Gym wear, activewear and athleisure are often used for similar clothes, but they are not always used in exactly the same way. If you have ever searched for leggings, joggers or a training top and wondered why different shops put them under different headings, you are not alone.
What is gym wear?
Gym wear is the clearest, most practical term. It usually means clothing bought for training or exercise: leggings, sports bras, workout T-shirts, shorts, joggers, quarter-zips and similar pieces.
Someone searching for “women’s gym wear” or “men’s gym wear” is normally looking for clothing they can actually train in, even if they also wear it outside the gym.
What is activewear?
Activewear is a broader term. It covers clothing designed around movement, exercise and an active lifestyle. Gym wear sits inside that category, but activewear can also include pieces used for walking, stretching, travel or everyday movement.
In practice, a pair of leggings or performance shorts can easily be described as both gym wear and activewear.
What does athleisure mean?
Athleisure blends athletic clothing with everyday dressing. The idea is simple: clothing that works around exercise but does not look out of place when the workout is over. Joggers, leggings, sports bras under jackets and quarter-zips can all cross into athleisure depending on how they are worn.
The word is useful inside fashion, but it is not always the word a shopper types first. That is why POOR FORM uses all three terms where they make sense: gym wear for clarity, activewear for the wider category, and athleisure for the styling idea.
Which term should you use when shopping?
If you know the piece you want, search for the actual garment first: “high-rise gym leggings”, “men’s gym joggers”, “sports bra” or “quarter-zip training top”. Specific searches usually get you closer to the right product than a broad category word.
If you are browsing a whole range, “gym wear” and “activewear” are useful starting points. If you want coordinated pieces that can move from training into the rest of the day, athleisure becomes more relevant.
POOR FORM gym wear and activewear
Our range includes individual training pieces and coordinated Complete Looks. Shop women’s gym wear and activewear or men’s gym wear and activewear, including leggings, sports bras, shorts, joggers, performance T-shirts and quarter-zips.
You can also browse the full POOR FORM gym wear and activewear collection.