My partner never understood why men would need specially designed tops for exercise until one incredible cold and wet half marathon in a cotton t-shirt, that transformed his nipples into something that resembled two bleeding pieces of pepperoni (TMI?), after that he decided there was perhaps a need for a proper sports top, enter the Under Armour Raid Short Sleeve T-Shirt. Although the HEATGEAR material is designed for 20 ºC and above, it is ultra-light and can easily be worn as a base layer but my hot blooded boyfriend only ever tends to run in one layer anyway. The Polyester/Elastane combo material feels lovely and soft against the skin, it is highly breathable with a mesh on the back and under the arms that wicks away the sweat to keep you dry and comfortable.

The Raid is a fitted cut and tailored in a way that is very flattering to the figure but it also has a 4-way stretch fabrication that allows greater mobility in any direction making it suitable for weight lifting or playing squash, tennis whatever you like. After a long sweaty work out there is often a chance you may end up not smelling your best but the Raid anti-odour technology prevents the growth of odour-causing microbes and genuinely seems to have a desired effect as my boyfriend didn’t end up smelling half as bad as he normal does (I truly am a lucky girl). I would love to see a little reflector detailing just for some added safety for running in low light and the colour did fade a little after the first few washes (we had high-vis yellow) but not enough to put us off, other than that this top is a thoughtfully designed, high grade constructed sports apparel, reasonably priced and available in 18 colours and sizes S-XXL. RRP £25

4.9 out of 5

Buy now

Pros

Comfortable to wear

Lightweight

Breathable

Reduced odour

Wicking

Ultra-flexible

Good value for money

Cons

Faded a little in the wash