Workout clothes

I've tried it all - cheap, mid-range, expensive - and as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. I used to refuse to buy Lululemon. $90+ for leggings? They better do yoga for me. Except I was asked to participate in a Lulu fashion show and I put on a pair and I got it - not only are they great for my workouts, they're flattering and oh so comfortable.

I do have pieces from Old Navy or found on the racks at Marshall's or TJ Maxx that have held up well. It's personal preference and available budget at the end. I teach several barre classes a week, lift heavy 4x a week, have cardio conditioning, and take 4-5 barre classes, so I put my workout clothes through the ringer. I've learned to pay for quality - I think I was spending more buying cheap leggings that I'd have to replace every couple of months.

The one thing I'd say not to scrape on? Shoes. Properly fitted shoes are so important.

I spend more money on my workout clothes than I do on my day to day clothes. Now that I workout almost three hours a day six days a week I have found that cheap clothes just don't cut it with how often I had to replace them. I find certain items are absolutely worth their price tag, other items I can deal with the inexpensive version (but since I love workout gear I'm generally not thrifty with anything ha-ha). For example I'll quickly drop $80-100 dollars on Lululemon or Athleta tights because they last a long time and I never have to worry about adjusting them during my workouts but I'm small chested so while i'll drop a significant amount on a sports bra it's definitely not necessary and if I had to cut my clothes budget that's where it would be.

I wouldn't say that nice workout clothes motivate me but having workout clothes that fit perfectly allows me to focus completely on my workout as opposed to constantly tugging and pulling at clothes unnecessarily.

I buy what works well and look for sales.

I wear mostly kids' athletic gear as I'm fairly petite and it's half the price or less, so I'm always on the lookout for, like, kids' Nike Pro tights on clearance racks and that kind of thing. I get stuff that fits and is relatively flattering and in fabrics that work for me and colours I like, but I try to stick to mid-range brands on sale and not spend a ton.

Sports bras and shoes I would pay anything for, though, as those two things are so integral to my comfort and the continued function of my body. Fortunately my sports bras only run about $60 and I can also wear the youth version of my favourite shoe (which I buy at an outlet and generally spend less than $60 on too), so I don't normally have to shell out a bunch, but I absolutely will not buy something that isn't perfect for me in these two cases.

I exercise almost every day and don't rewear anything so I do have to have enough stuff to rotate through without having to do laundry constantly, so that factors in my decision-making too.

And all of my gear for outdoor/winter stuff is pretty high-end stuff, because I live in a pretty extreme climate and I really need my clothes to perform, but even then I tried to buy on sale and choose kids' versions where I could if they were functionally identical. But when you're going to be outdoors in -20 for hours you don't mess around with non-performance brands.

I buy a lot of under armour clothes but I won't pay full price. I only buy the clearance or sale items. It's nice, but not nice enough for a $60 t-shirt.

I used to buy only at Target and Old Navy - cheaper items. However, they don't tend to last very long. So I starting buying some higher end items (on sale of course because when it comes to myself, I'm a cheapass). I really like the workout clothes from LB. I haven't ventured out to anything else simply because I have their CC so it's just easier. Once I lose some more weight, I will venture back into UA or Nike, which is what my daughter (who is an athlete) uses and they both hold up very well!

Now shoes, that's going to be different for everyone based on their needs. I won't skimp on shoes, EVER. I'll pay for it in the end with stress fractures and shin splints. Asics and Brooks are my two go-to brands!

Opposite here, I don't spend much money on workout clothes - I just need them to last and look a little flattering. I buy off brand workout capris (?) and they seem to last. The one thing I DONT skimp on are my shoes. Feet are important.

The bulk of my stuff comes from Decathlon and from sales. Most of it is cheap(ish) to midrange.
However I also have some nice stuff. My splashout on because I want some luxury and nice. Plus the last two doubled as holiday souvenirs.
They are; All Blacks Ladies shirt (NZ RUgby team) I feel oh so great strutting around in that one and the fit is magnificent. I also bought a nice Lorna Jane sweater in Australia. Love it!

I like clothes, so I always buy stuff I think looks good, whether it's for day to day or working out. I've spent $60 on workout shorts from Athleta ... but I've had them for 5 or 6 years, washed them a million times, and they still look brand new. Running shoes - I'll spend $$$ on because I'm going to put a lot of miles on them. But I always look for sales and will also buy stuff from Target. One of my most favorite long sleeve tech shirts was $8 from Walmart.

I'll spend on sports bras and shoes, but the rest is just cheap stuff I see that I like. I do have a couple really good pairs of capris from Athleta a few years ago, a pricey gamble to skate in that paid off - they are really durable. Mostly my pants are from Marshall's and whatever and I wear whatever t-shirt I feel like. I think I have two "workout" tops that are wicking, bought cheap at TJ Maxx or somewhere.

VS max support line of bras currently enable me to run without any discomfort, as a D cup this is important and I can't skimp. I did have a fantastic Champion running bra too but I killed it a while back.

I love the name brand stuff, but only buy it on sale. Same with shoes-I love the high quality brands but I go to an outlet because I wear them out so quickly--I would rather have last year's model/color than pay full price for the current. The one thing I do not skimp on are sports bras. Victoria's Secret workout line VSX is so worth the money--amazing support with a beautiful non-flattening shape, high quality, long-lasting and no uniboob!