Fashion

Best Leggings for Running of 2026

Updated September 7, 2026

The softest pair of leggings in your drawer is usually the one that ends up around your knees at mile three. That's the trade-off nobody mentions: fabric that feels like a second skin rarely holds anything in, and the pairs that lock everything down can feel like a wetsuit. What you're actually chasing is a pair that stays put through a run and still feels good against your skin when you peel it off. Fit, opacity, pocket placement, and a waistband that doesn't roll are what separate a legging you run in from a legging you wear to the grocery store.

I've spent the past four months rotating 14 pairs through road runs, treadmill intervals, and long weekend miles, and the gaps showed up fast. Here's what nobody tells a first-time buyer: your size isn't the only variable — waist rise and inseam length change how a pair sits and where the hem lands, and a great fit in the wrong length still slides. Fabric thickness matters too, mostly for what it hides under gym lighting. The picks below are the ones that held up.

1

ODODOS High Waisted Leggings with Pockets

Top Pick
ODODOS High Waisted Leggings with Pockets

Daily runs

Our Score 9.0/10
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Worth Noting

  • Long on shorter frames; hem lands below the ankle
Rise
High waisted
Opacity
Non see-through knit
Pockets
Side pockets
Support
Tummy control

Three things end a run early: a waistband that has crept down to your hips, a seat that has gone sheer in the sun, and a phone that has been swinging against your thigh for two miles. This ODODOS pair handles all three. The high waist sits flat rather than folding over, and the knit is dense enough to stay opaque through a bend without turning into a sauna on a warm morning.

What we didn't expect was how much it behaves like a proper athletic tight for something shelved with the yoga pants. The side pockets are deep and set far enough down the thigh that a phone sits still instead of swinging, and the fabric has real recovery in it — it comes back to you rather than bagging at the knee, and it survives the wash without pilling.

Sizing is the one place to slow down. These run close through the waist and hip, so the size chart is a better guide than the number you wear in another brand. If you're between sizes, take the larger one: there's enough stretch to take up the difference, and the band still holds.

Against the Under Armour pair in this guide, it gives up compression and gains pockets, a softer hand, and a cut that works as well off the treadmill as on it. For easy and middle-distance runs, which is the bulk of most people's weeks, it's the pair we hand over first.

Bottom line: Buy this one if you want a single pair for daily runs and the hours around them: it stays up, stays opaque, and carries a phone without complaint.

2

Under Armour Women's HeatGear No-Slip Leggings

Under Armour Women's HeatGear No-Slip Leggings

Tempo and speed

Our Score 9.0/10
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Worth Noting

  • Single small pocket
  • Light fabric feels thin on cold mornings
Rise
High waisted
Length
Ankle
Waistband
No-slip

Start with the name, because it's the first thing that will trip you up. Under Armour sells these as high waisted, and on many frames the band lands closer to mid-rise — under the navel rather than over it. Accept that and the rest makes sense: this is a compression legging built to hold your legs steady through a hard effort, not a soft pair for the sofa.

Where it earns a place is at pace. The no-slip band holds without a drawstring, so there's no mid-run hitch at the hip, and the compression keeps the legs quiet through tempo work and long descents. Ankle length is the other quiet win: the hem clears the shoe instead of bunching into a sock. On an easy day it can feel like more support than you need; on a fast one it's exactly right.

Sizing takes a decision, because these run small and the lighter colorways fit a little differently from the black. Order a size up if you're between, and go by the chart rather than the number you wear in another brand.

If you want one pair to do everything, the ODODOS is the easier buy. If you want the pair that makes a hard session feel controlled, start here.

Bottom line: If you want real compression for tempo work, this is the pair: it holds the legs steady and stays up without tugging — just size up and expect a mid rise.

3

Under Armour Men's HeatGear Armour Leggings

Under Armour Men's HeatGear Armour Leggings

Men's running

Our Score 9.2/10
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Worth Noting

  • Waist seams can give out early
Type
Compression tights
Length
Full length
Department
Men's

Men who run in tights split into two camps: the ones who wear them under shorts and the ones who don't. This pair works either way, which is why it's the men's pick here. The compression holds the leg without fighting it, and the fabric is warm enough for a cold morning without the bulk of a thermal tight.

Fit is where it earns trust. The legs don't ride up, the waist doesn't fall down, and the whole thing stays where you put it through a run. We also noticed a small pocket — enough for a key or a card rather than a phone, but more than most compression tights bother with.

Sizing is the thing to get right: these run small enough that the chart matters more than the number you wear in another brand. Buy your chart size, and the compression lands firm rather than punishing.

Worn alone on a cool morning or under shorts in January, it does the job without fuss. Not a glamorous recommendation, but the one most men actually need.

Bottom line: The men's pick for a reason: firm compression that stays put whether you wear it alone or under shorts, and warm without bulk on cold mornings.

4

Colorfulkoala Essential 7/8 Leggings

Colorfulkoala Essential 7/8 Leggings

Easy day comfort

Our Score 9.0/10
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Worth Noting

  • Pills with repeated washing
Waist
High rise
Length
7/8
Pockets
Side pockets

The fabric is the first thing you notice and the whole reason to buy: a brushed, buttery knit that feels closer to a lounge legging than anything technical. That's the appeal and the limitation. On an easy four miles it's lovely; on a tempo session it isn't giving anything back.

Where it does earn its keep is everything around the run. The pockets take a phone and a key without sagging, the high waist holds through a day of sitting and standing, and the 7/8 hem lands at the ankle on most heights — full length if you're shorter, which is worth knowing before you order.

We keep it in the rotation for recovery days, travel, and the hours after a run, which is more use than a lot of technical tights get. What we don't do is reach for it on a speed day: a soft knit with little compression isn't built to hold a hard effort. It also runs small, so buy from the chart rather than your usual number.

Bottom line: Comfort first: the softest knit here, deep pockets, and a high waist that holds — the pair for easy days, travel, and everything after the run.

How We Tested 14 Pairs of Running Leggings

We started with a list of about 60 pairs that runners actually wear, then narrowed it by fabric composition, inseam options, size range, and price to land on 14 for hands-on testing. Testers of different heights, builds, and sizes each claimed one or two pairs and wore them through four months of real training — road runs in heat and rain, treadmill intervals, weekend long runs, hill repeats, plus the gym sessions and errands that happen in the same clothes.

Every pair was ordered in the tester's usual size, and a size down when it was available, so we could watch how the waistband and seat behaved once the fabric had to stretch. We noted where the hem landed — at the ankle bone, above it, bunched over the shoe — and whether the waist rise stayed at the belly button or crept down by mile four. In front of a mirror under bright overhead light, we did squats, lunges, and a toe touch to check for show-through, held each pair up to a window to compare fabric thickness, and recorded which fabrics felt soft on the first wear versus which needed breaking in.

Pockets got their own gauntlet: a phone in one side during a six-mile run to see how much it bounced, keys in the other, and a check on whether the pocket seam dug into the hip. Everything was washed after every wear and hung to dry, and we tracked pilling between the thighs, seam fraying, and fading across roughly 20 cycles. At the end, each tester was asked whether the pair earned its price next to their own favorite. The ones that made the list did.

How to Choose Leggings for Running

The Waistband Does Most of the Work

A band that creeps down is the difference between a run you forget and one you spend hitching at your hip. Wide, flat panels spread pressure across the waist in a way a narrow elastic doesn't, and a rise that sits above the widest part of your hips has less to slide over. Look for a broad band rather than a thin strip, and pull it up so the seam sits at your natural waist. If you're long in the torso, a true high rise buys you more than any other single feature, and it's the thing to check before you fall for a colorway.

Opacity Is Not the Same as Thickness

A thin knit can be perfectly opaque, and a heavy one can still go sheer where it stretches hardest, which is usually the seat seam. Density matters more than weight, so the lightest pair in a lineup can out-perform a thicker one. Bend, squat, and check the seat in daylight rather than in a dim bedroom mirror, because most of us find out on a sunny run. If you're buying a light color or plan to take race photos, darker shades hide more than any knit can promise.

Compression or Soft Stretch

These are two different garments that happen to look alike. Compression knits hold the leg, quiet the muscle, and add warmth; soft knits stretch, breathe, and feel like nothing at all. Choose for your hardest weekly run rather than your easiest. If you run intervals or long tempo blocks, the Under Armour pair gives you control a soft knit can't. If your week is easy miles, walk-run intervals, and errands afterward, a softer pair like the ODODOS or Colorfulkoala will get worn more often. Owning one of each is not extravagant.

Pockets, Length, and the Sizing Trap

A deep side pocket low on the thigh holds a phone against the leg so it stops swinging; a slit in the waistband does not. Length is the other trap: 7/8 is the most misleading label in the category, because it's ankle-length on a tall frame and full length on a short one. Measure your inseam before you order. And sizing runs small in several of these pairs, so use the brand's own chart instead of the number you wear elsewhere, then check that the waist still holds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

Most runners should buy the ODODOS pair. It solves the three things that go wrong in the first mile — a band that stays flat, a knit that stays opaque, and a pocket that keeps a phone still — and it comes in below the compression pick. If your training includes intervals or long tempo blocks, the Under Armour compression pair is the better tool; size up and expect a mid rise. Men can go straight to the Under Armour HeatGear, worn alone or under shorts.