A branch of the popular affordable fitness chain PureGym has caused uproar by banning members from wearing Crocs and football shirts while working out.
Earlier this month, the Brierley Hill branch announced in a Facebook post that it was ‘updating’ its dress code from November 1st to exclude items like sliders and jeans in order to keep patrons ‘safe and comfortable’.
The post was accompanied by a photo of a staff member pointing to the printed rules on a noticeboard while dressed in what appeared to be acceptable workout gear – an oversized t-shirt, sports shorts and trainers.
A similar photograph posted on X showed the notice plastered to a wall inside a PureGym branch.
It listed items that were banned from being worn in the gym, explaining: ‘No Crocs or slides (let’s keep those feet secure!), no jeans (leave the denim for chill time, not gym time), no football tops (time to swap those for your favorite workout gear!)’
Annoyed members have questioned the move, with one person branding it ‘wokenonsense’, while another threatened to rescind her membership if the West Midlands gym made good on its promise.
‘Heads up, PureGym [Family]! Starting 1st November, we’re updating our dress code to keep everyone safe, comfortable, and ready to crush their workout’ read the firm’s caption.
The gym later stated that the change wasn’t an attack against anyone’s personal ‘style’ but rather was being enforced to ‘maintain a safe and effective environment for all members’.
However, a PureGym spokesperson has since told the Royale that there is no ban on football shirts and signage indicating this will be updated.
A photograph posted on X showed the notice plastered to a wall inside a PureGym branch (pictured)
Concluding its post, the branch thanked its members in advance before cracking the brief joke: ‘See you at the gym – in the right gear!’
Responding to the post, one woman declared she’d be trying out the gym’s competition instead.
She wrote: ‘Well that’s my gym membership not being renewed. No football tops. I’ll go gym group Castlegate instead.’
‘Out of curiosity, why no football tops?’ questioned one man. Similarly, another person was perplexed by the change, writing: ‘Crocs and jeans understandable, but how does not wearing a football top help?’
Over on X, people were just as incensed. ‘No Crocs? What is this woke nonsense?’ said one man.
‘Any idea why? I can’t see the harm involved in wearing a jersey to the gym’ said another.
Providing insight into the matter, one member said the rules had always existed ‘but no one followed it’.
Joking, someone wrote: ‘Fair, tbh if I see someone lifting with a Spurs jersey I’m stopping him mid set and asking him to go use another rack.’
The PureGym announcement was accompanied by a photo of a staff member pointing to the printed rules on a noticeboard while dressed in what appeared to be acceptable workout gear – an oversized t-shirt, sports shorts and trainers, pictured
The news comes following a report from the Wall Street Journal declaring leggings are officially ‘dead’.
A report titled ‘The Death of Leggings’ by retail analyst group EDITED revealed that sales of leggings made up almost 47 per cent of all athleisure bottoms in 2022.
This year, however, that number plunged to38.7 per cent, marking a significant decline.
With leggings supposedly out, the new trend, according to Gen Z, is to wear baggy workout pants with a tight top.
In some cases, a baggy T-shirt is also paired with the loose pants for a totally oversized look, à la Billie Eilish.
According to Vogue, searches for ‘baggy gym outfits’ have risen by 400 per cent on Pinterest in the past year.
Nike, which is currently ranked as one of Gen Z’s favorite brands, is ‘leaning in hard’ to the trend.
EDITED retail analyst Krista Corrigan said that the brand is now ‘the leading supplier’ in oversized activewear.
Reaction: Annoyed members have questioned the move, with one person branding it ‘ woke nonsense’, while another threatened to rescind her membership if the gym made good on its promise
Despite the backlash towards leggings, many fitness fanatics have argued that oversized pants simply aren’t practical for working out.
‘Try a spin class in big pants and see what happens,’ commented one.
‘We were never wearing leggings to yoga or Pilates because they were trending. You can’t hold a crow pose or not slip off the reformer wearing slippery, baggy pants,’ reasoned another.
‘Try running, cycling, jumping rope, [or high-intensity interval training] in big baggy oversized pants – they will receive a big “F” and that’s not for functionality,’ argued fitness influencer Kira Stokes.
