If you’re training right, then you’ll be sweating buckets. Some sweat more than others and others seem to barely sweat at all. But, if you’re really giving your all in the gym, as you should, then you’re going to be dripping sweat no matter who you are.
MMA fighter Wanderlei Silva tells a story about how he would judge his training sessions on how sweat soaked his shirt was by the end of the class. No sweat is bad, heavy sweat means you’re on the right track.
But through all of that, sweating is disgusting. No use mincing words or avoiding it, being covered in sweat is gross and it can make you uncomfortable. This is why most people like to bring a towel to the gym, so they can wipe off the excess sweat they’ve built up. It can be incredibly difficult to train and spar when you have sweat dripping into your eyes from your eyebrows.
Many people just grab a towel from home but this is not optimal to your training. Any towel can do in a pinch but you don’t want to be that guy wiping his face and arms down with a beach towel or using a tatty old bath towel to freshen up. These towels are meant to keep you dry from thin liquids like water after a shower or bath. They do not work anywhere near as well when cleaning thick, sometimes oily substances like your sweat.
For that, you’ll need a specifically designed gym towel. These gym towels are almost always made of a micro-fibre material that allows them to absorb the sweat and dry fast so its ready to use a couple of minutes later when you’re sweating again, not just covering your face with your old sweat like you would with a bath towel. These towels are also softer than their generic counterparts which is great for sensitive areas like your face.
The Best Gym Towels Reviewed
The Rag Company Micro-Fibre Gym Towel Pack of Three
The Rag Company claim to be America’s premier microfibre products manufacturer since 1999, which gives them plenty of experience and expertise in crafting amazing products that are perfect for your skin.
Normal towels can be harsh on areas like your face, especially if you’re constantly rubbing your face with one to remove the sweat. With these softer, microfibre towels from the Rag Company, you can more effectively and efficiently remove the sweat without scuffing up your face and removing essential oils. If you train in the gi, your face is likely already taking a beating with the tough gi material so why make things even worse for yourself?
These towels are also extremely durable; being able to handle up to 500 washes and getting softer with each subsequent wash!
Sinland Micro-Fiber Fasting Drying Gym Towel Pack of Three
- Size:The gym towel is made of high quality 100% microfiber, each size is 16 Inch X 32 Inch
- High Quality: Made of high quality microfiber,Lightweight and compact than ordinary towel. Unique terry texture design can absorb more water than normal cotton towels. Dries 3 times faster than...
- No lint:This sports towel is not as no annoying lint like cotton towel. There is absolutely no lint or fluff sticking to your skin .Give you a totally different experience,try it
- Widely Used Towel:Ideal for outdoor,camping,swimming, sports, yoga, gym,travel and bathing. Easy to carry and very space saving
- Easy Care:Hand or machine wash, low temperature drying,durable, up to 500 times washing,Please wash it separately before first use especially for dark color.All edges are reinforced to prevent tearing...
It’s disgusting when you wipe your face free of sweat with a towel but then have to use it again minutes later. Instead of cleaning your face of sweat a second time, you’re just essentially rubbing that gross liquid back over your face again. With these towels from Sinland, this is a non-issue.
These towels are super-absorbent that dry three times quicker than regular towels, allowing you to stay fresh and sweat-free no matter how many times it’s been used in a training session.
Whilst they wash quick and can be reused fast, Sinland offer these towels in packs of three, so if you train multiple times a day, you will always have a fresh towel to hand.
Desired Body Fitness Gym Towels Pack of Two
This longer towel is perfect for covering gym equipment like weight machines and workout benches. Just because you take your sweating and hygiene seriously doesn’t mean that everyone else does, so it’s incredibly handy to have when some inconsiderate gym-goer has left sweat streaks on a bench.
The unisex grey and white design means that it won’t look out of place on either male or female trainers too.
Desired Body have also had the forethought to remove any wash labels/hooks so you can actually use every inch of the towel. No itchy labels scratching your precious skin up when using it.
At only 5.3 oz it is also exceptionally late and easy to carry around both in your gym bag and on your own person as you workout.
Trekproof Terry Micro-Fiber Towels Pack of Two
- Relieve Pain and Soreness – These medical-grade hot and cold packs help minimize soft tissue muscle soreness as well as joint aches and pains for true therapeutic relief.
- Hot & Cold Comfort – Designed for improved injury recovery, this large ice pack can be frozen to relieve swelling or used as a heating pad in the microwave for soothing pain relief.
- Versatile Full Body Support – A great choice when using ice packs for injuries. Use this reusable ice pack wrap on a sore neck, lower back pain , sciatica , knees, elbows, hips, menstrual cramps,...
- Larger, Adjustable Design – Each flexible ice wrap is bigger than average hot and cold ice packs for therapy and are great for knee support, back support, making them better for men, women and kids...
- Soft, Breathable Strap – This cold therapy ice wrap and heating pad includes an attached durable fabric strap that’s gentle on sensitive skin to make treatment relaxing for both hot & cold...
Trekproof have made their towels with conditions far worse than just the gym in mind; these towels can also be used in the harsh conditions faced whilst travelling and camping to, so they can definitely have you cleaned up quick in the gym as well.
They have a towel side and non-skip bottom side. If you like to get your workout in out in nature then it’s perfect. You can pop it down on the ground outside whilst you do yoga or a bodyweight routine and then use the towel side to freshen yourself up afterwards.
If you have sensitive skin then you’ll be happy to know that these towels are hypoallergenic and are antibacterial, to keep your skin safe.
Fit Spirit Super Absorbent Non Slip Skidless Sport Towels Pack of Two
- Package Includes: 1 - 24" x 72" Green Yoga Towel / 1 - 15" x 24" Green Yoga Hand Towel
- Fit Spirit Yoga Towels are great for hiking, swimming, traveling, camping, and other outdoor activities. Engineered for exceptional performance and durability
- Professionally woven fabric and fibers to produce a soft and comfortable feel.
- State of the art microfiber technology combines prime absorption with amplified drying properties.
- Lightweight, compact, and easily portable functionality makes this yoga towel idea for any type of workout or exercise.
As these gym purpose towels are still becoming more popular, the style and size options you are offered are limited. Most companies offer a one size towel with maybe only a few colour choices… if that. In fact, many companies only offer the one colour.
Fit Spirit are breaking this mould and setting new trends by offering their excellent towel in five different sizes and six vibrant colours: blue, pink, red, purple, green and grey.
The larger sizes can double up as a very effective yoga/workout mat, with it’s non-skid bottom. Despite being sturdy and durable, the towels are still easily rolled up into a small coil to make travelling with them easy and fuss-free.
Overall
You are doing yourself a great disservice if you’re only using your old, tatty bath towels as your gym towel. You make sure you buy specific and specialised equipment for training so why treat your skin any different?
When putting your body and your skin through the ringer in training, it’s best to have the best towel possible to keep fresh, safe and sane.
Great article for GYM lovers.
And in my opinion, very absorbent, quick-drying, space-saving and striking Turkish towel with different lines could also be in this beautiful collection.
Thanks for the input, I will look into them and see if they are a fit!