Best Gym Leggings For Every Budget

If you’re anything like me, you own an far too many pairs of leggings. I practically live in them. Given that I’m in the gym 5-6 days a week, it’s fair to say that I go through a lot of leggings each week, so I need a big (if you ask my boyfriend, he’d say it’s too big) collection of gym leggings so I don’t walk around stinking the place out.

It’s easy to go out and buy just any old pair of leggings. What isn’t easy is finding a pair that doesn’t give you camel toe, or provide an in-depth look at what colour underwear you have on that day.

Never fear, I gotchu. With an ever-growing behind and thighs that no pair of jeans can withstand for more than 6 months, I have had quite the challenge over the last 7 or 8 years trying to find the perfect pair(s) of leggings that keep my nether region and granny panties a secret.

I look for 3 main things in a gym legging and I’ve learnt not to buy if they don’t cover all the bases:

  1. They have to be squat proof. Like I said, I don’t need the entirety of World Gym knowing what my undies look like.
  2. They have to be high waisted. I don’t need my lil muffin top rolling over the side of my leggings when I bend at all in the gym. I’m there to feel good about myself not become a walking bakery.
  3. NO CAMEL TOE. If you have thicker legs like myself, you’ll know that this is generally a hard one to find. But it’s a must. Camel toe ain’t cute, especially when you’re sweaty.

So, here are my top 3 pairs of workout leggings. One cheap, one not so cheap, and one splurge:

The “So Affordable I Should Have Bought Two Pairs” Pair:

Old Navy High Waisted Compression Leggings, $32.94 CAD (but Old Navy has a sale on literally all the time… I bought mine for $15).

If I could buy these in every colour, I would. They’re amazing. They’re SO high waisted they come up well into my rib cage. And when they say compression they really mean COMPRESSION. These babies suck you in in all the right places, while still making the booty look good with the stitching just above the glutes. They’re even perfect for all my long legged ladies out there as they’re extra long in the leg (my dumpy little self has to roll them up at the bottom…).

Only thing I would change is the stitching in the crotch area. If you get a little crazy with how far you pull them up, some funny business goes on. Why do companies insist on putting stitching right in the place where we ladies definitely don’t want stitching??

The “Imma Treat Myself” Pair:

Gymshark Flex Leggings, $38 USD + shipping (~$47 CAD): You’ve probably seen these all over every “fitspo” Instagram page for the last 6 months or so and there is good reason for that. They fit in all the right places, they’re breathable, and the design makes your booty look 3x better than it already does with the booty contouring panels.

The waist band is a God-send, it’s so nice and tight that I don’t feel the need to keep hiking them up throughout my workout. AND… no stitching in the middle of the crotch! Camel… NO!!

Again, super long so you elegant, long-legged ladies out there will have no problem with the length. Only thing is that there is a little TOOOO much stretchy fabric around the calves, and the material, although breathable is quite thick.

I have the grey marl version, and the black version. I personally prefer the black (no surprise there) because I feel as though they don’t make me look as stumpy as the grey ones do (short leg probe). But, the grey does amazing things for the booty so choose as you wish; they have a bunch more colour out now than when I ordered!

The “Whoops Maybe Shouldn’t Have Done That #WorthIt” Pair:

Lulu Lemon – pretty much any legging from Lulu has my vote. Nothing compares to them. Seriously. It took me such a long time to convince myself to buy some Lulu leggings because they were just so far out of my price range ($100+), but now I’m hooked.

The only word that I can think of to describe the material they use is buttery. They’re so soft and silky. They suck you in enough to hide what you want to hide, especially on the waist, but not enough that it flattens out the booty.

I’ve never owned a pair that haven’t been squat proof, either – even with black underwear on.

The only, ONLY downside is that you have to be careful when washing them – as in don’t put them in the dryer and wash on cold kind of deal. But at the end of the day this minor inconvenience pales in comparison to how amazing they are.

AND if you ever have issues with products from Lulu, you can email them and explain what happened and they will really take care of you and make sure that you are happy with your product!

Shown: Top – Break Free Tight, Bottom – not sure (sorry) but v. similar

Their Wunder Under High Rise are also a good shout

Do you have any other suggestions for me? I’m open to all suggestions (as long as we’re not talking like $200 ok I’m a recovering University grad, thanku).

Until next time

xx

One Reply to “Best Gym Leggings For Every Budget”

  1. […] gym, especially at this (freezing) time of year. For my top 3 fave leggings check out my blog post here. Then I will pack a sports bra that fits the type of workout I’m doing (e.g. a high impact […]

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