How to choose the right activewear for your body type

Shopping for activewear can be overwhelming at times. What should we be looking out for?

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"When it comes to choosing sports apparel, there’s no doubt that the choice can be overwhelming. With so many styles, materials, and technical features now offered, it can be quite hard to differentiate which products will support you the best," says Jason White, associate professor in exercise science at Northern Kentucky University.

"Firstly, narrow it down by your activity of choice – is it Studio (Pilates, Yoga, etc), indoor or outdoor Running, a high impact gym class or weights? From here, you can select the most appropriate style and support based on features and details to help enhance your comfort and performance.

For instance, if it’s Studio work like yoga, look for leggings with added material stretch and flush seaming as these will be more comfortable during movement. Avoid leggings with external zips or hooks that might ‘dig in’ and cause discomfort while performing poses on the floor.

For high impact exercises, leggings with an integrated internal gripper on your waistband will aid you, minimizing your leggings from rolling down as you jump or run. When it comes to technology, looking for HEAT.RDY and AEROREADY integration is always wise as it will support in keeping you dry and comfortable during your sweatiest sessions."

One of the challenges women with larger breasts face is being able to find the right size or support for their chest. What should we consider?

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"Larger breasts move more and therefore require comprehensive support during sporting activity. As it is often harder to get a good bra fit for larger breasted women, I would encourage opting for sports bras that offer ample adjustment, such as adidas’ new TLRD Impact Luxe Training High Support Bra, which has broad stabilising shoulder straps allowing you full control over required fit and style. Support in sport bras also come from the under band, so be sure to look for ones that have a strong, deep band – which adidas’ TLRD Impact Luxe Training High Support Bra also offers," says Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, professor in biomechanics and head of the research group in breast health at the University of Portsmouth.

"This bra also features a hook and eye closure, which is also more beneficial from a support perspective - to obtain a good level of support, try to avoid sports bras that need to be pulled over your head. Whilst these are great for lower impact activity or for those with smaller breasts, if you want maximum support then a brawith a closure should be your go to.

Larger breasted women will also benefit from state-of-the-art moisture management systems which have been built into a wide range of adidas’ latest collection. Look out for those with AEROREADY technology and bras that have strategically placed mesh detailing or cut outs, such as adidas’ Running Medium Support Pocket Bra, this will provide added airflow in a high sweat zone area."

What are some consequences of wearing ill-fitting activewear?

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"Poor performing and ill-fitting apparel can have tremendous implications on your short term and long-term exercise performance, and your comfort during exercise. In fact, several studies have indicated that too tight-fitting leggings reduce comfort and increase sweat rate, while loose or incorrect fitting leggings could potentially lead to increased pain perception and muscle soreness.

Leggings that are the correct size, with a snug but comfortable fit raise the skin temperature at a faster rate during warm-up and preparation for sporting activities which can reduce the chances of injury and improve flexibility. Overall, uncomfortable apparel can be distracting with recent research revealing that the majority (92 per cent) of women find it difficult to focus on their workout when their apparel is uncomfortable," says Jason.

What’s the thought process when it comes to design and innovation for women’s apparel?

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"One of our main priorities as a brand, and particularly within the design team, is to create apparel tailored for the female form and that helps to minimise performance barriers.

As well as continuous athlete feedback, design always begins with insights from our community – for spring/summer 2023 collection, we found that over nine in 10 women find it difficult to focus on their workout1 when their apparel is uncomfortable, whilst baggy leggings and skin marks were called out for being the regular pain points. Further to this, almost three quarters shared that they have experienced body chafing or pimples due to apparel performance, which is why our innovation process for this new collection was focused on combatting the common issues faced.

Across our entire portfolio, we think carefully about how we can incorporate adidas’ latest material innovations, technologies, and design features, given that we always want to aim to reduce discomfort, allow sole focus on performance and ultimately help ensure sport is a space for all," shares Kim Buerger, senior product manager at adidas.

What gives adidas an edge over other sportswear brands, especially when it comes to the women's range?

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"Across a range of our latest launches, we have collaborated with experts in the field of breast health, biomechanics and exercise science, so together we can fully understand the extent and impact that poor apparel can have on athlete performance. Leveraging these insights and expertise, we are able to provide even more education of why correct support matters and showcase how our products can directly benefit you during sport. Our latest bra and leggings portfolio has also been created to provide tailored & targeted support for specific exercise types: yoga, pilates, gym workouts, cardio, high intensity and Running.

All with the aim of catering to more bodies and workouts than we ever have before, we have designed the collections with best-in-class performance fabrics. Ranging from making our athletes feel as though they are wearing almost nothing to the feeling of being held in and support, the specific design features also mean that our consumers can choose apparel based predominantly on their activity requirements - from low impact yoga sessions to HIIT, as well as weight training and running," says Kim.