Earlier this year, Lululemon launched its first-ever performance running shoe, the Blissfeel, which was well-received by our test team, though it’s limited to just women.
Now, for Global Running Day, the company is expanding its performance running options with an apparel line dubbed SenseKnit. The new tops and bottoms—for both men and women—deviate from its existing apparel for running because they’re a compression knit that’s been body-mapped to provide both support and breathability. That means you get structure engineered into the fabric where you need it most, while lightweight zones of material let body heat escape.
We got a few pieces from the collection to test ahead of its launch. Our initial thoughts were that the early days of summer are a curious time to release relatively heavy knit tops and bottoms—some of our samples are full-length tights and long sleeve shirts. But, as we put the clothing on, we found that it stretches and is thinner than expected, if still a little too warm for our conditions. When our samples arrived, we had daytime highs in the 90s in northeast Pennsylvania.
Highlights of the collection are the women’s SenseKnit Running Tank and Running HR Tight 28". Our female tester praised the top’s length, which was longer than most such tops, ending just above the waistband of the full-length tights and providing a bit more modesty. “The tights have a really thick waist that holds them in place great,” she said.
She’s also testing the new one-piece, which is basically a zip-up top stitched in the back to a pair of compression half-tights. Once on, it has the look of a speedsuit designed for those runners hitting the starting blocks on the track, but it has versatility for everyday jogs, too: There are gel pockets on the chest and a big drop-in pocket on the backside. Plus, the stretchy fit keeps it from riding up, our tester reported. “It’s very flattering for curvy figures,” she says, “and the fit is great for runners with a short torso.”
I am testing some of the men’s apparel now, which includes a long sleeve shirt, full-length running tights, and the men’s 10-inch short. The long apparel, as I said, is warmer than I prefer for summer running, though it’s definitely cooler than Lululemon’s Surge Tight, which I love in the winter. I took the new SenseKnit tights to the Adirondack Mountains this weekend, hoping to find some cooler temperatures, but was greeted with a heat wave instead. So, I’m planning to take them with me up to New Hampshire in a few weeks for another test if the weather is cooler in those mountains.
The shorts, on the other hand, are thinner than pairs like Tracksmith’s Reggie half tights, but look more like underwear on me. While the molded pouch is far more comfortable than other shorts that tend to pinch, it still reveals more than I’m comfortable showing. (To be fair, my sample is the light gray color. The shorts also come in black; I’ve found dark-colored tights tend to be more flattering for privacy.) Some runners will choose to wear them solo, though most of us will go the more modest route of layering them under a pair of shorts.
The full collection is available now at shop.lululemon.com.
Women’s SenseKnit Collection
Men’s SenseKnit Collection
Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner’s World and the director of product testing. He has tested and reviewed running shoes, GPS watches, headphones, apparel, and more for nearly two decades. He regularly tests more than 100 pairs of shoes each year, and once had a 257-day streak running in different models. Jeff can usually be found on the roads, racing anything from the mile to a marathon, but he also enjoys racing up mountains and on snowshoes. When he’s not running, you’ll probably find him hanging from a ladder making repairs and renovations to his house (he’s also director of product testing for Popular Mechanics).
