I spend at least part of every single day in workout pants, so having the most-perfect pair is crucial. Too wedgie-inducing? My peaceful daily run is ruined. Fabric that pills? I’ll pick obsessively until it snares. Too sheer? My Pilates classmates discover that I accidentally bought underwear with “I’M COCO-NUTS!” written across the butt. Workout pants matter more to me than most of the rest of my wardrobe, so I put a lot of thought into choosing them. I’m not afraid to spend, either, so I’ve tried plenty of pairs that were a shipping-and-handling fee away from $150. The ones I keep going back to, though? Old Navy’s High-Rise Compression Crops, which are regularly priced at $26.99. (But because this is Old Navy, they’re almost always marked down to $22, and pretty much always eligible for a 20- to 40-percent discount code.)
In a world of celebrity-endorsed, cost-more-than-a-one-way-plane-ticket workout pants, why are these the unicorn? Let me count the ways…
1) The high waist.
Things Lauren Conrad and I have in common:
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Fashion empire.
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Reality TV stardom.
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Would not wear combat boots to the beach.
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Spent 2003-2006 in a rotating lineup up of low-rise jeans, low-rise jean skirts, low-rise “going out pants,” low-rise pajama pants.
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Would rather die than wear low-rise pants in 2019.
LC and I are also both moms, and we know that you can’t perform the acrobatics that parenting requires (“My water bottle is in the bottom of the ball pit!”) in low-rise anything. The high-rise waistband on the Compression Crops is high enough that it hits well above my belly button (right at my natural waist, so muffin-top is never an issue) and keeps all my bits under wraps, no matter how aggressive the Pilates instructor or toddler-in-the-supermarket meltdown.
2) The thickness.
The only thing worse than the toddler-in-the-supermarket meltdown is realizing, as you abandon your cart and scurry toward the nearest exit with a screaming kid in tow, that the workout pants that were opaque at home are now sheer and showcasing your “I’M COCO-NUTS!” boy-cut briefs to all of aisle four. Thank you, neon lighting. But the Compression Crops will not let that happen—well, the suddenly-see-through-pants part, anyway. You can bend and stretch in all the ways (see: water bottle in the bottom of the ball pit) or stumble into some bad lighting, and these will keep your underwear secrets safe.
3) The wicking.
Yes, they’re thick enough to keep you from putting on an unintentional peep show, but you won’t overheat in these pants, either. That’s Go-Dry wicking for you.
I run in Compression Crops straight through summer, and heat has never been an issue. And my sensitive-skinned best friend, who gets a rash along her sports-bra band if she doesn’t change out of it immediately post-workout, wears the same Old Navy workout pants in varying lengths—she’s partial to the 7/8 cut—all day, most days (she works from home) without skin flare-ups.
4) The number of wears they can go between washes.
I run every day, but most days it’s a slow mile followed by some light calisthenics—that means I normally don’t break enough of a sweat that I feel compelled to wash my workout pants after every wear. The Compression Crops don’t show spots, attract lint or pet hair (I have one to two dogs parked on my lap for several hours a day), and ever really look “worn.” There’s never, ever any bagging or sagging in the knees. They also never get funky (see: Go-Dry wicking) and, um, I hate doing laundry. I really don’t know how long I wear a pair before washing them—suffice to say, it’s probably gross—but I never wash them because they look, feel, or smell dirty.
If you’re compelled to wash them more frequently, the color and elasticity hold up through regular washing and drying. No high-maintenance hand-washing or air-drying required.
5) The spandex ratio.
I recommend first-time buyers get the most simple fabrication: solid black fabric that’s 15 percent spandex. The generous amount of stretch is pleasantly smoothing without being suffocating. These workout pants are the exact right amount tight. (My recc: If you’re debating between two sizes, go with the smaller. I actually wear the Compression Shorts) instead of shapewear. TMI?) It’s possible to find pairs in other colors or patterns or with jazzy design elements—mesh panels, laser cutouts, moto stitching—that are just as good as the basics, but in my experience the plain black set the bar. And the bar is high.
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