What are the best leggings for your training type?
So you take your fitness pretty seriously (or so you think)
Like any self-respecting gym junkie, you work out every other day, and meal prep meticulously. Your Instagram is a scrapbook of gym selfies, and you prefer deadlifts to donuts. You activate your own almonds and you spend your Friday evenings foam rolling (too far?).
But have you ever thought about the fabric on your skin, and how it can affect the way you feel when you’re working out?
Seamless activewear might be a fitness buzzword, but there are still plenty of lifting ladies who aren’t sure what it actually means!
That’s why we went behind the scenes of seamless, so you can brush up on your fashion facts and discover what leggings are best for your workout style!
What makes seamless special?
Step one in your seamless scholarship: understanding the difference between seamless and regular leggings. While they might look the same to the naked eye, regular leggings are created using an entirely different sewing method, called cut and sew
With cut and sew, woven pieces of fabric are sewn together on a machine called an overlocker, hence all of the different kinds of seams you find on some of your favorite workout sets, from the waistband to the crotch seam. An array of different fabrics and materials can be used for cut and sew, whether it’s compression, mesh or performance fabrics.
Contrastingly, seamless leggings for women involve not only a different style of production, but also have their own unique fabric, which is knitted rather than woven.
Seamless fabric is knitted on a tubular machine, with only the inner leg seams stitched together. Because seamless fabric is a knit fabric, it tends to be far more lightweight, with more stretch and shape retention than regular leggings.
Because of the absence of any seams or stitches, seamless leggings are also super unrestrictive, flexible and offer maximum freedom of movement. In other words, they’re created for those heart-racing HIIT sessions where your body has to flex and move without limits.
What leggings are best for the gym?
It all comes down to personal preference. Some have a soft spot for seamless, others revel in regular leggings. It’s never a case of one being better than the other, however there are a few unique elements to think about before you slide over to www.ryderwear.com
If you prefer a tighter, more compressive fit, and like to keep all of your curves tucked in, then you’ll most likely prefer regular cut leggings.
However, if you’re a lover of super-lightweight activewear, then you’ll go wild for the naked, barely-there feel of the seamless fabric.
It’s also worth being aware that not all seamless is created equal. While every seamless piece has the same aim of offering maximum stretch and flexibility, there are different types of fabric on the seamless spectrum.
Collections like Freestyle and the upcoming Electra Seamless range offer a more solid fabric, typically in plain block colours. While the fabric composition is the same, this fabric (let’s call it solid seamless) tends to be on the more compressive side.
Collections like Oasis Seamless will offer a Marl fabric, which is two different yarns knitted together, creating the look of having white flecks through the fabric. Marl seamless fabric is usually lighter and stretchier, however doesn’t have the same secure, compressive feel as solid seamless. While the diversity of seamless fabrics doesn’t end there, Ryderwear usually opt for either a solid or Marl seamless, typically blending in seamless mesh or rib panels through the fabric.
Seamless Test Drive: From our athletes
Wondering what leggings are best for athleisure versus hardcore HIIT workouts? We spoke to our athletes about their favorite seamless collections, and asked them why it’s so essential.
Our Seamless stars
Check out some of our seamless stars in every style!
REGULAR & RADIANT
-Collide Leggings Pink
-Elevate Leggings Berry Red
-Instinct Leggings Orange Rust
SOLID STUNNERS
-Freestyle Leggings Black
-Freestyle Leggings Blue
-Electra Seamless Leggings Blue [Coming Soon!]
MAGIC MARL
-Oasis Seamless Leggings Black
-Oasis Seamless Leggings Seafoam Blue
-Oasis Seamless Leggings Desert Rust
