Healthy(ish): workout pants
Workout pants CAN WE PLEASE DISCUSS…
having caught sight of my Lycra-clad, knicker-clamped backside in a gym mirror a few years ago, my exercise underwear is now quite considered. After all, nothing in your wardrobe reveals as much as a pair of leggings, right? We spend a fortune on sweat-wicking, tummy-tucking, buttock-lifting ones only to wear pants underneath that cut like a cheese grater and create bum jowls.
A poll of my friends reveals everyone has a different preference in exercise underwear, and to my surprise many don’t wear any at all. ‘I always go commando,’ says Maria. ‘ There’s nothing worse than trying to focus on push-backs in a spin class while rearranging my underwear.’ My HIIT class buddy Rose concurs, ‘No knickers is way more comfortable, you don’t get hot and sweaty.’
Hmm, I’m not so sure – I’m never conscious of feeling sweaty down below, and as one friend said, what if a hair was to poke through? (Good grooming is essential for going commando, btw.) Or, God forbid, that your leggings are see-through? Having been at the back of many an exercise class, I’m afraid many aren’t as opaque as you think. Luckily, Anjhe Mules, owner of fitnesswear brand Lucas Hugh, understands many women don’t want to wear anything under their leggings and has created super-lightweight built-in briefs with all her leggings to avoid any awkward moments.
Some of my friends wear G-strings, as do I occasionally to avoid VPL. But I’m also part of the big knicker crowd. ‘I can’t risk the dreaded camel toe!’ shrieks one friend. ‘ With so many leggings, the seams are in the wrong place.’ Another, who has five children, says she needs the reassurance of a double lining while she’s banging out the burpees, which – as someone whose pelvic floor ain’t what it used to be – I totally get.
It seems fitnesswear brands are now putting a lot of thought into ‘invisible’ non-budge underwear. My favourites are the Lululemon Mula Bandhawear Bikini, £18, which may seem steep for a pair of pants, but they are so unbelievably soft, snug and lightweight you don’t know they’re there, and neither do they shift position during a sun salutation. For a sexier alternative to the big pant, Sweaty Betty No Show Pants, £16, have no seams so don’t eat into your bottom and they are also slighter and more hipster than regular big pants.
I can also recommend runderwear.co.uk, which is devoted to sports pants. Stretchier and higher waisted than others, there’s something marvellously comfortable and secure about them (and they hold my stomach in). Made from seamless, moisturewicking fabric, they promise not to chafe, which is great for runners. The best bit, however, is that the words ‘Don’t run commando’ are woven into the inside waistband, which makes me laugh every time I go to the loo. Follow Susannah @susannahtaylor_
Do you go Bridget Jones, thongs or full commando?