Vegan Training Gear

This is, for me, by far the hardest area of veganism so far – finding decent training gear. I would greatly welcome any suggestions!

Running

Note: It has been years since I worked in a running shop, so my knowledge is probably outdated. Vegan8 has put together a much more comprehensive guide.

All Brooks running shoes (walking model contains leather)

All New Balance running shoes

All Mizuno running shoes

Any Asics running shoe with the letter N in the product code

BodyGlide

Boxing and Thai boxing

Cheap synthetic gear is often vegan but will begin to smell and deteriorate very rapidly!

Twins Special Synthetic Glove – I haven’t tried these but Twins are a great brand, and their synthetic gloves are made to order so they’re not just a cheap alternative

Twins Special Synthetic Shin Guard – Competition and Classic – as above, haven’t tried these but would guess they would be good

Vehement Wolfheart X1 Boxing Glove – Specifically denoted as vegan, organic, Europe-based (Germany?), these have only recently cropped up and are the best all-round option I have seen. I can’t vouch for the quality as I haven’t tried them, but we need more companies like this and I’m really excited to see them bring more products out (shin guards? 8-14oz boxing gloves? MMA gloves? Rashguards and zip-free tights for grappling?… Please?)

I use a set of Contender synthetic 10oz gloves and shinpads, which my first Thai boxing instructor at Lumpini in Southampton managed to hunt down for me, but I can’t seem to find them online… They have been fantastic and the best-fitting shinpads I have ever tried for my little legs, so I would highly recommend them if you can find them!

MMA

Still investigating… Watch this space!

Golf

Callaway Warbird Glove

Mizuno BioFlex All Weather Glove

TaylorMade Stratus All Weather Glove

There are actually more vegan golf gloves out there that you would think at first glance. Many clearly state “leather” on the front of the packaging and it takes a close look at the materials list to realise it is all synthetic. Most all weather gloves will be synthetic as leather will crack after repeated exposure to moisture.

Massage

I use Biotone Dual Purpose Massage Creme. It contains arnica and ivy extract, as well as aloe vera, vitamin E, and various oils to soothe the skin. A little goes a long way, and doesn’t get absorbed by the skin like a lotion, nor does it slip and slide like an oil – it provides a smooth glide whilst allowing some friction when necessary. Paraben free, animal free, and cruelty free.

8 thoughts on “Vegan Training Gear”

  2. frokenbjorn says:
    Reply

    AAAH! So glad I found this blog! If you accidently hear anything in american football gear, please give me a shout!

  4. Skip says:
    Reply

    Hey Claire,

    I know I’m quite late to the party on this article, but I’ve had a good experience on this one, so I thought I’d share.

    Hayabusa makes Muay Thai gear with a vegan engineered “leather” called vylar – their whole Tokushu collection is made with it.

    I’ve sparred for well over a year with the same set of Tokushu gloves, shinnies, and headgear, and they’ve all held up the same way leather gear has for my training partners. It’s not the cheapest gear you can find, but it’s not cripplingly expensive either, and as I said, in my personal experience with it, it’s held up long enough to make the investment well worth it.

    • greatveganexpectations says:
      Reply

      Hey Skip,

      Thanks for the input (and sorry for the late reply)! I’ve been really slack at updating these pages but will add your suggestion as soon as I do get around to it. I’m definitely all for spending a little more on gear that doesn’t disintegrate, and this range looks good! If only I was still in striking sports… 🙂

      Thanks again and happy training!
      Claire

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