These Old Navy leggings were our readers’ pick for this 12 months’s Activewear Awards, and, wow, did they’ve rather a lot to say: “I literally have 25 pairs, and so they’re the one bottoms I’ll do races in. The side pockets are so great, I don’t even must wear running belts during my training runs to maintain my phone, gum, and keys handy.” Another reader shouted out their price point, durability, compression level, and, perhaps most significantly, sweat resistance: “I wear them for my long runs on the treadmill and so they don’t show sweat stains.”
- Available sizes: XS to 4XL | Available lengths: petite, regular, and tall | Available colours: 4 options
Best for Yoga: Lululemon Align High-Rise Pant
- Pros: Extremely soft and stretchy, big selection of color options
- Cons: Lacking compression
Arguably the most-loved Lulu bottoms across the board, the Aligns belong within the dictionary under “yoga leggings.” Buttery soft and non-constricting, they’re designed to feel like a second skin and move with you as you stretch, bend, and flow. “It truly doesn’t feel such as you’re wearing pants, and so they never cause chafing,” wrote one 2024 Activewear Awards judge. While they’re mainly ideal for yoga, our judges and one SoulCycle instructor also really helpful the Align leggings for indoor biking and easily wearing across the house, too.
- Available sizes: 0 to twenty | Available lengths: 23, 25, 28, and 31 inches | Available colours: 12 options
Best for Running: Lululemon Swift Speed High-Rise Tight
- Pros: Designed to cut back friction, zippered back pocket and side pockets
- Cons: On the pricier side
Above all, a great pair of running leggings shouldn’t distract you out of your pace. And with their sleek, sweat-wicking fabric and impressive fit, Lululemon’s Swift Speed tights are good, indeed. ““[They] delay tight within the waist—no sagging,” Sammie Bennett, Trail Sisters group leader in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and ambassador for Gazelle Sportspreviously told SELF. Their continuous drawstring holds the waist in place, while the inseam-free design prevents chafing, so you’ll be able to deal with your strides ahead.
- Available sizes: 0 to twenty | Available lengths: 28 inches | Available colours: 6 options
Best for Gym Workouts: Reebok Lux High-Rise Leggings
- Pros: Relatively reasonably priced for the standard, compressive and supportive
- Cons: Some may find the compression too strong
If you simply want some workhorse leggings that’ll sustain with you thru HIIT classes, lifting sessions, and cardio workouts, you wish a pair of the supportive, ultra-high-waisted Reebok Luxes. They won a 2023 Activewear Award for his or her overall reliability and flexibility. “Sometimes full-length leggings look ‘bunchy’ on the ankles, but these were perfect,” one tester wrote. “The high waistband is amazingly comfortable and flattering. They’re absolutely squat-proof as well. I felt very confident and comfy, and I used to be capable of complete all workouts without having to tug them up or adjust them in any respect (even during [a] sweaty vinyasa yoga class).”
