The Body Grooming Routine for Guys Who Work Out

When your heart rate is elevated, you need to cool down for about 10-15 minutes before hopping into the shower. You’ll not only normalize your heart rate, but also allow your body to regulate your core temperature. Use this time to hydrate (to replenish what you lost during the workout) and transition into a stretching routine (to prevent any injuries or cramps later).

Start your shower with cooler water to ease muscle tension and inflammation, and further bring down your internal temperature. Your standard body wash isn’t built for sweat-heavy skin, so you need something that clears pores and prevents breakouts. Salicylic acid unclogs pores and exfoliates to keep skin clear—especially important if you’re wearing compression gear or reusing gym towels. Lather up and let it sit on your skin for a full 60 seconds before rinsing. That’s the difference between “cleaning” and treating your skin.

Back and shoulders are ground zero for breakouts—and also the hardest areas to treat consistently. A spray does the work for you. Think of it as insurance against sweat and bacteria getting trapped on your skin.

When you work out and sweat, you’re losing water via evaporation through your skin. This helps detox the body (good) but makes you more prone to dry skin and irritation (bad). Just like rehydrating your body with water, you need to rehydrate your skin with quality moisturizers. Most guys skip this step, and it’s why their skin swings between oily and dry. The key is using the right moisturizer. Look for formulas rich with natural ingredients like urea (smooths rough texture, hydrates deeply) and ceramides (repairs the skin barrier). Apply right after showering, while skin is still slightly damp. This locks in hydration and keeps skin from overproducing oil.

The last step is simple: Control odor without complicating things. You don’t need something clinical here. Just something reliable, clean and not overpowering—especially if you’re already using cologne. We’ve tried a lot over the years and this is one of those rare drugstore staples that punches above its weight: The aluminum-free formula won’t stain clothes, while baking soda absorbs odor naturally for over 24 hours. It’s also built for exactly this use case—active guys who sweat but don’t want to smell like a locker room.