Is there a gym kit thread...?

[frozenonions]

If not, I thought I'd start one

I have some Sweaty Betty leggings which look beautiful but if I'm brutally honest, the material is too thick. I'm currently lusting after their running jacket https://www.sweatybetty.com/shop/tops/coats-and-jackets/fast-track-running-jacket-SB1962Black.html?dwvarr_SB1962Blackk_color=black&cgid=&tile=2#q=Jacket&lang=default&start=2

I need a new sports bra. I like the look of the straps on this one from H&M (see attached pic) but I may need more support than 'medium'.

I have an amazing H&M gym vest which I absolutely LOVE. Such good value. I might get a grey one but I sweat profusely so not sure that's a good idea

Has anyone got any trainer recommendations, particularly for wide feet?

I have wide feet and find Brooks trainers are the best. Not particularly stylish.

I love H&M gym tops. Have to get my sports bras in M&S though! They do some good high impact ones.

Thanks for the bra recommendation, I will have a look.

I've heard good things about Brooks too, although you're right, they're not very pleasing on the eye

I have wide feet and wear ASICS trainers. Lovely woman in Nike store told me I didn't have Nike feet .

I wear sports bras by Shock Absorber and a front-zipping one from M and S. Also M and S flexifit which aren't marketed as sports bras but I have found to be great. 34DD so not vast of nork but saggy and middle-aged.

I wear leggings from Nike, Under Armour and Gap. T shirts and jackets from Adidas tho they never do anything for very long!

I am a big fan of Lululemon leggings - buttery soft and so high waisted they pretty much come up to my chin (in a good way)

I have the WonderUnder ones in black and the Align yoga leggings. For the WonderUnder you want the luon fabric, if you want them to be all soft and cozy.

My vests and tops have come from TK Maxx - you need to be a bit selective but they have some great things from time to time and cheap as chips to balance out the Lululemon

I really don’t like the feel of Sweaty Betty leggings, and think the prices are ridiculous. I like my leggings to come just below the knee, and the Nike Capris do me fine. SB are too long.
Tops are difficult. I don’t like them long and too fitted, as I go in a lot at the waist, and they just roll up into the narrow part of my waist. I had some nice ones from Jenni Falconer’s XPG rage a few years ago, but I don’t see them now.
My best tops are from Primark, about a year ago. Sadly the stuff they have at present is not my style. And what’s with all these straps on things? I am often to be found untangling people in the changing rooms, and sorting out the criss cross business. Wtf.
Bras are tricky. Again, mine need to be replaced but I can’t find what I want. Again, no fancy straps please. And easy to get on, which a lot of them aren’t.
My socks are all Hilly. Very old and a bit holey but I have never found anything similar.
I wear Saucony. They suit my feet. But then, I don’t think I have particularly wide feet. I go up a size.
I was recently in the USA and they have so much more choice in the High Street.

I love Sweaty Betty! I live in their power leggings (these ones aren’t thick but are squat proof!) and I have that fast track running jacket.

I also run in Brooks, although some Nike do come in wide fit if you use their own website rather than resellers.

Sports bras I always buy shock absorbers but I do struggle to get a good fit.

I also rate Under Armour leggings; I have a pair and they trump my SB ones for less than half the price.

@TamarindCove I'm so jealous of the jacket Do you rate it? Would you recommend?

I need to save some pennies though as I've just ordered these (very pretty) Asics trainers - thanks for the recommendation upthread! The reviews are all really good. They're the Gel Cumulus 21.

Okay confession time. Yes I would recommend the jacket, I liked and wore it so much I bought another one in a different colour and am now trying to resist the temptation of a black one!

It’s very versatile. I used it to run in in the winter but also use it as a lightweight jacket for school runs or something to put over a T-shirt after the gym.

They do come up sometimes on eBay so may be worth keeping your eyes peeled if you don’t mind second hand.

Those trainers look lovely, are they the deep lake coloured ones that SB are selling?

I'm eyeing up the black jacket! The rust coloured one is lovely too. I don't blame you for wanting more than one. The price though

The trainers are Asics. I'm hoping they'll be wide enough but with free delivery and free returns (plus a student discount) I'm going to give them a try. Can't be any worse than my current Nikes which have started to give me pins and needles

Oh sorry, I've just realised what you were asking. Yes those trainers are on the SB website

The H&M bra looks great.

I’m only ever comfy in nike runners. I favour nike running tights in the gym too, they’re thin but I feel supported and covered.

They’re lovely trainers, hope they fit well. I was in store yesterday and saw the jacket in the rust, it is a great colour but I’d end up wanting all the leggings and tops to coordinate with it!

I love the deep lake colour as well which is in your trainers. There’s some lovely items in that colour too which I am trying very hard not to buy!

I have wide toes and tiny feet ! I wear New Balance 890s , New Balance 1080s and Brooks Ghost all in a wide D fitting. Not all brands do the wide fitting but so much comfier with a wide toe box. I even managed to get some of them in the outlet store.

ooh I love gym wear. I spend more on this than anything else at the moment and wear it more than anything else.

Sweaty Betty Power leggings are just the best leggings by far. They come in all lengths. And now have pockets which you can put your phone in while you run.

I also like the zero gravity leggings but not as much. I have some nike ones which seem very thin in comparison.

Lulu lemon running jackets and long sleeved tops are ace

Sweaty Betty Merino Vests are ace. I love running in merino - the other (man made tops) make me itch. i have some long sleeved merino running tops too, which I think are SB.

Sweaty Betty hoodies and sweatshirts also lovely!

Sweaty betty bamboo yoga vests also lovely.

I'm happy with the Nike high impact bras.

I also like Brooks trainers, although I think I'm hankering after the Nike Zoom ones.

I spend most of my weekends in sports gear and many evenings (today I wfh, did a yoga class and wore the power leggings and bamboo top for most of the day). (the bamboo top is good because it has an inbuilt bra, but probably not supportive enough to run in).

Try Tk Maxx for sports bras. Absolutely loads every time I go in there, all sorts of designs and brands.

Ooh my current love! I work from home at the mo. So exercise gear is the closest I get to dressing up 🤣 I'm with several of you guys. Love sweaty Betty and lululemon. Shock Absorber all the way for bras

M&S high impact bras. Front zip which is a must. Cheaper than shock absorber or Victoria secret which also do similar ones.

Zalando is also good for sports clothing.

I'm not a massive Sweaty Betty as I think they're overpriced for the quality. I have a few bits I got in the sale but no way would I pay full price. But I have a friend in my gym who swears by their leggings and has been wearing the same pair for almost 10 years (!).

For leggings I really like Varley and high end Nike (I don't like their cheap leggings as they seem to be more 'leisure wear' rather than being good for hardcore sweatfests). I also quite like some of the camouflage cropped leggings from Tikiboo. Camouflage is the only print I buy from Tikiboo. The rest are a bit too 'childish' for my tastes.

All my sports bras are Shock Absorber. I've tried other brands but always come back to Shock Absorber. M&S were ok but they do have some revolting really dated prints and colours at times. More plain black please M&S! I tried Panache but hated them.

For tops, I wear Nike, Adidas (Adizero), the occasional Sweaty Betty and Koral. I like Koral but their tops seem to be designed for crossfit women with broad backs and no boobs. Sometimes you get lucky with the cut and sometimes you don't (I have one Koral top that is skintight across my boobs and loose everywhere else....bizarre!)

My trainers are all Nike or Stella for Adidas. I have 6 pairs of gym trainers on the go at any one time.

The best gym socks are by Karrimor. OMG they're amazing and not expensive at all. I tried so many brands and my gym owner recommended Karrimor and he was so right! I never wear anything else now.

Oooh socks. I need some of them too. My current Nike ones are a bit holey. What is it that makes Karrimor so fab, @HundredMilesAnHour?

Oh I love having new kit makes me more motivated! I only run really these days, used to be a Nike only person for trainers but discovered New Balance and came home and said to my DH that it was like pumping up your bike tyres when you didn't know they were a bit flat! They look good, too (860 I think mine are called).
I like Hilly/Ron Hill stuff too, DH and his pals are all serious/elite runners and use their stuff and I like to think that copying them makes me look like a serious contender just a lot slower
Thanks for the TK Maxx sports bra tip; I tend to buy the £4 high impact ones from decathlon but they're not the easiest to get on (and come up very small!)

There are threads in Exercise - it's a hardy perennial topic which comes up both here and there most weeks.

Sweaty Betty does seem to have an awful lot of fans in MN, but I think there is higher performance at lower price out there in abundance.

I don't buy Karrimor, as I don't want to boost Mike Ashley's profits.

I would strongly recommend Decathlon own brands (Kalanji and Domyos) for just about everything - inexpensive and high performance, good fit, good fabrics (don't go see through), pockets and drawstrings.

Mid range, the yoga and running brand Tikiboo is fantastic.

If you want to go high price, then there is SweatyBetty and Lululemon, but their performance is really no better than the midrange ones. You can get serious performance/compression /elite gear at that price

Best sports bras - most recommended on MN - are Shock Absorber (they do both multi-sport and running) Panache and Enell.

I've just heard someone in RL recommend Brookes (which are made by someone else, and used to be a different brand IYSWIM, but I can't remember who)

I’m currently looking for some longer length (cover any camel toe) vest tops. Tight rather than flowing. But a decent thickness of material.

@SleepyKat This one from H&M looks longer in the body than most tops, depending on your height. I can't link from their website, but it's on there. Comes in a few colours and is good value. I feel your pain as I also need longer length, to cover my sweaty arse

"I’m currently looking for some longer length (cover any camel toe) vest tops. Tight rather than flowing. But a decent thickness of material."

Try looking in cycling departments. Though they tend to be longer at the back (great for bum coverage). But are tight and stay put, as they usually have grippy stuff inside the hem