Walmart Athletic Gear: Can It Rival Lululemon?

Maintaining an active lifestyle can require doing a lot of laundry. Balancing hot yoga day with leg day means having enough clean workout clothes to get the job done.

But luxury-brand activewear can be incredibly pricey … and yes, we’re talking about Lululemon here. Buying a week’s worth of Lulu leggings might require emptying your emergency fund. Is it possible to find budget-friendly workout clothes of comparable quality at Walmart?

A Material Matter 

Let’s talk fabric, because this is undeniably Lululemon’s main selling point.

When it comes to athletic wear, material matters for quite a few reasons. A garment’s fabric can make it more comfortable and breathable; sweat-wicking technology makes workouts (and the drive home) much more pleasant.

In comparing materials for a basic staple like a capri legging, both Lululemon and the Walmart line Avia have something to offer:

• Lululemon’s cropped legging ($88) is predominantly nylon, getting its stretch from lycra elastane. In other words, these high-end leggings are constructed of polymers. This is how they get their “buttery" stretch.
• Avia’s cropped legging ($6.96) is also made from a synthetic material — in this case, polyester. This makes the pants dry faster, which is helpful when you’re doing a lot of gym laundry. And it’s hard to ignore that the Avia version is less than one-tenth of the Lululemon price tag. But if you want nylon, Avia has that too for only $14.98.

Making the Cut 

A big part of what makes athletic wear flattering is the way it’s cut. Small tailoring issues can spell big differences, even for tank tops and bike shorts. Particularly when it comes to women’s workout pants, certain cuts are more universally flattering than others.

The Walmart label No Boundaries, for example, has Flare Pants with Foldover Waistband that will look good on most body types. The flared opening at the ankle helps to balance out pear shapes, and can also add curves to a more straight-up-and-down figure. The thick foldover waistband cuts the midline in a flattering way. 

Lululemon’s flared pant offers a very similar supermarket-to-gym aesthetic … again, at more than 10 times the price of the Walmart version. Granted, the Lulu version is made from the company’s proprietary Nu-Lu fabric, which is known for being especially soft. Still, No Boundaries is the clear winner for bang-for-your-buck in this category.

Pockets! 

Of course, the true value in a pair of workout pants lies in how much use you’ll get out of them. You don’t need pockets for home workouts, but what if you’re headed out to the trail or gym?

Lululemon offers a lot of fun “hidden" pockets for things like credit cards and key fobs. Luckily, so do plenty of Avia items.

Both Lululemon and Walmart also have some styles that are pocket-free, so whichever brand you’re shopping, make sure to check the product specifications before you check out.

Size Inclusivity 

Some Lulu shoppers complain about the limited sizes available in brick-and-mortar stores, whereas Walmart locations offer a wide range of sizes (from XS to XXXXXL) that you can try on in the fitting rooms — no returns by mail necessary.

Ultimately, it may be the case that no one can truly rival Lululemon’s signature look and feel, but many Walmart activewear options are made of decent textiles at an excellent price. From expansive pockets to inclusive sizes, they have plenty of the details that make working out fun … or at least, as fun as doing sets of burpees can ever be.