I Found Baggy Pants I Can Actually Work Out In

Theone’sthatdidn’tcutit

Splits59 came onto my radar around the time that Strategist contributor Katie Stone discoveredits unitard actually works for working out. Itsstirrup leggingsare a hit among regulars from elite, referral-only studio Forma Pilates, too, so I knew I’d have to give its baggy activewear pants a try. The pants themselves combine the best elements of track pants and leggings: a nice stripe down the leg and a moisture-wicking blend of nylon and spandex. While this made them both comfortable and stylish enough to wear while, say, doing a reformer Pilates class, they were too long to do anything that required lots of steps. (Give us more petite options, Splits59!) I also found the waist band warped slightly after repeated wear and washing.

Baggy workout pants inherently have more fabric than your average pair of leggings, but I’m still looking for something lightweight and breathable. The leg part of these pants, which are made from a blend of nylon and spandex, passes that test, but the triple-layer waistband was too thick and compressive for what I was looking for. If you’re not ready to give upallof your leggings’ compression, though, these might be just right.

I learned about these Dance Studio pants from a Lululemon-loving teen who told me everyone in her preprofessional ballet program wore these (and, of course, carried around aLululemon key chain). I tried them in my usual size (a 6 at Lululemon), but they were too tight on my thighs to count as baggy workout pants in my opinion. Rather than being flush to my legs, the pockets also bunched awkwardly. Perhaps I could have sized up, but there were other workout pants to try.

Therunners-up

Vuoriisn’t new by any means — contributor Katie Stone wrote about its breathably lightweight leggings and “beyond buttery” workout tops earlier this year, and my younger brother has been wearing its workout clothes for longer than I can remember — but recently, it feels like reformer Pilates girls have been discovering it for the first time. While many of the Forma Pilates regulars and instructors were particularly interested in the brand’s leggings when I spoke to them last summer, these wide-leg, moisture-wicking pants caught my eye. I love the stretchy elastic waistband and truly airy fabric that is so lightweight I barely feel the pants on my body. The material was almosttoosilky, though, meaning when I did a one-legged downward-facing dog, my pant leg rolled halfway down my thigh. This was more annoying than anything else, and I knew I could find a pant that was more functional.

My colleague Brenley Goertzen recommended these, which she wears while walking on the treadmill, lifting weights, or doing HIIT workouts. I would’ve named them my winner if Lululemon hadn’t released another pant I liked even better (more on that below). Still, these are a great option for anyone looking for a baggier alternative to their Align leggings. They’re available in three inseams (29.5, 32, and 34 inches), and I tried the shortest, which hit right below my ankle. Similar to the original Aligns, these are silky soft and stretchy enough to do lunges and feet-in-straps leg circles on the Pilates reformer. I also didn’t have any problems with my heel catching in the leg opening while I was warming up on the treadmill or climbing the StairMaster. I just wish the pants didn’t roll down most of my leg while doing exercises when my feet were in the air.

These are a thicker, slightly longer version of the Palazzo pants above. As such, I wouldn’t wear them to a heated yoga class, but they’ve become my favorite pants to wear to physical-therapy sessions addressing a recent back injury. On days when I need less pressure on my back and abdomen, I can make the pants even more baggy. Still, the pant legs themselves aren’t so loose that I would find it difficult to slip on a resistance band to complete my exercises.

While Free People technically didn’t win my hunt, I’d give it an honorary mention for just how many pairs of baggy workout pants it has on offer. Every time I look at its site it feels like it’s released ten more options, and these caught my attention most recently. At the thigh, they resemble leggings more than I was looking for, but the bubble shape at the ankles makes up for it — not to mention it prevents the pants from sliding up my leg. Still, the bubble was slightly too large, making it so I kept getting caught on workout equipment or other Pilates reformers as I walked through my gym. In the yoga studio, though, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Ever since my colleague Arielle Avila wrote about Oner ina recent “Strategist Brain,”I’ve been curious about the brand whose buttery-soft activewear is relatively affordable compared to Lululemon and Splits59. In recent months, the brand kept popping up in real life, too: I noticed girls wearing the leggings in my mat Pilates classes and others wearing these straight-leg pants during reformer Pilates classes. From the second I put them on, I was impressed by the fit, which highlighted my curves without being too compressive. Still, whether I wore them inblackor thelighter Minky shade, I could always see my sweat on them by the end of a workout. I noticed this on some other people at my gym, too. I tried them in two lengths, regular and short, which hit my feet and my ankle, respectively.

Thewinners

Out of all the workout pants I’ve tested for this story, I’ve worn these the most by far. They’re easy to pull on, don’t show my sweat marks, and have maintained their shape through countless washing-machine cycles. (For context, I air-dry all of my workout clothing on adrying rack.) They’re just tight enough on my thighs that it prevents the bunching problem (they stop at my knee rather than my mid-thigh) without veering intoflare-legging territory. And since the petite length ends at the bottom of my ankle, I can climb on the StairMaster without any worries that I might fall. Gen Z may be on the verge of boycottingmatching workout sets, too, but I’m tempted to buy thematching sports bra.

When our writer Tembe Denton-Hurst clued us in to the affordable wonders happening over inOld Navy’s activewear section, I knew I’d have to try its take on baggy workout leggings. Its petite length is slightly shorter than Aritzia’s (they end above my ankle rather than below it), but that just makes them even more compatible with workouts on the treadmill and StairMaster. They’re slightly thinner and less soft than my pair from Aritzia, but I’d expect the difference to be more noticeable considering they’re just a quarter of the price. If you’re looking for an affordable pair of workout pants to replace your leggings, it’s hard to do better than these.

In what seems like an attempt to win back the yoga and Pilates girlies who have turned to Set Active, Splits59, 437, and other more boutique activewear brands, Lululemon releaseda new collection of yoga and Pilates clothesthat are looser than the Align leggings and Define jackets it’s known for. I can’t speak for the other Pilates enthusiasts, but these pants have won me over. Since their balloon shape spans the whole leg rather than just the calf in the case of the Free People pants above, they feel like less of a safety hazard as I walk past large equipment in my gym. Something about the shape makes me feel like I should be teaching yoga at a wellness retreat, and my form may just be getting better as a result. I appreciate that cinched hems prevent the baggy pant legs from moving too much throughout my workout, and even though they’re not available in a petite length, they still hit right above my ankle. Perhaps I’m letting my eighth-grade self influence my judgment here, but something just feels right about the pants being made of Lululemon’s Align fabric. Few proprietary activewear fabrics are as soft and buttery in comparison.