by Lis
Kerstyn is usually our guest blogger for the Thick Thighs Project, but this month we each reviewed some pants that we received for free. Her review of Born Tough “joggers” is here, and today I’m reviewing the Elite Sports spat pants.
I wear workout gear for a living, so I’m kinda picky about what I wear. My typical spring and summer uniform is Vuori shorts (formerly Lululemon but the liner in Vuori just fits me better) with a Nike or Lululemon sports bra, plus a Team Lis Smash tank top. When the weather cools off I love some sweatpants or joggers, or leggings that aren’t too compressive.
I don’t spend much at Lululemon anymore since their former CEO said their clothes aren’t made for fat people, and also because the store is so heavily yoga and running focused that I just don’t feel very catered to as a strength athlete. But they have supported every strength benefit I host in Atlanta by donating a raffle prize.
On the other hand, Vuori makes comfy clothes but after spending a few hundred bucks with a company, I like to ask for a gift card donation for one of my events. They never get back to me when I make those requests. So that’s annoying. Anyway, here I am saying I don’t love these two brands for certain reasons but I’m still talking about them… so… mission accomplished, fancy brands.
In most shorts and leggings I wear a size medium or an 8/10. I hate anything too tight around my waist, and call me conservative, but I prefer for my ass not to show right through the fabric of my leggings.
Normally this is where I say I bought these with my own money but just like in Kerstyn’s last post, I DIDN’T! Yahoo, we finally got some pants for free. This product was sent to me for free. I received no payment other than a $20 pair of pants. I did not agree to anything but publishing a post with the links provided, and I still wore the pants and evaluated them myself.
These are the Elite Sports compression spat pants. I wanted them in purple, but they were sold out, so I got them in a medium in blue. Now, over a month later, the website is still sold out of the purple. So that’s Strike 2 – your inventory replenishment is poor. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Strike 1 is that you call yourself “Elite Sports”. I began coaching in the crossfit world aka “forging elite fitness.” So I find the faux elitist attitudes from jerks who might be the strongest dude in their little gym once in awhile, to be kind of exhausting. Excuse me Mr. Dudebro, but your range of motion is crap and you move like shit. But I digress.
No, when I tried these pants on, I did not magically feel Elite-er.
Other cons are that the waistband of these babies was hella tight. Otherwise I liked the fit of the pants. But to call them compressive (right there in the title) is false. Since I don’t like compressive leggings, that was fine with me. I liked these okay, because the waistband eventually stretched out enough to wear them.
Initial Impressions
Kerstyn’s pants shipped pretty quickly. We ordered at the same time and she received hers a few days before me. I hadn’t even received the pants and already I had two emails from Ann at Elite Sports, requesting that I write a review. Ann, I GOTTA RECEIVE THE PANTS BEFORE I CAN REVIEW THEM. But when they came out of the package I liked how vibrant the blue color was. The fabric was a little shiny though, which typically isn’t flattering on my heinie (#cottagecheeseass), so I was worried.
Stretching
I did some dynamic warm up and also cool-down yoga in these pants. They stretched with me and didn’t slide down or ride up. Also, they aren’t see-through, so that’s nice. And the shiny fabric didn’t magnify my cellulite after all.
Running
Hard pass. I’ve got hella arthritis in my right knee after two surgeries, so yo no corro. I did wear them for some conditioning work on the C2 rower and my Echo Bike. They were good for that.
Lifting
Pants stayed in place & the barbell didn’t snag them up. I will wear them again for lifting.
Overall Thoughts
This is a brand I would not have tried otherwise, because DUDE: ELITE. But I like the leggings. They are reasonably priced at $19 and my whole ass doesn’t show while squatting. The small waistband pocket was already getting a hole in it after one wash, so I’m not really sure how long these will hold up.
They offer sizes Small up to XXL, so I’d fuck with them on the basis of: you aren’t discriminating against fat athletes.
Grade
They would have gotten a B from me, but the grade slips down to a C+ because of how many emails I got nagging me to make this post. Anyone who reads this blog knows I don’t stick to a very strict posting schedule (maybe next decade because #resolutions). Also, I have a nasty rebellious streak, so the more you bug me about something, the less I want to do it. Then again, I appreciate the free pants. I just know to set clearer expectations and boundaries ahead of time. So thank you Elite & Ann. And please, other companies: SEND US MORE PANTS.
Elite Sports is a worldwide company. Find them here:
https://au.elitesports.com/collections/training-gear-and-equipment
Next we’ll be reviewing some Grrrl! leggings. Karina, a Team Lis Smash athlete, is a huge fan of the brand, and she recently gave me a few pairs of leggings that were too long for her. SURPRISE, Kerstyn, I’m gonna send you a pair. Thanks Karina!
-Lis Smash
