by Kerstyn
Welcome to review number 3 for the Thick Thighs Project: Athleta.
Some quick biometric data about myself I’ll put in every review to help you take what you need and leave the rest: my natural waist (above my bellybutton) is about 29″ and my usual “pants height waist” fluctuates from 30-33″ depending on bloat, lunar position, and food. My hip measurement is 39″ but I typically try to order for 40-41″ to allow for movement and thigh size. I can wear 28-30″ inseams depending on how the pants are cut. In street clothes I wear anything from 8-14 in women’s sizing (LOL) or a 32/33 by 30 in men’s sized pants. Also: a reminder that this post is not sponsored, I spent my own money, any links are not affiliates and this review is entirely my own honest opinion.
This time I wanted to test a brick and mortar store for anyone who isn’t comfortable ordering online, plus I’ve heard great things about: Athleta. They’re a sister store to Old Navy and I’ve always been happy with my Old Navy Active gear, but Athleta is a higher price point and the whole brand is focused on activewear.
What I Ordered + Size Selection
I have seen a lot of fitness folks I follow rave about the Powervita fabric so I picked out the Stash Pocket Moto Tight in Powervita.
I confess, part of my reasoning was that the Havana Brown color for this was on sale! I also do love some good moto styling. I digress – I fell a bit between the Medium and Large on their chart. I definitely wear a smaller size at Old Navy than most stores and some googling seemed to indicate Athleta might also run large, so I sized down even though I’d probably size up in that situation in other stores.
Initial Impressions
I tried these on out of the bag in case I wanted to exchange them in a store and was pleased to find the Medium actually did work. The fabric is super soft and smooth and very stretchy. I definitely don’t think I’ve felt an activewear piece like it before. I did have a bit of gapping at the very top of the waistband which would be unfortunate if I wanted to wear them with a crop top or sports bra only, but I personally tend to wear longer shirts so it isn’t a deal breaker for me.
That said: I think due to the fabric qualities, the color I chose, and the way it seems to be built to size down then let stretch do the work, these had the potential to get downright pornographic because they were very form fitting. I don’t know how you’d fix this if it concerns you due to the waistband issue.
Stretching
I experienced a little pulling across my hips in these, and they were a tad long. This made for some minor adjustments for bunching but overall the fabric is really clingy (as I noted above) and quite excellent for stretching. My only major complaint here is I’d say they start the gusset awfully far back and I sometimes had to adjust the rise/seat when moving from a big stretch to anything seated.
Running
This was the weakest activity for these leggings. I think something about what makes them so soft impedes their sweat wicking ability a little. The pulling across my hips I mentioned was also more of an issue while running; I think my hip width plus running stride had me at the edge of its stretch ability. I still have them an 8/10 here; they aren’t huge issues, just minor annoyances.
Lifting
The people I’ve seen rave about these have all been very lifting focused and now I see why! I really had no complaints here, the gapping at the waist wasn’t an issue like I worried it might be. I was also impressed that even with a lighter fabric color, the didn’t seem to show how sweaty I was at the end of my session.
Overall Thoughts + Grade
I think if I buy another pair of these I’d go for my usual black. The stretch of the fabric is incredible and they do move with the body very well, I just personally wasn’t super comfortable with the extreme visibility of my entire body from the tight fit + somewhat light fabric I picked. That said, they were really comfortable for lifting in particular, super soft, and had deep pockets. I can see why they’ve been recommended by so many strength-focused instas.
Overall my grade book comes out to a B but I’d give them a B+ for a bit of X-factor that isn’t calculated into the per-category ratings.
-Sandbag K
Kerstyn is a remote member of the Smash fam, residing in sunny vegetarian-friendly California. When not pumping iron she works in computer security and also enjoys martial arts and trying new sports. She met Lis Smash in 2018 at the CrossFit South Cobb powerlifting camp that Lis coached. And then she moved across the country like a jerk. Follow her on Insta at @thescullyeffect.
