then throw them away after a few months without feeling guilty since they only cost me a buck. Although considering how many I own, I probably ought to be weeding them out more often. (Note to Gym Buddies: please tell me when I stink!) Second to thrift stores, my next best source of clothing are hand-me-downs, mostly because my friends all have much better style than I do. My current favorite pants are a cute lil’ Nike pair with ribbons and ruching at the knees gifted to me by Turbo Jennie. Which, incidentally, you know it says a lot about a friendship when you can share clothing obviously not meant to be worn with underwear.
So I’m cheap on clothes, spendy on shoes and just confused about socks. Help me sort out my priorities! (Any cracks involving the words “Dr. Phil” and/or “intervention” will be ignored.) Is the price tag for expensive gym socks worth it? What kind do you use? What fitness essentials are you willing to spend on and which do you scrimp? Anyone else own way too many tank tops for their own good??
I was with you on the athletic sock thing until a couple months ago, when I started to buy real athletic socks or at least the ones that said athletic, not the super duper expensive ones tho, (too cheap for that). I luckily don’t have any feet problems, so specifics are beyond me, but they do feel nice. So much so that I’m willing to branch out!
im cheapcheapcheap and wear stuff to death.
and sock free.
which would be nasty 🙂 were my beloved nike air rifts not designed to be worn that way ( and stuffed with pretty smelling dryer sheets nightly!).
Hey Charlotte,
I’m glad you spend money on good shoes as I think they are very important, especially if you are running. However, I do admit to shelling out the cash for my SmartWool socks. Love love love my SmartWool socks. They even make knee high striped ones for nights out on the town. They keep your feet warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They are the BEST!
I’m super cheap- I own exactly one sports bra (and the hook is starting to fall out), one pair of sweatpant (from elementary school…), one pair of cute running shorts (and they’re actual running shorts! From American Apparrel! Too bad I’m not a runner), and a half a dozen tank tops that are just regular tank tops but I wear them to workout in anyways.
I DO spend a lot on shoes, but only have one pair of athletic shoes, and I wear my shoes until they are falling off my feet (literally). But that’s because of my annoying problem of the one shorter leg- putting a lift on most shoes is really tough.
My Christmas list this year includes real workout clothes. It’s kind of disgraceful. I’ll have to look into some quality socks too:)
You are spending your money in the right place. Shoes are the most important! However, you can make your expensive shoes last a little longer (or have them stink a little less) with a good pair of socks. AND, even if you don’t have foot issues, a good pair of athletic socks feels SO good when you put them on, they compress your feet in all the right places. Some of my socks almost feel like a foot massage! I know ASICS makes some great socks!
Whatever you wear from the ankles up doesn’t really matter as long as it isn’t chaffing or uncomfortable, who cares?
I just wear normal sports socks to work out in – they’re comfier. However word of warning – don’t dry normal sports socks on the radiator and then run for a gazillion miles in them. You know how things go crispy when you dry them on the radiator? Well those little crispy bits are needles that will rub and scrape and stick in your poor tootsies until they bleed. NOT NICE.
I need to spend more on my workout gear overall. I buy cheap and then wonder why it falls apart/looks terrible on.
TA x
Shoes are definitely a huge priority for me. I always wait until my knees start hurting before replacing them, though, because good running shoes cost a lot!
I have blisters, and I have arch pain. Maybe I should look into special socks. The problem there is that I, lik you, am cheap and can’t justify the pricey work out socks. Which is strange because I’ll pay 16 – 20 bucks for the yarn to knit my own socks.
I never thought about socks, really. I just wear the cotton comfy socks I get at Target. I do have good sneakers, though I don’t refresh them as often as I should. My workout clothes tend to be more expensive – I get the good stuff from conferences. They’re expensive ($70 for a pair of pants), but they’ll last for years and years and they look better than the ones I used to buy at Target. I have had plantar fasciitis though, so I should keep an eye out for those socks to help prevent it.
Of course as a runner, socks are important! Yes I have had my share of blisters. I tend to wear plain cotton, low cuts. However the real breakthrough came years ago when a female friend of mine suggested Vaseline!!! Now I think of it as the duct tape of running 🙂
Since I never run more than a quarter mile at a time, I can get away with just about any kind of shoes and socks. Doesn’t seem to matter for anything else (weight lifting, burpees, etc) as long as the shoes are flat.
I also have a “thing” for socks, way more than shoes. My halloween socks alone make quite an impressive collection.
I’d say go with what works! If you’re not having feet issues, hell why pay the outrageous $$ for hi-tech socks?
I’m exactly the opposite. I wear heavy duty hikey walky runny socks even when I’m not working out just cause I love the thick cushiony feeling.
But then I am pretty much a fashion disaster and wear nothing but jeans and sneaks and t-shirts.
I’ve heard that it’s worth it to have actual athletic socks, but I haven’t gone so far as to shell out for them yet. I’d be interested to see if I could tell any difference!
I have a completely different problem with socks. Why are all of my husband’s athletic socks identical, so finding a pair requires little more than reaching for them; while socks for ‘ladies’ all have little colored emblems that have to be matched with one another -leaving me with four socks with no mates until the next time I do laundry?
I’ve got no idea what they’re called, but my socks are anti-microbial things that I got at Sports Authority for $10/3 pairs. No idea if they work, but they’re comfy.
I must admit, I am the blatant opposite. I hate socks. The idea that they exist to harbour germs freaks me out. I go through two pairs a day – one for work and one for working out. That being said, I LOVE my athletic socks. I am a Nike Devote in this area. I have their low-profile ones, the cushioning system ones, the ones with tight bands around the middle of your foot, I have 7 pairs at the moment (if you count the 2 know I’m getting for Christmas.)
I do have a favorite though. They are all black, cushioning, and you wouldnt know to see them that they were special. They don’t have a R or L on the bottom to make me feel like an idiot when I put my socks on the wrong feet.
Cotton is the worst thing to put on your feet when you’re working out. Traps moisture and causes chaffing.
These are the ones I am getting for Xmas: http://www.paragonsports.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=79129&storeId=10551&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&campaign=cj
And these are the ones I have for my cardio classes: http://www.footlocker.com/catalog/productdetail/cm–Accessories%3A%20Type%3A%20Socks/supercat–accessories/model–95988~39807010/mvpid–prod_tp~54704/
I spend my money on high quality bike shorts and an occasional splurge on SmartWool.
I too was unconvinced by the running socks. When I ran my half marathon in 07 though, I decided I would spend $10 on socks if they could avoid me blisters. And I was converted. I own 3 pairs of asics socks which I got for a bday last year. They are distinct between right and left foot and I love them. I don’t run in ankle socks anymore because those make my feet feel si much better.
Like Seabreeze I do love Nike socks. They feel better on my feet and last longer than the cheaper socks. Poorly made socks slide down my achilles into my shoe and are such a distraction!
As for work out wear — I seem to have an addiction to Nike’s basic tanks. Every season they come up with new colors and I just have to get 1 or 2 more. My closet has more tanks than work apparel. Maybe I need a change of career. He, he.
Since I’ve started crossfitting, I buy my out of date shoes on e-bay for a lot less than I ever spent when I ran long distance. My workout gear is a combination of high-tech stuff on sale at Marshall’s and stuff that I had from other activities already. I buy whatever sport sock is in Marshall’s when it’s time to buy more. I’m in the military and wear combat boots all day– and I have tried all the fancy boot socks out there. There is a point of diminishing returns in sock quality IMO. For boot socks it is about $7. For sport socks it is about $3.
The one thing I never cheap out on is sports bras. I’m also a little larger than average, so this might be a little more important to me than others..
i am very glad you are posting about this. when i started running, no one told me about socks! i was in misery with blisters the size of my fist — then someone told me about running socks.
now my feet are dry and happy. i have paid up to $15/ pair. but, i like to get them at discount stores like Loehmann’s or Century 21– usually they are half that price there.
My favorite socks are the C9 brand at Target. Around $6 for 3 pair. They are so comfy, I break all laws of fashion and wear them everywhere!
I tend to wear shoes until the treads wear out (have i mentioned the hiking trip where I slid backwards on the trails ’cause I had no treads left on my hiking boots?), so I figure paying $80 or so dollars for a new pair every few years is worth it. I’m not a runner, though.
I tend to spend more money on good pants and tops. I teach 6 days a week, so I need stuff that’s gonna last through multiple washings!
(I do have 3 pairs of fancy athletic socks, and putting them on is like slipping my feet into little puffy clouds.)
I am a total cheapwad.
HOWEVER. Last year, I spent $40 on a pair of workout capris from the Gap Body (yeah…not even a “real” sports brand) and FELL IN LOVE. Madly. Granted, it was with a gift card, but still. I can’t go back to target. They were THAT much better. Still wear cheapo socks and tops. I now spend my money on the sports bra, shoes, and now capris.
That’s not true. I’m not even in the market for workout gear right now, but WHEN I DO spend money, it will be on those things.
For socks, I wear Champions, low-cut, not too spendy and very comfy when I kick my shoes off for weightlifting (must put weighlifting shoes on the christmas list). For hiking and work socks though, I shell out anywhere from 10-15 dollars a pair!
I also like champion work-out clothes and must buy everything in a matching set, so I am looking at $40 or so everytime I get a new outfit (unless there is a sale). I’m thinking about moving up into move expensive stuff though, just to have more variety. I love my workout clothes!
Shoes are around $75-100. I just got my “stride read” and actually paid about the same for a better quality shoe, included an insert.
i LOVELOVELOVE fun socks and wish they made super fun looking workout socks. alas, they don’t. so, i own a few different pairs (closest i’ve got are some teal running ones from nike and some general workout ones with flowers) that coincide with the different crap i do.
therefore, i have general gym socks (for random cardio/lifting days), running socks (self-explanatory) and, currently, one pair of cycling socks.
cycling socks can get cool and fun; again, though, the downside is that they’re expensive. next tent sale at my bike shop i’m getting fun cycling socks!
… i so went off on a tangent. sorry about that …
I spend on shoes and running bras. I buy the best I can manage (special fitting and all that jazz) and replace them twice a year at minimum. I’m el-cheapo when it comes to socks and workout capris (Target!). And somewhere in the middle are the shirts I buy to lift in. I sweat like a…well, like a vaguely overweight middle-aged woman, and good shirts make all the difference in comfort.
My dh got me started on the SmartWool, although i don’t wear them for workouts 🙂 I wear them around the house for slippers! His dress socks are even SmartWool.
Try Marshalls or Ross, etc for cheaper workout socks. i get most of my workout stuff from there or ebay.
Good socks for workouts… one of those things you lived without, but once you switch you can’t live without!
I care more about the socks I wear only if running. But my problem is keeping a pair a pair. What is up with losing one sock? Where does it go? My suggestion is to buy one good pair of socks each time you buy your expensive athletic shoes. You’re spending so much money anyway, what’s another $12? My recent sock buy were these fabulous “boot socks” the kind that are super cute at top where it peeks out over your boots. Yes!!
uh, clearance! My husband has loads of athletic socks (cycling socks) that he got on clearance for $2/pair. Though the slim pickings of clearance are likely the reason he has insane killer clown socks, sprinkled donut socks, and glow-in-the-dark peace sign socks. But hey, that sounds right up your alley. And don’t laugh at me (actually feel free, most people do), I put deodorant on my feet. Anti-perspirant isn’t for pits only. And yes, they have their own stick that stays out of my pits.
In regards to present day fashion, the fitness world has created a craze of certain items such as gym tank tops and yoga pants that are worn as casual wear by many people on a daily basis, whether they attend a gym or not.