Trending Now: Statement Fitness Tees

Get your head in the game with a little help from your workout attire.

Everywhere you look—in the gym, on a hiking trail, at the basketball court—you’ll see statement tees and tanks with goofy sayings like “Sweat is Just Fat Crying,” and more serious toned-slogans like “Look like a Beauty, Train like a Beast.”

And while it may seem like the statement shirt trend sprang up overnight, that’s hardly the case: Some of the earliest graphic tees were military-issued attire. One Army T-shirt from World War II was featured on the cover of Life magazine in the 1940s, and from there, the graphic tee took off. From Mickey Mouse tees to band tees (such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones) to political and activist tees, the tee shirt was no longer an undershirt, but a fashion statement—an avenue of self-expression.

So, it’s no surprise that movement lovers adopted the statement tee for just about every fitness trend there is. Some of you may even have a statement shirt for every workout of the week. (No judgment here.) We get it: It’s way more motivating to get up and go to the gym when you have a tank that says “I work out so I can eat more tacos.”

From Target to Etsy to 24 Hour Fitness’ retail area, there are so many places to find statement tees to splurge on. Spiritual Gangster is known for its yoga-inspired tees, Iammai for the edgy sayings on its tees and tanks—even popular fitness retail brands like Under Armour, Reebok and Lorna Jane offer their own line of statement tees. But if you want to flex your creativity muscle, check out these Instagram shots for some cool statement tee and tank ideas, and make your own, with sites like CustomInk, Vistaprint or one of the many online custom printing shops.

Do you even lift, bro?

Photo courtesy of @socialgrace_ink

If your shirt doesn’t let people know you lift, then do you even lift, bro? Words like reps, gains, squats and bar will let people know you’re serious—you’re not just here for the cardio equipment. You go hard-core, and always come back for more.

Running is life

Photo courtesy of @slparkel

Love to run? Love the movie “Elf”? Mix them together and you get a goofy shirt that screams “athletic and pop-culture savvy.” This tank is a fun example of how to showcase your love for running by using a hilarious movie quote. Other ideas? Song lyrics, movie titles and book quotes.

Namaste in yoga

Photo courtesy of @simplystatedapparel

Get your “om” on in a shirt that says, “I’m a yogi, what’s your superpower?” like this tank. Other fun yoga-esque slogans we are partial to include “Namaste in bed” and “Talk to the Hamsa.”

BYO motivation

Photo courtesy of @fit_babz_apparel

Like we said, we get it: Working out is 10 times more fun if you’re motivated by cool attire. Why not take advantage of that, and remind yourself why you got up off the couch and made it to the gym in the first place: to look good naked, eat more tacos…whatever your #priorities, flaunt them.

Just for laughs

Photo courtesy of @berniceglez

We wouldn’t dream of questioning your motivation for working out if we saw you lifting weights in this tank. (Even if your motivation was working off all the doughnuts you ate the day before.) Get the “lols” as you lift—it’s a win-win!

Show us your statement tees! Snap a photo of yourself in your tee or tank, and post it on Instagram with the hashtag #StatementTeeSelfie for a chance to be regrammed on 24Life’s Instagram account.

Photo credit: Jayme Burrows, Adobe Stock