If youโre a guy with an athletic build, you probably struggle to find jeans that fit. Here are 10 places you can buy athletic-fit jeans.
If youโre a guy with an athletic build, you probably struggle to find jeans that fit. Today weโll review 10 different pairs of athletic-fit jeans for men.
What Do We Mean by โAthletic?โ
โAthleticโ isnโt a very precise word when referring to someoneโs physique. Using the term โAthletic body type,โ one might be referring to the sinewy silhouette of a jockey or the burly build of a highlander caber tosser.
While โathletic buildโ can mean many different things, for the purpose of this article, weโre referring to guys with thighs and or backsides that are larger than their waists.
Finding the perfect fit for men with an athletic body type (per our definition) can be frustrating. Almost all off-the-rack clothing brands create sizes to fit as many people as possible.
However, this system often overlooks โsize minorities,โ such as athletic men. While you can certainly get jeans adjusted by a tailor, most men would prefer to find jeans that fit off the rack.
How Should Jeans Fit?
While how jeans fit is essentially a matter of personal preference, the general consensus is that most guys look best in jeans that fit close to the body but are not overly tight.ย
See our complete guide for how jeans should fit.
Quick Take
Here are our top recommendations:
Levi 531โs offer an athletic fit without sacrificing a sleek, modern look. These jeans are great for active men who are on the slim side.
Lounge around the house or go to the office in these super comfortable extreme motion jeans from Lee.
Read on for more info and the complete listโฆ
Where To Buy Athletic-Fit Jeans for Men (10 Options)
Below weโll review ten different pairs of athletic-fit jeans.
Levi 511โs
Leviโs are readily available and come in many styles, washes, and sizes at affordable prices. What more can you ask for? Before reviewing jeans for other brands, weโll start off our list with five different Leviโs options for athletic men.
Levi 511โs are a solid choice for a lot of guysโ including many athletic men. However, these jeans are quite narrow above the knee, so 511โs wonโt work for you if you have huge thighs.
For a similar fit but with more room above the knee, try Levi 531โs.
Levi 531โs
The 531 are athletic slim-fit jeans. With a 13.5โ leg opening, they have a more aggressive taper below the knee than 541โs but still have extra room built into the seat and thighs.
Levi 531โs are best for guys that are athletic but on the slimmer side (a body type that most clothing brands overlook).
Levi 541โs
Leviโs 541โs are the brandโs original version of athletic-fit jeans for men. They have extra fabric in the thighs and added room in the seat.
541โs are great for men who canโt wear slim-fit jeans but want something with a more modern look than some of Leviโs more relaxed models.
For reference, the leg opening is about 15.75โ.
Levi 505โs
For an even more relaxed fit and a slightly higher rise, test out some Levi 505โs.
Many weightlifters swear by them.
Levi 501โs
The 501โs are advertised as the โoriginalโ Leviโs fit. These have more of a straight-leg fit than the other Leviโs offerings on our list. Most men will look better in jeans that have some tapering to them. However, 501โs can be a good option for men with larger than average calves (yeah, Iโm talking about you cyclists).
If you do opt for a pair of 501โs, make sure that you get the length right. With a looser fit, youโll want to stay between a slight break and a full break.
Search โLeviโs 501โsโ on Google images, and youโll find that most of the photos show men wearing jeans that โpuddleโ at the bottom– not a good look.
Lee Menโs Athletic Fit Tapered Leg Jean
As an alternative to Levi 541โs, consider Lee Menโs Performance Series Extreme Motion Athletic Fit Tapered Leg Jean (Whew, thatโs a mouth full!). With prices starting at just over $20, you donโt have much to lose.
These jeans are built with comfort in mind. For what itโs worth, the reviews compare them to โmaternity pants for menโ and โstretchy sweatpants.โ
Barbell Apparel
In his Barbell Apparel review, The Modest Man contributor Robert Ordway claims that Barbell Straight Athletic Fit Jeans โput Levi 541โs to shame.โ
If youโre athletic and youโve ever searched for clothes online, then youโve probably come across Barbell Apparel.
One key to Barbellโs success seems to be offering jeans to athletes of many shapes and sizes. Not many other jeans brands receive accolades from both men who are โ5โ8″ 127 pounds โwith big shoulders and narrow hipsโ and 6โ1โ 260-pound gym rats.
Everlane
Weโve reviewed Everlane several times here on The Modest Man. Itโs a brand that offers quality clothing options at reasonable prices.
If youโre looking for quality organic athletic jeans, look no further than Everlaneโs Athletic 4-Way Stretch Organic Jean. These jeans have extra stretch built-in for added comfort and are available in sizes down to 28×28.
I love Everlaneโs site because it allows you to sort comments by the height and weight of the reviewer. Of course, height and weight donโt always relate to body type, but this can still be a useful tool that allows you to easily sort through hundreds of reviews.
Jimmy Auโs for Men 5โฒ8โณ and Under
Jimmy and his son Alan run โthe nation’s only and the world’s largest clothing store dedicated to short men.โ
Alan recommends their classic fit jeans for athletic men, though he says their modern fit can work too (for a somewhat slimmer fit). Jimmy Auโs jeans use โforgiving denim fabrics with 2-10% stretch depending on the fabric.โ
If youโre a shorter guy that struggles to find clothes that fit and find yourself anywhere near Southern California, be sure to pay them a visit. Seriously, nowhere else will you come across as many racks of hard-to-find sizes. While they donโt currently have an online shop, they do take orders by email ([email protected]).
See our full review of Jimmy Auโs.
Which Athletic Jeans Will You Try?
Finding athletic-fit jeans doesnโt have to be complicated. Search online or go to a store near you and buy a few pairs. Return what doesnโt fit, keep what does. Itโs as simple as that.
What denim brands offering athletic-fit jeans did we miss? Share in the comment section below to help out other athletic guys.
As someone who has struggled with this problem, I have been doing well with American Eagle’s stretchier denim. It helps that they go to larger waist sizes, and the smaller leg opening looks good with most sneakers if going for a streetwear-inspired look. They have been leaning heavily into more distressed-looking jeans, but they have some excellent regular cuts with no distressing.