All Things Activewear with Personal Trainer Jackie Brown
It can sometimes be challenging to find a decent outfit to wear to the gym. I usually work out three times each week, but I only have one good pair of leggings, two terrible sports bras and a drawer full of old t-shirts. When it comes to casual wear, I know exactly what I’m looking for—jeans that fit my waist and my butt, paired with a cute graphic t-shirt.
But when it comes to buying cute, functional workout clothing, I wanted an expert opinion.
On Thursday, I sat down with group fitness instructor and personal trainer Jackie Brown. In addition to providing her thoughts on shopping for the right pair of leggings and avoiding awkward moments at the gym, Brown also opened up about what inspired her to get into personal training in the first place.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got into personal training.
If someone had told me that I was going to be a personal trainer in high school, I would have laughed in their face. It’s not something I ever saw myself getting into, it’s not even something I ever thought about. But my freshman year of college I gained about 20 pounds and I didn’t notice until I came across an old picture of myself and I was kind of like “Hmm, that doesn’t look like me anymore.” And it didn’t bother me too much until I brought it up later to a friend. I’ll never forget that conversation.
I was talking to this guy that I was going to the library with and I told him that I was looking at an old picture and I realized that I gained weight and I hadn’t even noticed. And he said, “Everyone else noticed.” From that day forward I told myself I was going to do better. My best friend at the time had just started training to become a bikini competitor and so she was like “Come workout with me.” I didn’t really want to lift weights because I believed the whole myth that it’s going to make you look manly or get really big. But when I started going with her, I realized how good it made me feel. And when I started to see the physical results, I wanted to keep doing it.
I just kept going with it and I started to notice that people wanted to workout with me. People would say “Let me know when you’re going to the gym.” One day one of my parents asked how much I was charging. And I was like “Why would I do that?” I had never even thought of personal training. It just wasn’t on my radar, but I started charging like $10 a session when I was at Baylor and just kind of fell in love with it.
There were also some personal things that came up with me. I ended up leaving Baylor, moving back here, and getting certified [as a personal trainer]. The rest is history. At the same time, personal training saved my life in a sense. I was going through some really tough things at Baylor. I was sexually assaulted and so working out became even more important to me because it made me feel strong, physically, but it was also an amazing stress reliever. I wanted to help bring other people to that light.
What are some of your pet peeves as far as gym wardrobe?
I don’t like things that are see-through, like see-through pants or see-through leggings. It’s not so much about the look for me, it’s more that it’s really unsanitary. If your clothing is that thin it means that all your sweat and all this other stuff is getting all over the place.
It also really drives me crazy whenever I see people working out in jeans or regular shoes.
People do that?
Yes! I’ve seen people working out in jeans. And it’s usually men. But they’ll put on jeans and boots or Sperrys or something. They’re putting themselves at risk of harm and won’t even be able to do the exercises correctly.
What should women look for when they’re shopping for workout pants?
I’m not a person who roots for ordering workout clothes online. I think it’s very important that you get a chance to try them on because you have to be comfortable in them. No matter how cute they are, if you’re not comfortable in them, you’re not going to have a good workout either because you’ll be too dainty, or you won’t want to do the movements to your full capability because you’re too worried about your leggings. [Workout pants] need to be something that fit you and that you know you can comfortably move around in.
If you can’t sit down in them without them sliding down your butt, then they’re probably too tight. Wherever the waistband is when you’re standing, that’s where the waistband should stay throughout any other type of movement. It shouldn’t be sliding up and down and you shouldn’t have to constantly readjust after each rep or movement. And if you have a big butt and you do get spandex shorts, when you bend over in them and you come back up, you shouldn’t have to pull them down.
Personally, all the pants that I wear either have a print or they’re dark. I don’t have to worry about them getting dirty, so I don’t mind doing exercises on my knees or on the ground. Also, if you want to have a cute butt outside the gym, you have to have an ugly butt inside the gym. A lot of glute movements involve squeezing which can make a lot of people self-conscious because it may look funny. But whenever your pants are darker or have a print you might feel a little more comfortable because people can’t see what’s going on underneath your clothes or see your cellulite or anything else that you don’t want to show.
What are the worst types of sports bras and what are the best?
I think that depends on your breast size. If you’re on the smaller side, like me, you can be a little more flexible because you don’t need as much support. But I imagine for someone who has a little bit more up top than I do, the lucky ones, they probably require something with a little more support.
But you have companies like Nike, and they label their sports bras by support. So, you have your light-support, your medium-support, and your high-support. I tend to prefer sports bras that have thick straps. I don’t like sports bras that have camisole straps or spaghetti straps because they don’t last as long.
I’ve never really cared about workout tops. I usually just end up wearing an old t-shirt or tank top. Are all athletic tops created equal?
[It’s] all personal preference. I know some people don’t like to wear cotton shirts; they like to wear dry-fit because the sweat doesn’t stick to you as much. But I don’t like dry-fit shirts; I don’t like how they feel, and I actually like to see my sweat because it motivates me to work harder. If you do sweat a lot, I wouldn’t suggest wearing tank tops to public gyms because you are going to get a lot of germs all over the place. Other than that, as long as you have a shirt on, it’s whatever.
Is it considered bad gym etiquette to wipe your sweat on your shirt instead of a towel?
No! I do it all the time! Sometimes I’ll have my eyebrows filled in and I’ll forget, and I’ll get so mad because I’ll wipe my face in the middle of a workout!
What are some of your favorite places to shop for gym clothes and about how much do you usually spend?
One of my favorites is actually Fiercely Built Apparel, they’re a smaller brand but their leggings are fan-tastic. They make my butt look good, and they come in a million different colors. My other favorite place is honestly Marshalls because you can get a lot of high-end brands for cheap. Like these (pictured), I got them from Marshalls and they’re Betsy Johnson. And she makes some of my favorite leggings as well, but in Marshall’s these were only $16 or $17, and I know on her website they’re probably at least $40.
I also own a lot of Ivy Park stuff, but that’s just because I love Beyoncé. ASOS has a lot of the Ivy Park stuff that I like.
Are there any other important workout things that we haven’t touched on?
Like you said, you do throw on an old t-shirt and leggings, which is perfectly fine. But sometimes I encourage women to put on a matching outfit or something cute because you will feel better at the gym. Some people say if you look good, you feel good. So, there’s nothing wrong with showing up to the gym how you want. But if you put a little more effort into it, you’ll notice that you have a better workout and feel better about yourself during the workout and you’ll look better in the selfie you post afterward!
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
