The top new football padded shirts from Nike, Under Armour and McDavid

It’s never a good time to get injured, especially at the beginning of the season.

It’s important to protect yourself this fall with a football padded shirt. These shirts feature tough, lightweight pads woven into the fabric to provide you with additional protection on your shoulders, ribs and back.

That makes padded shirts especially important for running backs, wideouts, special teams players or anyone who sees their share of high-speed collisions on the field.

These shirts fit comfortably under your shoulder pads and don’t restrict your movement.

Here’s a look at three of the newest football padded shirts to hit the shelves.

Nike Adult Pro Combat Hyperstrong 5-Pad Compression Shirt ($74.99)

Provides lightweight protection with ergonomically designed Deflex floating foam technology and moisture wicking fabric. ($74.99)

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Under Armour Men’s MPZ 5-Pad Armour Shirt ($69.99)

Built for Football with MPZ shoulder, rib and spine pads. The ArmourGrip on chest, shoulders and back keeps your shoulder pads in place. Strategic vent zones keep you cool, dry and comfortable. ($69.99)

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McDavid Adult HexMesh Black Sleeveless Shirt ($74.99)

The HexMesh on the shoulders provides maximum ventilation, while the HexPads provide extra protection to the shoulders, ribs and spine. ($74.99)

Related: Browse our entire selection of football padded shirts.

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Freshen up your look with Nike’s Core Crew Short Sleeve Shirt

Still wearing that same crusty old shirt under your shoulder pads from two-a-days? That’s nasty.

It might be time to freshen up your look with Nike’s Core Crew short-sleeved shirt.

It’s designed for performance. Nike’s Dri-Fit technology wicks sweat and moisture away from your body, so you don’t get bogged down and fatigued as you play. With a tight fit, it fits well and feels comfortable under shoulder pads.

Get it for $19.99 at Football America.

Related: Browse our selection of football performance shirts.

Nike’s Core Crew Shirt is perfect under your pads or in the weight room

Two-a-days are coming up fast.

That means it’s time to put the finishing touches on your offseason conditioning and really get into championship form. And when you’re getting into championship form, dress like a champion with Nike’s Core Crew short-sleeved shirt.

It’s designed for performance. Nike’s Dri-Fit technology wicks sweat and moisture away from your body, so you don’t get bogged down and fatigued as you train.

Not only is it a great workout shirt, but it also will be perfect to wear when the season starts. It fits well and feels comfortable under shoulder pads.

Get it for $19.99 at Football America.

Related: Browse our selection of football performance shirts.

Stay healthy during offseason workouts, wear your protective pads

Offseason team workouts are just around the corner. That means it’s almost time to put on the helmet and shorts and head out into the heat.

Don’t let your season end before it even starts.

Gear up with a padded shirt and a pair of padded compression shorts. They offer an extra layer of protection on sensitive areas like the shoulders, ribs, hips and legs.

These pads can save you from some of the bumps, bruises and aches that can make playing football a real pain. They can also protect against some of the more major, season-ending injuries like separated shoulders, broken ribs and broken collarbones.

And even though the offseason is full of non-contact drills, there’s always someone who gets injured before the season begins…

We carry a wide selection of both padded shirts and padded compression shorts.

With so many styles and fits to choose from, you’ll no doubt find a set of pads that’s perfect for you.

Among our favorite padded shirts is Rawling’s four-piece Zoombang padded shirt set.

Heavy duty but lightweight, the Zoombang is flexible when worn, but it stiffens up when you take or make a hit. It absorbs as much as 80 percent of the impact from hits on your shoulders and ribs.

This shirt is worn by over 250 NFL players and 23 teams.

When it comes to lower body protection, we’re fans of the McDavid Hexpad Girdle.

With this pair of compression shorts, you have the option to wear shorts with Hexpads in place of thigh pads or slide your own pair of traditional thigh pads into the shorts.

These shorts provide ample protection to the hips, thighs and tailbone.

They can be worn in place of lower body pads on light contact days or in addition to lower body pads for superior protection.

Related: Browse our entire selection of protective football pads.