[Workout Wednesday] A New Crop of Long Length Workout Tops

As I sit here, eating the last of the Lovely Candy Co caramels received at a recent conference, I have to wonder what business I have posting a new Workout Wednesday. I am eating bon bons and talking about fitness fashion. Though what puts one more in the mood for a good, sweat-dripping workout than new clothes?

The focus is on long workout tops today, as requested by my sweet, loyal friend and Greater Lengths follower, Kate. Kate's got the body of a model - made of height and legs and lean muscle. She's a recent CrossFit convert, a running inspiration (she's completed 4 Marine Corps Marathons!) and made a beautiful bride last year to a very lucky guy. In short, she's awesome. Oh yeah, and she's a Rodan + Fields consultant - check out her page here.


Such a woman still has her needs and one of them is tunic length modest tops to reach past her waist. She wrote,

"You recommended a New Balance tank which I am obsessed with. I should have bought 10 of them but I didn't so now I'm on the hunt for a tank that covers my bum."

FYI - she's referencing the blue New Balance tunic running top shown in this post.

Because it's spring (well, except for today, if you're on the east coast - brr!) and because that's as good a reason as any to pick up your spring workouts, here are long, modest workout tops for anyone. Keep in mind that the sleeveless options can be layered with shorter, cropped longer sleeved options to maximize your modesty preference.

Click on the items below to go directly to the retailers page. Remember, if you like the style but not the color shown here, the retailer may have additional color options.

New Balance Sport Tops · New Balance Tunics · Nike Activewear

[Workout Wednesday] Modest Gym and Fitness Tops

It prides me to say that the most common reasons Greater Lengths is stumbled upon is the search for modest workout clothes. This implies a lot of things:

1. Women who dress modestly are not letting clothing get in the way of their fitness
2. In general, women are seeking more modest ways of covering up while working out
3. My blog is providing solutions to these needs!

I do get a sincere sense of satisfaction and motivation when I get comments like these on the blog:

In the name of alliteration and all things modest fitness apparel, welcome to the first installment of “Workout Wednesday”, a regular feature which will be dedicated to the fitness clothes available on the retail market that defy the typical body-skimming athletic apparel trend. This is a double benefit for me as I am trying to get back into a normalized running routine and having new clothes is a spring of motivation.

Nike Sport Tops · Nike Activewear · Nike Day Dresses

Please leave comments and your thoughts. I love knowing your opinion!

[Modest Fitness Clothes] Grab Box of Modest Workout Clothes

A woman here has set up swimming for Muslim women on Saturdays and Sundays, which has been great the weekends I can make it.

Some weekends, I'm raring to go - bikini on (it's all women, so I'm a little less inhibited) and doing lap after lap in the pool.  Other weekends, like today, I can barely muster the desire to even look in the direction of the swimming pool and end up skipping out.  It's weekends like this one where I yearn for the hint of spring and a clear sidewalk, where I can go running for miles and miles on end. For me, stepping out of my house and onto the sidewalk for a quick jog is the ultimate way to make use of idle time.

Since half the battle of a Muslim woman's workout is workout clothing, I've pulled together all my favorites currently pinned.

Nike Sport Tops · Nike Day Dresses · Nike Activewear

A few notes:

• Long tank tops can be coupled with short long-sleeve tees for a workout. The long tank provides body coverage below the waist while the long-sleeve tees give you customizable arm coverage

[Modest Gym Clothes] Long workout tanks and tunics

Workout tops can be tricky for women seeking modest clothing, with the biggest problem generally arising from workout tops being too darn shorn.  Enter the running dress and tunic.

In the last few years, lots of greats (Nike, New Balance, Patagonia) have introduced longer workout tops and tunics that can be coupled with shorter gear to create the ideal modest gym clothes.  These tops fall well past the waist and generally over your bottom for maximum covered.  You get all the performance value too - these tops are sweat-wicking, to keep moisture away from your skin to give you a lighter, more enjoyable workout.

I just bought the New Balance top below for my summer runs and will layer it under a thinner running shirt, to ensure I'm modestly covered and comfortable during my summer workouts!

Nike Sport Tops · New Balance Tunics · Zappos Couture Sport Tops

Work It Girls

Readers, you make me happy.

One of the top traffic sources leading you to us this week is "Muslim women workout clothes".  This means, in addition to fulfilling your new year's resolutions, that Muslim women aren't letting the industry-standard fitted workout clothing stand in their way.  One of the goals of Greater Lengths is to raise the voices of American Muslim women to the fitness apparel industry and make them aware that we want to be their consumers, they just need to give a little (literally...seams don't need to be that tight!).

Muslim women out there, like our friend Zainab Ismail, founder of Nadoona Fitness who we met at the 2012 ISNA Conference, encourage active living and exercise with modest dress.  Check her out - squatting and rowing 150 lbs! (Follow her on Instagram and find Nadoona on Facebook!)

I can also relate as a Muslim woman (and semi-fitness fanatic [I confessed to it already]) to the challenge of finding modest fitness apparel and being appropriately covered when I exercise.  I succeed here and there, as you can see. (In some honesty, I did want to post the picture of my abs!)

Looking to accomplish your own fitness and exercise goals?  There can be some obstacles in the way but certainly don't let modest clothing be one of them.  We've again culled some options for you as you make your way to the gym and live that healthy life!

These tops all have longer hemlines or are loose-fitting.  Layer them (especially in this cold!) to achieve the proper amount of coverage for you.

More adidas...

Modest dress pants

More adidas...

Reader Request: Trendy Fitness Clothes for Muslim Women

Reader Saman Quraeshi, of Biscuits & Banarsi, writes that she's been on the prowl for trendy Muslim gym clothes.

We hear ya.  Just because you're getting down and dirty, going in for a sweat-fest is no reason to look like you just raided your older brother's rejected fitness clothes.  While they take some more time to track down, modest fitness clothes do exist and we've done the legwork to find them for you.

The winner of this round of internet shopping in the long fitness top category is this Adidas "Response Long Tee."  It features their Climalite fabric, offering intense sweat-wicking for those calorie-blasting moves during your favorite workout.

Response Long Tee

Nike's Epic Women's Training pants, these buttery-soft, harem-inspired loose workout pants, remind me of every dance mashup on Dancing With The Stars/Step Up/Save the Last Dance.  If you're looking to splurge (or don't mind waiting for the sale), these loose pants might fit your Islamic gym style profile.

Nike Dri

Browse below for under $50 tops and pants.  Sleeveless tops should be layered with a jacket or long-sleeve top to achieve that modest, Muslim gym queen look.

More adidas...

More Nike...