Your answer on male shirtlessness was great. But it was focused on being outdoors in summertime. At this time of the year we are moving indoors and shirtlessness is discouraged in gyms and yoga studios, where it might be practiced, and even at home. You ought to extend your article to indoor venues where male shirtlessness is also frowned on.

So, a challenge is made and I accept!

Shirtless in Yoga Studios?

As vaccines and boosters enable the pandemic restrictions to ease, it’s time to take men’s shirtless freedom indoors, like to yoga classes and gyms. The shirtless issue here, in the light of the question I attempted to answer, is that most yoga classes are attended mostly by women. Do women object to men being shirtless in a yoga class? Some don’t, but unfortunately, some do. And it depends on the venue.

I began practicing yoga in the local YMCA. One day my t-shirt was bothering me in inversions and I decided to be bold and take it off. I was amazed by how much additional freedom of movement and energy it provided. So I just continued practicing shirtless. That seemed to be okay with the woman teacher. A few times the program director, who was a male, also participated in the noon class. He saw me shirtless and never commented. A few times we showered together after class (nude, of course). Then a new program director, a woman, replaced the male. A substitute woman teacher must have reported to her that I was shirtless in class. YMCA policy required shirts to be worn in exercise and activity rooms and the room used for yoga apparently fit into that category. So the new woman program director called me to ask me to please wear a shirt in yoga class because the Y is a family organization. I told her that the Y was a family organization when I was swimming naked as a youth in the 1950s/60s (it was a Y requirement!). This didn’t register with her. It seems to be suppressed history. She tried to be helpful and told me about men’s t-shirts that wicked sweat. I thanked her for the information but decided to branch out into the wider world of yoga rather than fight it.

I tried Bikram’s hot yoga where all the men were shirtless. In a studio set at 104-degrees F and with a vigorous practice, men would have been crazy to keep their shirts on. Even the women practiced wearing sports halters.

But Bikram didn’t resonate with me as yoga. It was too regimented and routine (24 invariable poses, 2 invariable pranayamas). I found a studio owned by a young couple who offered a more creative approach to Hatha Yoga and seemed okay with my penchant for practicing shirtless. In fact, the woman teacher said that my practice had to be respected. Her husband told me that being shirtless was okay unless someone complained. In a predominantly-female studio, that didn’t provide much security for my shirtless practice. I liked the owners of the studio and realized that their livelihood depended on attracting students. A new woman coming into the studio for the first time might be uncomfortable practicing yoga next to a shirtless old man. I have to wonder, however, if male shirtless practice in a female-dominant yoga studio depends on the man (see below).

For the most part I was able to practice shirtless in that studio. I thought I might start a trend and get other men to remove their shirts also. But in the more than the dozen years in which I attended classes in that studio, only two other men ever joined me in practicing yoga shirtless. This is a photo my yoga teacher obligingly took of me in low lunge twist when I was 72-years old. (The position of my back leg suggests that I was in the process of moving from low to high lunge while holding the twist.)

We usually think about women being uncomfortable with a shirtless man in the class. But I think a shirtless man in a yoga class is more of a threat to other men than an offense to women simply because so many men are shy about taking off their shirts in public (although they’re not likely to complain). In any event, men-only yoga classes are few and far between. In metropolitan areas naked yoga is becoming more available for men (and women) who are bold enough to try it. (See Frank Answers About Naked Yoga.) Yoga should be about exploring freedom in the body. Cities offer more freedom of expression and yoga studios in urban areas may be more open about shirtless men and women in sports bras practicing in their studios. Their market is more aimed at metrosexuals.

Shirtless in Gyms?

As amazing as it sounds, most Gyms today do not allow men to practice shirtless. The reason is that men sweat a lot. In a yoga studio they sweat primarily on their own yoga mat. In a gym they sweat on the common equipment, and that needs to be wiped down after each use. That said, it’s best if men bring their own mat to yoga class if they’re going to practice shirtless. Some gyms, like Planet Fitness, are generally opposed to shirtlessness. Other gyms, such as Crossfit, are more open to shirtless workouts. But wipe off the equipment after use. And don’t be a show-off.

Even so, wearing outdoor workout clothes in a warm gym can make one too hot. The body needs a breath of fresh air to cool down and be re-energized. This boy was wearing too much to begin with!

Gyms that require shirts do allow tank tops and t-shirts with the arms cut out. But the bodybuilders wear t-shirts that allow the nipples on their bulging pecs to be exposed, and others wear t-shirts with the whole sides cut out so that only the center of their torso is covered. This is minimally abiding by the rules.

There are gyms that allow that allow men to work out shirtless, especially those that cater to LGBT customers. Who is going to tell this guy to put his shirt on?

Some offices provide gym equipment, and male workers could probably be shirtless when using equipment like treadmills. They wouldn’t want to be all sweaty when they return to their work space.

Also, private studios of fitness trainers might even encourage shirtlessness. I was in a small group of men in a fitness class in my teacher’s studio and he said, “Men, it’s getting hot in here. I’m taking my shirt off. You guys can too, if you want to.” In this photo of me holding forearm plank, my shirtless instructor in the background is timing me.

Shirtless on Campus

Of course, young men on college and university campuses will find plenty of opportunities to be shirtless in public. For starts, there is dorm life. Some guys are always shirtless in their rooms, the hallways, and lounges.

They may show up at campus parties where women are present, as well as other guys who aren’t as bold to remove their shirts in a co-ed social setting.

Frat boys are habitually shirtless, especially when it comes to parties, like these Lambda Chi Alpha guys.

Basketball games provide opportunities to be shirtless indoors, like these Fordham fans.

Shirtless at Home

A place to start practicing shirtlessness might be in your own home. If you can overcome the discomfort of being shirtless around your own family members, you’re ready to try it on strangers.

But why eat cold cereal when you could easily learn to scramble eggs:

This father is giving his sons a good shirtless experience.

So why do men want to be shirtless anyway? I’ve suggested a couple of reasons in the article About Male Shirtlessness, beginning with the fact that it’s a male privilege where it is allowed. Women can’t whip their shirts off in public (although female shirtlessness sans bras is allowed in New York City). Some people even object to breast feeding.

Then there’s the factor that men sweat a lot. When performing an activity outdoors the wind cools the body. Shirts, like all clothing, keep the body warm—-maybe too warm for runners, yogis, and bodybuilders whose exertions generate a lot of heat. I think if women can wear sports bras men can be shirtless.

Shirtless workouts give a burst of energy and also helps with good form. The body isn’t hidden by a t-shirt but exposed to sight. That’s why bodybuilders watch themselves in a mirror. Bikram yoga also encourages looking in a mirror, although in real yoga one should feel what the body is doing and not need to look at it in a mirror.

Finally, being shirtless with other men creates bonding and gives one a sense of intimacy with one another. Maybe that’s why fraternity brothers are so often shirtless with one another. Being shirtless also helps one overcome fears of exposure to others and being vulnerable.

Gymnophobia

That said, there is a condition called Gymnophobia. The word “gym” comes from the Greek word gymnos (naked). The ancient Greeks used to exercise naked. But many people, including men, have a fear of being naked. Gymnophobia can have many different causes, such as a sexual trauma, being bullied or made fun of as a youth, fear of nudity or sex from being raised in a conservative religious culture. It can be related to other anxieties as well, as such a fear of vulnerability or intimacy, social anxiety, or a physical deformity. These are issues that are worth exploring with a therapist, and the very possibility of someone being gymnophobic suggests that men who wear their shirts should not be shamed by those who are comfortable being shirtless in public where it is acceptable. Precisely to overcome issues of body shame or discomfort, however, male shirtlessness should be encouraged. The more men see other men being shirtless in public, the more they might be willing to try. It can be a great feeling of liberation.

So, I hope you find ways to exercise your shirtless freedom indoors during the colder months of the year. Looking forward to the first rays of spring sun and being outdoors shirtless once again, soaking up Vitamin D the natural way.

Pastor Frank