There are a few different categories that I tend to hit hard on Black Friday: Electronics, Toys and Activewear. I tend to find the best deals for those items on that day. I would even suggest that activewear is the sleeper category that you can sometimes score big.

Nearly every activewear retailer releases the latest Black Friday ads this time of the year. I’m a man of habit, so I tend to hit up the brands I wear every day. I’m an Adidas shoe hoarder, a Homage t-shirt fiend and there are a handful of other brands that I wear while working out that I’ll mention later in this post.

Let’s point out a few important tips to help you find the best activewear deals on Black Friday.

Search For the Best Deals Right Now

As I mentioned before, I tend to stay in the same lane when it comes to my style. I target the items that I know I will buy at some point, so might as well buy when the price is the best, right? I love my Adidas Ultraboost sneakers. I have a few different colorways and I’m always looking to add a pair or two. I have neck issues and I find wearing lightweight sneakers that have a lot of cushion allows me to have better posture while active, thus less stress on my neck. If you or your loved one have a weakness for certain brands, do your research right now and see if you can score an amazing deal on Black Friday (I’m sure you will).

Do I go to a physical store or buy online?

This is a huge question everyone asks themselves on Black Friday. If you live near the stores you want to target, I’d suggest that both are probably an option, but not all of us live near a Lululemon or a large sporting goods store.

The benefits of doing your Black Friday shopping online is ease, less stress and sometimes you can find limited time coupon codes that can give you some extra savings. I know I’ve had a lot of success with Foot Locker and Amazon on previous Black Fridays.

The in-store option is always more work, but sometimes you can find the absolute best deals in person. You will need to go early to make sure you acquire what you’re looking for, especially if they are extremely limited. Doorbuster savings in stores like Macy’s and other big retailers are another perk of going out on Black Friday.

Do Comparison Shopping Before Black Friday

There are some websites out there like Slickdeals.net that you can find some of the best Black Friday deals. It’s always best to see each store’s Black Friday flyers they release prior to the date. I’ve found that the larger the picture in the ad, the more limited it is and will sell out minutes after the store opens. Luckily, it seems like many of the items stores put on sale to get you in the doors, are also available in some form online. You will find the same availability issue, so it’s something you’ll have to deal with in both shopping methods. 

If you are planning to go to physical sporting goods stores, they all want your business, so places like Foot Locker, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Champs Sports will battle for the best deals on Black Friday. I’d definitely target those flyers and compare the deals on your favorite brands.

Don’t forget stores like Wal-Mart, Target and Mejier, they always have huge discounts on activewear. You don’t always need to hit up a sporting goods store for the best deals in that category.

Plan Your Route & Manage Your Time Wisely

Now with more and more retailers opening up on Thanksgiving or after midnight, you really need to map and schedule out your Black Friday shopping trip. A physical Black Friday trip needs to be planned out by the hour. You’re going to be waiting in long lines, so block out an hour or more to checkout at some locations, but get an idea what you want to do and never just ‘go shopping and find some deals’…those people never have much success.

If you’re doing online shopping on Black Friday, multi-task like a boss! As I mentioned earlier, I’m an Adidas nut and I wear a lot of athleisure and activewear. I refreshed Amazon like crazy last Black Friday because I wanted to score some moisture wicking Climacool Adidas t-shirts. They are crazy comfortable and I was able to find a deal on those with ease. I managed my time and had a few different windows up on my laptop and targeted the stores with the deals I previously researched. I’d even sign up for some alerts on Twitter or via email at the stores you are targeting.

Another tip is that you can cut out the middle man and go to a specific brand’s own website instead of dealing with retailers. Brands like Nike, Under Armour and Adidas have great deals on their own sites. Some even have sitewide deals, which is always super easy to navigate.

I hope this helps you guys out with your activewear Black Friday shopping. I’m always looking to help out my readers and especially dudes who may be somewhat illiterate when it comes to shopping. I used to just go into a store grab what I wanted and get out within ten minutes. I didn’t even used to try on my clothes. I’ve changed a lot over the years and I’ve become a deal gleaner who researches every darn purchase. I’m glad to pass along some of my frugal tips along to you.

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.