The Perfect T-Shirt- A Review of Muscle Fit Basics
Don’t waste your hard earned physique with shirts that fit like this
T-shirts and jeans are classic wardrobe staples. From clean looking plain tees to the vibrantly colored graphic tees, you can find the jean and T-shirt combo everywhere. The problem is that for muscular men a perfect fit in these two items is incredibly hard to find. Generally, when you start building strength, and along with it a bit of muscle, you get broader shoulders, chest, back, and legs while your waist shrinks. As someone who has been lifting weights for 12 years, I have about a 10' drop from my chest to my waist. Most T-shirts are 0' drop from chest to waist (also known as a box). Go ahead lay out one of your T-shirts if you need a visual. What this means for you is that when you are wearing the T-shirt is you usually have a perfect amount of room around the chest, about 2” of fabric extra, and 7”-9” extra around the waist. That makes for one poorly looking tee. One way to try and remedy this is to look for slim fit tee’s and to size down a size. Sometimes this works, but often when I try this, I get a nice hugging fit around the shoulders and chest with a small parachute around my waist. Is any of this sounding familiar? If so keep reading, because I am about to solve your T-shirt horrors! Enter Muscle Fit Basics.
Who is Muscle Fit Basics
Muscle Fit Basics is a UK based brand that was born out of frustration for the lack of T-shirts for muscular men. They were also frustrated that when they did find quality shirts that they cost an arm and a leg. Muscle Fit Basics makes T-shirts for guys like you and me that have a very athletic build. When I first saw these shirts, I was a bit apprehensive for a few reasons. First, I have never purchased a T-shirt straight off the rack and has fit me perfectly. I have bought athletic, and slim cut clothes with the promise of fitting my frame and they are always off enough that it bothers me. Don’t get me wrong; I have some decently fitting clothing, but the little details make the difference. The second issue I had was I like shipping to be fast and free, hello Amazon Prime. Being based in the UK, and having ordered items from the UK, I figured these would take 10-14 days to get here along with some costly shipping. This concern was quickly answered. If you order $50 or more they have free and fast worldwide shipping, and I mean quick, I had my shirts in 5 days!
Shirt Options
Muscle Fit Basics offers just as the name implies, basic T-shirts for muscular men. Don't let that fool you though; these are anything but the basic T-shirts you see at your local department store. The options range from seven different colors of crew necks to five colors of v-necks. For this article I got three different shirts to test out the different colors and collars, and each delivered more than I expected. The colors are well depicted on the site, but the pictures don't do the quality of the shirts justice.
Sizing/ Fit
The burgundy crew is a perfect fit
In my last article, I went over T-shirt fit for muscular men, but I feel that it is worth restating here for your reference. The hardest part about buying T-shirts is that they have to fit your muscular frame well. The T-shirt is a fantastic option to show off your physic. The problem is that most tees have sleeves and body lengths that are too long and cuts that are too boxy, so they hide rather than show off your frame. For you a perfectly fitting tee will follow these rules:
Athletically cut- this means that the shirt needs to contour with your frame. We do not want a tight fit like compression wear, but a loose fit is just as bad. About 2” of extra fabric all the way down your body is perfect.
The sleeves need to end at your tricep. If you have arms you want to show off, and I hope most of you do, having a higher cut on the sleeves is perfect for accomplishing that.
Your shirt needs to end somewhere between 2” from the top of your pants to the horizontal stitching on the bottom of your zipper.
If you buy shirts that follow these three rules, you will have a perfectly fitting T-shirt! Now I would still shy away from crazy colors and designs, but that really is your call.
The White Crew
Muscle Fit Basics follow all of the rules above for me. I chose the size I usually wear, and the fit is absolutely perfect. On their site, there is a size chart that suggests you select your standard T-shirt size for a "muscle fit" or to size up for a looser fit. If you are at a decent body fat percentage (I know how those fluctuations go as I am down 10% on this last cut) meaning under 18%, I would choose your standard size. Choosing your standard size will give you a great overall fit, not too tight or too loose anywhere. If you need to do a little dieting, you may need to size up as the waist is quite slim. To help you out I am 6’0, 242 pounds, my chest measures 50” and my waist is about 40”, depending on the day. The XL is a perfect fit on me. A quick note here, be sure that you follow the wash instructions. The shirts need to be laid out or hung dry, so they keep their size. I am not sure how much they will shrink, but I am almost certain these would not fit me if I dried them.
Quality and Value
The Navy Crew
Quality is where these tees surprised me. In my closet I have several T-shirts that fall in the $15-$30 range, so for $25 I had about the same expectations when it came to quality, that was a mistake. The ribbed collar, smooth feel of the heavyweight cotton suede fabric, along with the excellent construction blew me away. I am no T-shirt connoisseur, but these are the highest quality T-shirts I have ever worn in my life! If I were to guess, I think you would probably have to spend $75+ in a department store to get this kind of quality, and I have yet to find this quality and fit combo in a T-shirt anywhere. I feel amazing in these and have received multiple comments from my wife about how good they look! Of all of my shirts I have a couple that fit well, but when being compared to these, it is just not the same. Simply put, Muscle Fit Basics tees are leaps and bounds better than any other t-shirts in my closet.
Conclusion
T-shirts are a classic wardrobe essential, and I would suggest you buy high quality and well-fitting essentials so you can look and feel your best. If you are a muscular man, then you need to get some of these. The fit, quality, and value of these are unmatched in my search so far. When I first found these, I thought three shirts would be enough, but Muscle Fit Basics filled a hole in my closet, and I will be buying several more shirts very soon! I suggest you do the same.
When you go to stock up make sure you use the Code ‘Muscular10’ to get 10% discount off your order and to support these articles!
Zach Mitchem
I have been lifting weights for over 15 years and have been a competitive weightlifter and powerlifter. I have had issues with finding clothes that fit properly for as long as I can remember. In 2017 I stepped up my style game in a serious way and realized there are very few decent options for muscular men at the average online or brick and mortar store. I started a journey to find options that fit the muscular man, and the start of the 'Muscular Style' blog was born.
I write about style with the intent to help you avoid all the wasted time and frustration I have encountered in my journey. I want you to be able to buy quality clothing that fits well. Currently, I work as a professional clothier at Smith Bespoke in Salt Lake City and have made helping men dress better into my career.