6 Best Dress Shirts for Muscular Guys: Lifters, Rejoice (2024)

Dress shirts can be a real headache.

I look nothing like your local gym’s resident meathead, with muscles on their muscles and veins that might pop out from behind their skin at any second, but I still have broad shoulders and a tapering waist and struggle to find dress shirts that fit my physique.

If the chest and upper body fits, there’s usually enough room in the midsection to fit a whole watermelon, which means that when the shirt is tucked in there’s enough leftover fabric to make a parachute.

If, instead, I try to get a shirt that fits more slim through the midsection and keeps a sleek profile, it feels like I’m wearing a straitjacket across my chest and I have to sacrifice 90% of my arm movement.

Neither situation is ideal, and neither situation makes wearing a suit seem as fun or cool as every James Bond movie.

Tired of not feeling like a million bucks every time I put on a suit and dress shirt, I set out to see if there were dress shirts addressing this problem.

That’s when I came across athletic dress shirts, which are ideal for guys with broad shoulders and muscular frames.

I’ve unpacked the six best dress shirts for muscular guys below, so you no longer have to feel like you’re being punished for being jacked every time you try to dress up.

My Recommendations

Best Overall: State & Liberty Dress Shirts

It’s hard to do better than an athletic dress shirt made by a company that specifically makes dress clothing for men with muscular builds.

gets my top pick not just for that reason, but also because they’re a damn good brand.

They’ve only got one dress shirt in their product lineup, but it comes in a huge variety of colors and patterns that makes it versatile across a number of formalities.

These shirts are made from a lightweight polyester and spandex fabric blend that give 4-way stretch, moisture-wicking, and wrinkle-free properties. There’s nothing worse than spending an hour ironing a cotton dress shirt, only to wrinkle it into oblivion while driving to your outing.

That’s not something you have to worry about with , and since it’s made with extra room in the chest and shoulders, you should be more comfortable driving, walking, or doing anything, really.

These shirts taper down to the waist, which makes them ideal for framing that V-shaped torso you’ve been working hard to get. They also have back darts which help to pull in any extra fabric.

If you want to add a personal, refined touch, you can add your monogram onto the cuffs of these shirts for a small fee.

Best No Tuck: Mizzen+Main Leeward No Tuck Dress Shirt

If you’re the kind of guy who likes to wear jeans or chinos with an untucked button-down but can’t find one that doesn’t make you look like Michael Scott here, that’s where Mizzen+Main comes in.

Their Leeward No Tuck Dress Shirt is made with a polyester and spandex fabric blend that has considerably more spandex than the competition. This makes these shirts more stretchy and wrinkle resistant, which is great for travel.

These shirts are cut to be two inches shorter than their regular shirt length, which creates a much better silhouette for your body and outfit as a whole.

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If you thought you could wear any old dress shirt untucked, you shouldn’t. Most dress shirts have a long, swooping hem that helps the shirt stay tucked in and would look awkward if left untucked.

You can pick up these shirts in a trim or classic fit, which is great for muscular guys. Trim doesn’t always mean tapered, with ample room in the upper body, so the classic fit will likely be your saving grace here.

These shirts also feature back darts, which help remove excess fabric around the lower back and abdomen.

Best Patterns: Rhone Commuter Shirt

Whether you like to stand out with statement pieces or have an understated, nuanced style, patterned dress shirts are a huge help in crafting either style.

Rhone’s Commuter Shirt has a huge number of colors and patterns to choose from, whether you want something bold or something subtle.

These shirts aren’t just pretty, either. They’re made for commuting, traveling, and anything that life throws at you that might get the ol’ sweat glands pumping.

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Besides the typical moisture-wicking, stretch, and quick-dry properties you come to expect from performance dress shirts, the Commuter Shirt is made with Rhone’s proprietary GOLDFUSION Anti-Odor technology. Even if you do sweat on your way to work, the Commuter Shirt has you covered.

Even better, these shirts can be machine washed in cold water—no need for the dry cleaners.

The Commuter Shirt can be purchased in slim or classic fits, which is great for muscular guys who might need the extra room.

Best on a Budget: All Citizens Performance Dress Shirt

If the prices of the three shirts that came before this made your eyes water, All Citizens’ Performance Dress Shirt should help.

Where most of the premium offerings come in at $138 a pop, you can get this performance dress shirt for just half of that, at $68.

When it comes to features, these dress shirts have almost all the bells and whistles of the premium offerings. They’re moisture-wicking, wrinkle-resistant, quick-drying, and super stretchy for all-day comfort.

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All Citizens’ Performance Dress Shirts also have convertible cuffs, which means that you can wear them with just the button or you can swap in cufflinks for extra style.

These shirts come in a fairly small selection of colors, but also feature some fun prints. They can also be purchased in a trim or classic fit, and are cut to a length that enables you to wear them tucked in or untucked with ease.

Best for Tall Guys: Bluffworks Zenith Dress Shirt

If you happen to have won the genetic lottery and have a frame like a professional basketball player, chances are you’ve struggled to find dress shirts that are long enough.

Lucky for you, there are a few companies making performance dress shirts with extra long lengths, and Bluffworks is my favorite.

Their Zenith Dress Shirt has all the attributes of a quality performance dress shirt, and it comes in a tall length as well, which will accommodate anyone with a longer-than-average torso.

This shirt comes in a classic blue pinstripe pattern, which looks sharp and timeless, but oddly enough there are no other color options.

You can order it in a slim or classic fit, depending on your preference, and it also has hidden under-collar buttons to keep that pesky collar in place and looking neat.

Best Spill-Proof: TRUWEAR Phenom Dress Shirt

Even if you don’t have the unfortunate reputation of the guy in the friend group who’s always spilling stuff, it never hurts to have a shirt that can handle the occasional spill.

That’s where TRUWEAR’s Phenom Dress Shirt comes in, which is made with a Durable Water Repellent coating that gives these shirts liquid, odor, and stain resistance. Since this coating is applied to the inside and outside of the shirt, sweat won’t soak into the fabric, which prevents odors from building up.

The Phenom Dress Shirt is made from polyester and spandex fabric, but has a greater concentration of spandex than most of the competition, which gives it more stretch and wrinkle resistance.

These shirts come in slim, standard, and tall cuts, and have a decent selection of colors and patterns to choose from. They’re not the least expensive shirts, but they’re more affordable than the premium offerings.

3 Key Things to Consider When Choosing a Dress Shirt as a Guy With an Athletic Build

1. Fabric

The single most important thing for getting a good dress shirt when you’re built like a tank is the shirt’s fabric.

Dress shirts that are made from stiff, heavy cotton will feel stifling and restrictive, or they’ll be far too large around the midsection if they’re able to accommodate your chest and shoulders.

Look for dress shirts that are made with performance fabric, which is typically a blend of polyester and spandex. This fabric blend stretches like a workout shirt and will wick moisture, breathe well, and be far more comfortable.

2. Fit

Besides fabric, the shirt’s fit is also important to consider. The best cut for a muscular guy is an athletic fit, which will taper down to the waist and have plenty of room in the upper body, but these aren’t always easy to find.

Look for dress shirts that offer both slim and standard cuts, and try ordering both to see which cut fits your frame best. Most of these brands have generous return policies, so you can experiment without dropping a ton of money.

3. Construction

There are no standardized cuts when it comes to slim and regular fits on dress shirts, which means that sometimes the slim shirt will fit like a tube top and the regular fit will be closer to a poncho.

If this is the situation you keep finding yourself in, look for dress shirts that are specifically constructed to have more room in the shoulders and chest, and taper down to the waistline.

State and Liberty’s Dress Shirts are constructed like this, which is a big reason they stand apart from the competition when it comes to men’s performance dress shirts.

Which Should You Pick?

With these six dress shirts to choose from, you shouldn’t have any issues finding one that comfortably fits your frame and musculature.

If you’re looking for a dress shirt that’s specifically constructed with muscular guys in mind, check out State and Liberty’s Dress Shirts.

In the market for more casual dress shirts that can be worn untucked? Go with Mizzen+Main’s Leeward No Tuck Dress Shirt.

If you like to dress to make a statement and want a wide selection of colors and patterns, I recommend Rhone’s Commuter Dress Shirt.

Guys who are on a budget will appreciate All Citizens’ Performance Dress Shirt, which has many of the same bells and whistles as premium dress shirts, but at half the price.

If you’re exceptionally tall and struggle to find dress shirts that are long enough, check out Bluffworks’ Zenith Dress Shirt.

Lastly, if you wouldn’t mind a shirt that’s spill, stain, and odor resistant, I recommend TRUWEAR’s Phenom Dress Shirt.

Know a guy who’s too jacked to wear dress shirts? Share this article with him! He’ll thank you when he’s heading to the gym in a dress shirt, rather than a gym shirt.

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