My Review of Xmartial Rash Guards for Women

Xmartial has some really cute BJJ rash guard designs that I kept seeing pop up in my feed, so when a representative from Xmartial reached out to me and asked me to write a review for Jiu Jitsu Thoughts, I decided to pull the trigger and order a blue and white floral one I’d had my eye on for a while.

Even though Xmartial asked me to write this review, they didn’t pay me to write it; I actually paid the full price of the rash guard (over $50). However, they did give me an affiliate link to use so if anyone who reads this ends up deciding to buy an Xmartial rash guard after clicking my link, I may receive a commission on the sale.

Is Xmartial a trustworthy company?

Xmartial is indeed a legit company and one of the most recognized brand names for BJJ gear. Recently I watched the YouTube series The Ultimate Self-Defense Championship and noticed XMartial sponsored the show. I thought the custom Xmartial rash guards the show’s contestants wore were really cool, especially this Anatomy shirt which showed where the contestants had been hit with a fake knife that had red paint on the blade. (Xmartial sells this rash guard on their website.)

In my experience, Xmartial has great customer service and their rash guards seem to be very popular with men, but their rash guards for women leave much to be desired, and in this article I’ll share why I feel that way.

Xmartial Rash Guard Designs

As I mentioned before, the thing that most appealed to me about Xmartial’s rash guards is the variety of fun designs. Since I have a weakness for floral designs, I decided to go with their blue and white floral Victorian rash guard in the short sleeve version.

I also love that all the rash guards come in both short sleeve and long sleeve options. Personally I will only wear a short-sleeved rash guard and have paid to have several of my long-sleeved rash guards professionally altered, but I also know women who will only wear long sleeves due to skin sensitivities. It’s nice for everyone to have the option that works for them.

Xmartial Rash Guard Sizing: How to Choose the Right Size

Okay, so this is where it gets tricky.

Xmartial has a size calculator on their website, but when I put in my measurements, I didn’t seem to match any of the sizes:

Next I tried measuring a rash guard I already have that fits me well to compare it against the size chart. The chest measurement matched the 2XL, the bottom measurement was bigger than their 3XL, and the length matched their Small.

My third approach was to try getting help through their chat support. There I was able to chat right away with a real person who was friendly and helpful. After having me provide my exact measurements, that person recommended that I order women’s size 2XL, so that’s what I went with.

By the way, I am 5’6″ tall, weighed around 155 pounds at the time of ordering, and typically wear size 12 in clothing, so since my recommended size was 2XL that should tell you Xmartial doesn’t offer any sizes for women much bigger than that.

I asked that chat agent why I had to provide my height and weight and desired fit on the order form, because I had wondered whether choosing “Loose” or “Fitted” instead of “Athletic” would result in receiving a different size of shirt, but the person I talked to told me I would have received the same size either way but that providing my sizing helps them check to see if I ordered the best size for me. If I had ordered a size that would have obviously been wrong, before processing my order they would have reached out to verify. I thought that was nice and good customer service.

How Long Does Xmartial take to Ship?

I placed my order on June 24 and it arrived at my house in Missouri, USA on July 12, two and a half weeks later. I thought the shipping speed was reasonable for an independently owned business that’s not Amazon or Walmart.

What I Thought of My Xmartial Rash Guard

I really liked the quality and feel of the material, and I liked that it had this strip of rubber around the bottom of the shirt to prevent it from riding up. (There is a strip of silicone over the words Xmartial.)

This is how it looked on me:

The length was good, and the waist and hips fit well, but the chest and sleeves were weirdly loose.

I can’t speak to what the long sleeved version would have been like, but to me having floppy sleeves while I’m doing Jiu Jitsu isn’t ideal. I guess it’s okay for wearing under a gi, but for NoGi I want my sleeves to be fitted.

Trying a Different Size

The Xmartial who originally reached out to me asked me what I thought of the rash guard, and I told him, so he offered to send me the next size down to try at no extra cost. Here is the second one on me:

It definitely fits me better than the 2XL did, but the chest and sleeves are still looser than I would like. However, I think if I were to go down to size L it might be too tight in the hips, at least for how I like my rash guard to fit.

Comparing Xmartial Sizes

I took some pictures of the XL laid on top of the 2XL so you can see the difference between them.

For this first photo, I laid a tape measure over the approximate waist area, since the bottom of the shirt sits more on the butt rather than the waist, to give a better idea of the waist circumference. Size XL is around 32 inches in waist circumference, and 2XL is around 34 inches.

As you can see in the photo, there is almost no taper from the chest to the waist, which means this shirt seems to have been made for people with no curves.

Additionally, with a sleeve circumference of 13 inches for size XL and 14 inches for size 2XL, these shirts seem to have been made for people with huge biceps.

Even though these shirts are advertised as women’s shirts, they seem to me to have been made for more masculine bodies. How many women do you know with a 34″ waist AND bust AND 14″ biceps?

Below is a comparison of the men’s and women’s sizes. I’ve highlighted the men’s size that has the same chest width as my XL shirt. As you can see there is some difference; they’re not just selling the same shirts with one labeled “men” and the other labeled “women” (which is what I suspected at first).

My Overall Thoughts

Even though the fit isn’t ideal for me, I still really like the designs of Xmartial rash guards. The shirts are comfortable, and the fabric and printing are good quality. The company’s customer service was great.

Maybe women with a different body type than me or those who prefer a looser fit will think it’s perfect, but I feel a bit silly with my sleeves sticking out (not to mention that it’s impractical for NoGi rolling), and the loose fitting chest area isn’t very flattering. Even though I like the print, this will probably never be one of my go-to rash guards. I just wish the rash guard I received was cut more like the one shown in the picture on the Xmartial website (which in retrospect seems like false advertising).

If the shirts were cheaper, I’d be tempted to order some of the other designs in spite of the imperfect fit, but with other rash guard brands to choose from that fit me better, it’s hard for me to justify paying over $50 for these designs.

If at some point Xmartial redesigns their women’s sizes to have a more tapered waist and smaller sleeve circumference (more like the pictures on their website), I would order more of their designs in a heartbeat. Until then, I’ll probably shop elsewhere next time I want to buy a Jiu Jitsu rash guard.