Leggings. My favourite attire and I’m sure every other woman’s too! It’s crazy how the idea of wearing leggings has completely transformed in recent years. Not only are they great training gear, but it seems they have become a fashion hit, attire that is worn as much outside of the gym as in. Why? For obvious reasons not only are they the most comfortable thing ever, but given the pandemic of the last 2 years, everyone being at home meant active wear became the new daily wear or office wear. I have owned many leggings in my time and are always on the hunt for my next favourite brand. So, today’s blog post is me weighing up all my pros and cons of all the types of gym leggings I own and how much value they are for money. I hope it helps you find your next favourite!
House of Peach
I absolutely adore these leggings. In fact, I even have them in most colours; blue, red, black, green, grey etc. The material is super soft, they don’t wear out when you wash them and in fact I’ve had a lot of these leggings since the start of 2019 and they are still going strong!
They are incredibly flattering and the scrunch bum just makes your glutes look boom! It’s enough to make anyone with the flattest ass look like Kim K’s. They are certainly my favourite type of legging to train in too. The high waist makes them even more comfy and great to train even with a sports bra if you still feel a bit body conscious. Prices start at £34.99 which I think a bargain considering how good quality these are! I am genuinely struggling to find anything bad to say about them! If I try hard enough, the fact I’m a short arse means I have to roll up the bottoms slightly, but no biggy. https://www.houseofpeach.com/scrunch-bum-leggings/
Grenade
When the new female Apparel came out in 2021 I fell in love with these sets. I was so chuffed when I got given a couple of sets of these for free when Anton and I did filming and modelling for Grenade at King’s Gym in London.
The material is nice and very comfortable. The only thing I will say about these leggings is when you wash them quite a few times the fit does loosen slightly, especially round the waist, so I do find that in between sets, I’m having to lift up the waist band.
The only other thing I will say, given I’m a short arse, even the small size which I have is made for longer legs than mine. So when you roll the bottoms up, it does slightly cover the Grenade logo. Other than that, I have these in black and army green! Price is around £30 so even cheaper than House of Peach! A real bargain!
Vuori
Honestly, these leggings no lie feel just as soft as LuluLemons! I couldn’t believe the quality when my gym studio gave us some for free in return for promoting this American brand!
I have matching crop tops in black and grey that go with the leggings. Comfy, squat proof and a flattering fit. The high waist makes them even more comfy! I honestly can’t think of anything bad to say about the fit of these. On a negative note this brand is SUPER expensive and I honestly could not justify spending this much on leggings. I’m so lucky I got them for free because I wouldn’t buy them as lovely as they are! Starting price is $89! I would never spend this much on leggings! https://vuoriclothing.com/products/womens-clean-elevation-legging-pale-heather-camo
Primark
For the price (I think they were about £10), not bad at all for your everyday workwear (well my work gym wear).
The high waist is nice and comfy and I got them in grey and black. However, after having them for over a year, the seams have frayed slightly and the fit does loosen the more time you wash them. Personally, I rarely train in them (not because they aren’t squat proof) because these particular ones are, but they are quite plain. A good price for everyday loungewear for sure!
Adidas
I have to say, I’m more team Adidas these days than team Nike. Don’t ask me why, but the last few trainers I have purchased have been Adidas and I love their leggings too.
Those black leggings with 3 stripes are just as cool now as they were when I wore them in the 90s! I have maybe 3 different pairs of Adidas leggings. The usual material ones are super comfy and I mostly wear them for work, not necessarily for training, just because the cotton isn’t necessarily super squat proof. This Christmas just gone, I got given a limited addition of these leggings. Instead of the white stripes, they were black velvet-very snazzy! I love these leggings and they match my Adidas Falcons nicely so great for athleisurewear. Starting price is £18 but again, shop around for Adidas. Pick sites like Very, Sports Direct and Asos as some places are cheaper than others!
FlxxFit
Starting prices for these are roughly £35 so not too bad. I have had these leggings for over 2 years, yet I think when I compare them to my House of Peach ones that are the same age, these haven’t aged as well.
I have them in navy and grey, but they are on the way out now as they have become baggy in areas and because they aren’t completely high waisted, they have also become loose around the waist, so I do find myself pulling them up a few times a day. I got these as soon as I became a PT in 2019 and at first they were great both for work and training in, but to be honest I’ve soon moved away from this brand. The material itself has remained quite soft, but the fit not so good. https://www.flexxfit.co.uk/collections/leggings
VQ
These seamless leggings in sky blue are probably one of my favourite pairs, just because the colour is so vibrant and beautiful, perfect for that warmer weather! I purchased these from a Christmas present voucher and I still adore them.
In fact, I want them in more colours. Seamless and squat proof and high waisted, I can’t think of much else to say. The baby blue is so pretty and they have a lovely range. Look out for their 50% sales, they have certainly cheapened their prices in recent years. £30 for these babies and beautiful fit! Just a word of warning because of the colour, dirt shows up VERY EASILY. I sat down on the gym floor not long ago to do hip thrusts and the dirt showed up very quickly so put a jumper down if you don’t want to dirty them! https://www.vqfit.com/collections/womens-bottoms/products/vanquish-bright-womens-baby-blue-seamless-leggings
Bombshell Sportswear
Be warned, these are not cheap and I only have 1 pair of leggings from this brand. Renowned for your different type of legging (sock leggings or stripes going across the quads) the material of these are beautiful.
Plus, if you wear this brand, you will never see anyone else wearing the same leggings as you. Whenever I wear this particular pair, I am always getting asked by women where I have got them from. As gorgeous as they are, plus one of the oldest pairs I have, they still fit as good as the day I bought them, starting prices are still £87! Honestly, the amount of times I have browsed their site, yet I still cannot justify spending this much again…they are more expensive than my weekly food shop! Truly gorgeous though and long lasting. Furthermore, no matter what size I’ve been (my heaviest off-season or stage lean), the fit attaches to whatever shape or size. Love ‘em.
Ryderwear
My most recent purchase so I cannot tell you as yet how long they will last from washes, but the colours are vibrant and certainly a must for this spring.
I will always opt for scrunch bum and although on the higher price end of leggings at £44.99 they sometimes have a 50% sale so keep your eyes peeled! I bought two of these in the sale and the colours are just stunning. Just be aware, there are no refunds or returns for any items in the outlet sale.
H&M
H&M do lovely sports gear, especially their crop tops and sports bras which are super cute. As lovely this stone colour is and as comfy the material is, you can easily get a camel toe in these and also even seamless underwear shows through.
Great if you’re wearing them with a cute baggy jumper for athleisurewear or out and about but just be careful-a few times I’ve caught my camel toe in the mirror just from my standing stance! From memory price was pretty decent (I think no more than £20) and of course they are seamless.
BEFORE I LEGG-IT
I love leggings-have I mentioned that yet? To be honest, partly why I love my job as a PT is because I get to wear them every day! So different compared to the days of being a teacher and wearing trouser suits, heels and cute pencil skirts! The only bad thing is with wearing leggings everyday, when it comes to wearing jeans again (especially when I’m off season) it’s a shock discovering said jeans no longer fit!!! It almost seems odd, when I dress up normally on a Sunday or a very rare night out out.
Just a bit more advice: look after your leggings! Don’t tumble dry them otherwise their fit can alter.
If you find any other great brands of leggings, please DM me!
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