With a new year — and a new decade — around the corner, I’m sure that implementing a regularly scheduled workout plan is somewhere in your New Year’s Resolutions. New Year’s can be a great time to finally get that push of motivation you’ve been needing to get your butt into gear and better yourself. With many New Year’s Resolutions being centered around getting into shape and breaking a sweat, comes crowded gyms for at least the first month of the year. This being said, you want to look and feel your best, don’t you?! Lucky for you, I’ve compiled the best leggings for various workout styles (with the help of some of my IG followers). I’ve numbered them on a descending scale, with some of my followers influence, but ultimately these are my opinions on the best leggings!
7. Victoria Secret Sport Leggings ($50-70 CAD)
These leggings are a brand that I haven’t tried before, but they were recommended to me by multiple people so I figured they’re probably good enough to land on this list somehow! Because I haven’t tried them before I can’t vouch for them, but I have been told that they’re very flattering, they stay up (so you don’t have to continuously pull them up), and the leggings with pockets are actually very spacious. If you give these a try let me know!
6. Alphalete R6 Leggings ($75.70 CAD)
These are the only Alphalete leggings that I own, and they’re pretty good! They’re great for functionality, but I don’t find them to be my most flattering leggings which is the only downfall. The contours on the legs are super flattering, but the waistband doesn’t have a lot of compression so I don’t feel greatly tucked in. The best part of these leggings is that they are SWEAT PROOF. You heard me! I’ve worn these leggings to hot yoga before and afterwards you could barely see the sweat, so they’re pretty safe. The only downfall to wearing them in hot yoga is that they’re a thicker material than most yoga pants are, but I still enjoy them for yoga because my feet don’t slip off my legs when I try to do certain poses. Also, because they ship from the US, duties can be a killer depending how big your order is.
5. Lululemon Wunder Unders Full-on Luxtreme ($98 CAD)
The most mentioned leggings from my followers were the lululemon leggings. I own a few pairs of wunder unders myself, and I can vouch that they’re definitely great leggings! Some pros include: they’re high waisted and can come in so many different lengths for all different bodies, the quality is durable and they last long, and the material is thin and smooth so it still allows you to move freely. Some cons to them: the middle seam can make for a mean camel toe, and I find that I’m constantly having to pull them up if I’m doing a workout with weights. Just a note: DO NOT GET THE FULL-ON LUON LEGGINGS. Lululemon makes the Wunder Unders in two different fabrics; the Luxtreme fabric is the far superior one!
4. Aerie Play Real Me HW 7/8 Legging ($54.95 CAD)
I actually haven’t tried these leggings, but I’ve heard from multiple people that they’re amazing and are basically a dupe for the Lululemon Align leggings. When I went online to check the price I noticed they were half off so I bought myself a few pairs, hopefully I love them as much as everyone else! Some pros are that they’re super high waisted and the waistband seam curves (rather than just straight across) so it’s flattering on your behind, they’re really soft and easy to move around in, and they’re thin, making them ideal for all different styles of exercise. A con, however, is that the lighter colours can show sweat.
3. Gymshark Camo Seamless ($90 CAD)
These leggings were all the rave from a lot of Instagram fitness gurus for a while (especially the ones sponsored by Gymshark), but I really like these leggings! They’re very flattering, as they not only compress in the waistband, but they also have a little butt scrunch in the back to emphasize that boooooty. Also, maybe it’s the camo part of the leggings, but I find that it hides sweat marks seamlessly. Speaking of seamless, there isn’t a seam in the front so no camel toes here! The material is a bit thicker but still great for working out in– you can move around while feeling secure on a hard gym day. The main con to these leggings is the price– they’re rather expensive, and if you get hit with duties, it will hurt. I’m lucky because I’ve never paid duties from gymshark before but I really do love some of their leggings.
2. Lululemon Aligns ($98 CAD)
These were the most highly recommended leggings by my followers. Don’t get me wrong, I also love them, but I couldn’t put them as my number 1. The great thing about these leggings is that they’re very high waisted and flattering on the booty. The Nulu material is also so soft – you barely feel them on your body! However, these leggings aren’t meant for hard workouts. They say that you’re only supposed to wear them for an hour of yoga per week, but let’s be real, who’s actually doing that? The reason for this is because the material is so thin that they pill really easily. I’ve found that washing only my workout clothes in the same laundry cycle has helped a bit, but my aligns have still pilled on the inside of the thighs. This is the biggest downside to these leggings, so I couldn’t put them at number one. But, a lot of people love them, and I also love them, so I’d say definitely get yourself a pair if you don’t already own one and decide for yourself if they’re worth the money. Lululemon is usually really great with their exchange/ return policy!
1. Gymshark Energy+ Seamless ($80 CAD)
When I think about my favourite leggings, I always go back to these ones. They’re the leggings I grab from my closet when I know I want to have a good workout. I’ve heard some bad reviews on these from people, but I find that these are the most flattering for my body– the compression on the waistband sucks my waist/ tummy in while also complementing my curves. They’re quite a thick, tight material, which a lot of people don’t like. However, when I know I want to have a killer leg workout, these are my go-to leggings. They keep me feeling comfy and secure while also making me feel really confident. AND, because they’re seamless, there’s no camel toe! If you get these leggings and try them please let me know because I’m super curious to know other people’s opinions on my favourite leggings.
Some honourable mentions that my followers suggested include: Girlfriend Collective, Women’s Best, Gymshark Ultra Seamless, and Jed North.
If you try any of these leggings let me know what you think! Feeling good about yourself in the gym is key, so grab yourself some new motivation in workout clothes and hit that gym! I hope you all crush your goals this year.