I’m really trying to buckle down with my gym routine lately. The resolutionaries aren’t clogging up the gym anymore, and as the weather continues to improve (fingers crossed), I really have no excuse. One thing that always helps motivate me is to have fun workout wear. While a lot of people near me seem to be dripping in Lululemon, I kind of hate their founder, and don’t love their premium price point. So let’s think about some other options that are just as cute and easier on the wallet. I picked a few of their classic options.

High- Rise Leggings

Lulu

These Luon high rise leggings are a good option, but at $98, they’re a little cost prohibitive. Everyone does a black legging, and we can definitely cut a little cost and maintain quality in this category.

Athleta

I love Athleta’s high rise chaturanga leggings, and they’re about $25 cheaper than Lulu’s high rise leggings.

Tie Back Tank

Lulu

I see this tank top on the ladies at my gym all the time. It’s cute but I wouldn’t pay $48 for less than a whole shirt.

Under Armour

Under Armour offers a similar version in several different colors and prints at $38 or below because a lot of the options are on sale. Zella also has a very similar option, and the Gap does it at $27.

Mesh Accent Leggings

Lulu

These are chic mesh accent leggings from Lulu at $98. Let’s see what other options we have.

Zella

Zella is Nordstrom’s private label. The style is on point, like these mesh accent leggings, but these are a good $35 less than Lulu at $64. There are a lot of mesh options out there right now, but I like that this mesh changes it up a little with the chunkier gauge.

Strappy Support Tank

Lulu

I think Lulu really popularized this style of the connected tank and strappy sports bra and there have been a lot of fast followers. At $64, it’s pricey, but to be fair it’s also a two-in-one so I’m not going to hate too much.

Gap

There are a lot of strappy support tops and sports bras out there, but to be honest, most of them are priced at a comparable level to Lulu. Leave it to Gap to come up with a more affordable (but still cute) option at $39.

Other more recent options include Anthropologie who has been steadily adding more active wear (similar prices to Lulu, but some pretty and unique stuff), Lou and Grey over at the Loft who has started adding active leggings and tops, and New Balance who is putting more and more effort into their clothing game. I’m a little sad Nike didn’t show up in this post because I live in Nike and Under Armour, but I realized that they cater to two different athletes. Lulu’s athlete is studio centric and wears the clothes outside of the gym, and Nike/ Under Armour’s athlete is a little more cardio and weight lifting centric, demanding more function and sportier fashion. Athleta seems to be a combination of the two. I could talk about this all day…