The man bun has been around. In fact, the <a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/fashion/in-brooklyn-committing-to-a-man-bun.html target=_blank>New York Times</a>chronicled the trend — which seemed to be contained in Brooklyn coffee shops and speakeasies — about one year ago. But this is something else. The neatly coiffed man bun is morphing into the samurai ponytail, and it's popping up in what is increasingly becoming a key trend-spotting locale: the gym.It's somewhat of a precise art: gather your hair in a rubber band of your choice at the midpoint between the parietal and occipital bones, which is directly in line with the cheekbones (how flattering). The excess hair can take one of two shapes: the sprout or the nub. Both are acceptable and have been seen in equal numbers at Equinox clubs around the country.After some investigation it seems the trend is thriving for both its fashionable and functional benefits. "I started doing it years ago and my buddies all made fun of me, but not anymore," says Kyle O'Brien, co-owner of Hotel Chantelle in New York City, who was spotted sporting the samurai at Equinox on a recent trip to Miami. "I do the half up and then leave what I call the 'egg shell skirt' at the bottom out of pure necessity. It keeps the hair out of my face on the treadmill."How you tie it up may be a status symbol in and of itself. "I use anything I can get my hands on," says O'Brien. "But sometimes it's a hair tie left on my nightstand from the night before."

As seen at the gym: the samurai pony

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