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What are the Different Types of Activewear Pants?

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

There are three main types of activewear pants: loose fitting activewear pants, tights, and cropped pants. All of these pants are made out of a material that includes a blend of flexible fibers with the occasional exception of loose pants, which may be 100 percent cotton or sometimes even linen. Each type of pants can be worn for a number of different kinds of exercises. For example, tights can be worn for running, cardio exercises, yoga, and weight training. Tights are sometimes even worn as part of casual attire.

Most kinds of activewear pants are versatile, as described above. The choice between activewear pants has to do with both the intended use of the pants, the environment where the pants will be worn, and the preferences of the wearer. Capri activewear pants, for example, are great to wear in warm or hot weather. Some people also simply prefer the look of capri pants and choose to wear them during indoor exercises and during temperate weather. Capri activewear pants are usually designed for women, but there are also some styles for men.

A woman wearing yoga pants.
A woman wearing yoga pants.

There are some kinds of activewear pants that are designed for specific types of weather. For example, there are some pants that are waterproof or water resistant that may be worn during outdoor exercises in wet weather. There are other kinds of activewear pants that are designed specifically to wick sweat away from the skin and evaporate on the surface of the material. These kinds of pants are often worn by people who exercise in cold weather or participate in winter sports such as cross country skiing that involve a great deal of cardiovascular exercise. It is important for the sweat to be drawn away from the skin so that it does not freeze against the skin and cause chills.

Compression shorts.
Compression shorts.

Some kinds of activewear pants, such as yoga pants and tights, have become popular as part of casual attire. In fact, some people who rarely exercise wear these kinds of pants because they are both comfortable and can be worn in a stylish manner. Others wear activewear pants as part of their casual attire on days when they plan to go to the gym or complete some sort of exercise routine. As such, these sorts of pants can often be purchased in a number of colors or patterns to suit different tastes and wardrobes. Some are made in natural, muted tones while others are decorated with wild designs.

Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Diane Goettel
Diane Goettel

In addition to her work as a freelance writer for WiseGEEK, Diane is the executive editor of Black Lawrence Press, an independent publishing company based in upstate New York. She has also edited several anthologies, the e-newsletter Sapling, and The Adirondack Review. Diane has a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and an M.A. from Brooklyn College.

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Discussion Comments

gravois

@tigers88 - Do you ever feel silly or on display when you wear yoga pants? I bought a pair because it seemed like everyone was wearing them but I could not bring myself to walk out the door in them. I feel so uncovered, like I need to get a pair of pants or a skirt to cover up my butt. Am I the only one that feels this way?

tigers88
One of my favorite new kinds of activewear apparel is yoga pants. They are super comfortable and you can do all kinds of gym activities in them.

For anyone who is unfamiliar with activewear clothing, yoga pants are basically a pair of dark women's tights that can be worn during activities with a lot of movement. They are tight but not stretchy so they do not restrict your movements.

ZsaZsa56
This might sound kind of old fashioned of me, but when I am going to be doing something active like playing pickup basketball or doing a lot of yard work, I like to wear an old pair of sweat pants.

They are comfortable, non restricting and you can get them dirty of sweaty without ruining them. I know that these days people like to spend a lot of money on fancy hi tech activewear pants that are specially engineered for their activity but let's get real, who really needs special pants?

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    • A woman wearing yoga pants.
      A woman wearing yoga pants.
    • Compression shorts.
      By: nito
      Compression shorts.
    • Pants that wick away moisture are popular in sports like cross-country skiing.
      By: gunarex
      Pants that wick away moisture are popular in sports like cross-country skiing.