Maybe I’m old school, but, to me, the gym is a place where a person goes when they want to have fun, escape outside stressors, work hard and indulge in self-improvement both physically and mentally. For many people, the gym is exactly this, but others seem more interested in honoring their inner Coco Channel or Ralph Lauren.

Walk into any gym, and you’ll see this phenomenon. Whether it’s the female with matching purple trim on her Nike shoes, socks, running shorts and headband or the male equipped with his $200 headphones and sporting a homemade tank top that barely qualifies as a shirt. I can’t help but ask, why?

Generally, women are more fashion conscious than their male counterparts, so matching everything from head to toe isn’t a foreign concept, but another problem arises. Knowing the gym is typically testosterone-filled all day, a woman is fully aware of the effect of her two inch shorts, yoga pants or shirt exposing her midsection. Just remember to keep it classy – there’s a fine line between comfort and trashy. The gym is not a place to grab attention. Save that for the weekend nights.

While it would seem that men are not concerned with their appearance at the gym, closer examination shows otherwise. The new fascination with wearing “cut offs” is astonishing. Even on leg day? Come on, guys. I’m not advocating wearing the same shirt all day, but what’s wrong with sleeves? That’s how the t-shirt was made.

First off, I’ve yet to meet a woman who truly cares how much I can bench, squat or the size of my bicep peak. I actually wish they did. You know, they tend to value that overrated stuff like humor, intelligence and humility. Although not related to clothing, please limit the unnecessary grunting and save the flex shows for your bathroom at home. One of the reasons why women and even some males are intimidated to lift weights is the zoo-like atmosphere.

This isn’t meant to be a gym hate column, but, hopefully, one that spreads awareness of some of the nonsense going on. Considering time is the number one excuse for not working out, maybe that 15 minutes you spent picking out your outfit could have been a fewer extra sets of squats or curls for my sleeveless bro’s.

Under no circumstances would I discourage anyone from working out. There is no shame in taking pride in personal appearance – just think a little about your attire and the real purpose of the gym. Remember, function over fashion.