If you’ve been looking for joggers, there’s a good chance you feel like you have too many choices. The market is saturated with style options right now, which makes it difficult to find the best option for workouts and specific sports.
That’s especially true if you do both low- and high-impact workouts, so let’s cut through some of the noise. What follows is a basic guide to finding the best joggers for your workout or sport, regardless of whether you’re doing low-impact, high-impact or both.
Joggers and Low-Impact vs High-Impact Sports
We’ll start with a definition. The first question many buyers run into when they start shopping is the definition of high-impact vs low-impact.
It’s basically a convenience that allows trainers, athletes and apparel makers to separate their activities and products into clear categories, but it can be confusing when it comes to shopping for joggers.
As a general rule, low-impact workouts mean you have one foot off the ground. Some of the most common low-impact workouts include walking, swimming and steppers, so as you can see that definition requires a little bit of fudging with the “one foot off the ground” part.
Extending from that definition, high-impact workouts mean you have both feet off the ground at the same time.
Jumping, leaping, and running are the most obvious examples, but there’s a broader definition of high impact that refers to the effort, intensity, and how the workout affects your body.
Specifically, we’re talking about sports like boxing, weightlifting, and many activities from the CrossFit school of fitness that stress and impact the body in unusual ways.
Some trainers and athletes would put high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in this category as well. The short-burst activities that raise the heart rate and burn more calories also stress the body in unusual ways, so we’ll go with those two basic definitions as the basis for shopping for joggers.
Jogger Sweatpants For Low-Impact Workouts
For most low-impact workouts, comfort is the priority. Many of the movements in low-impact workouts are on the slower and gentler side, so having joggers that help you execute them with precision is important, too.
Warmth is important for some low-impact workouts, too. Think gym workout on a cold day where the indoor temperature isn’t all that high, or maybe a yoga session early in the morning in a public park.
To meet these needs, low-impact joggers typically start with a combination of cotton and polyester. Many add a layer of fleece to the fabric equation, and as a result, they’re also ideal for lazing around during a day off or the weekend.
Joggers for High-Impact Workouts Like Jogging
The requirements shift some for high-impact workouts. Comfort is still a priority, but it’s almost as important to wear joggers that fit you like a second skin and move with you.
That means technical synthetic fabrics like viscose or elastane that are often integrated into a cotton/polyester blend.
These fabrics add an element of stretchability that’s essential for many HIIT workouts, and it’s also important for workouts that include hot yoga, a demanding Pilates session, or a barre workout.
In addition, they’re designed to wick away moisture and keep you comfortable as you work up a sweat. The fabric is also designed to be breathable, which helps keep you from getting overheated in the middle of a hard workout.
If you want to find out why this is important, try one of these workouts in a pair of old-fashioned cotton sweats. Once you start working out in a quality pair of joggers designed for high-quality workouts, you definitely won’t want to go back to the bad old days of sweatpants.
Low-Impact and High-Impact Fit for Joggers and Jogger Sweatpants
Another issue that can be confusing for those new to the athletic jogger world is fit. It’s very different from the kind of fit you’re looking for in a pair of sweatpants, and there are different criteria for both kinds of workouts.
Once again, we’ll start with joggers for low-impact workouts. A comfortable waist fit is essential, but the joggers shouldn’t be tight enough to restrict movements or make you rethink what you’re about to do.
Similarly, if your joggers start shifting around during a low-impact workout, it’s a sure sign that you’re wearing something that’s too loose.
Joggers typically have a tapered or straight fit that extends down to the ankle. They should sit either just above your socks or slightly over them, and they should move easily with you.
For high-impact workouts, the snugness of the fit matters a little more. In many instances you’re going to be doing violent movements, so your joggers need to move easily with you when you’re lifting something heavy or you suddenly change directions.
Flexibility and the ability to stretch is an important part of the fit, too. Once again, the idea is to have maximum comfort when you move, and one way to test this is to do the so-called squat test. If you can pull off a basic squat comfortably and easily, you’re in the right pair of joggers.
Athletic Joggers vs Sweatpant Joggers: Fabric Quality
Now let’s talk about fabric quality. This is where the rubber hits the road with a good pair of joggers, and you’ll feel the difference instantly.
If moving feels awkward, chances are the fabric is part of the quality. It’s easy enough to check this out—if you see threads hanging from the stitching or it looks like it’s weeks away from coming loose, you need to make a move up the quality ladder.
The Greatness Wins Jogger Pants Solution
If you’re serious about working out and playing sports, you definitely need to check out Greatness Win's joggers. They were designed in part by pro athletes like Derek Jeter and Wayne Gretzky, so they’ll definitely meet your athletic needs and demands.
Greatness Wins joggers also come with a style element that’s uniquely different, and to see it you can go to GreatnessWins.com. They sport the GW logo that was designed to signify performance, and you’ll wear it proudly once you start working out in this gear.
