How to Choose the Right High Waisted Gym Leggings, Flares & Shorts

There's a reason high waist bottoms have become the foundation of every serious gym wardrobe. Not because they're trending - because they work.

A high waist that actually holds is a different garment from a high waist that looks good in a flat lay but rolls down the moment you get into a squat. The difference is in how the garment is engineered, not just how it's labelled. And once you've trained in a pair that genuinely stays put, going back is not an option.

At Thrivin, our Elevate™ collection was built around one question: what does a high waist bottom need to do to earn that name? The answer became three silhouettes - scrunch leggings, flare leggings, and scrunch shorts - each designed differently, each fitted differently, each built for a different moment in your training life.

This guide explains how each one is designed to fit, how to find your size, and which silhouette fits which version of your workout week.

The Elevate™ Collection: Three Silhouettes, One Standard

Before breaking down each style, here's what every piece in the Elevate™ high waist collection shares:

The Elevate™ waistband is wide, double-layered, and sculpting - engineered to sit at the natural waist and stay there. Not mid-session. Not two sets in. The entire time. It grips at the narrowest point of your torso, which is why it doesn't shift the way a hip-sitting waistband does. It holds because of where it sits, not just how tight it is.

The fabric is a soft four-way stretch blend with squat-proof coverage throughout. It moves with you, not against you. Stretch it, fold it, hinge through a full Romanian deadlift - it comes back clean.

The sculpting construction isn't a filter or a trick. The contouring is built into the cut of the garment - the way panels are placed and stitched - so it works from every angle, not just the front-facing mirror shot.

Everything else - silhouette, length, leg shape, inseam - varies by style. That's where the fit decisions start.

Elevate™ High Waist Scrunch Leggings

What Are They?

The Elevate™ High Waist Scrunch Leggings are a full-length fitted legging with a centred rear scrunch seam that runs vertically through the seat. They're designed to fit close to the body from hip to ankle - not compressively tight, but contoured, following the shape of your leg without bagging at the knee or ankle.

The scrunch at the back is precision-stitched, not just gathered fabric. It's designed to accentuate the glutes through your full range of motion - standing, squatting, hip-hinging - which is why they look as good at the bottom of a squat as they do walking to the platform.

How They're Designed to Fit

Close through the hip and thigh. Fitted through the calf and ankle. The Elevate™ waistband sits at or just above the natural waist and holds there regardless of what you're doing. The overall silhouette is long and unbroken - hip to ankle - which creates that elongating effect even before you move.

True to size gives you the intended sculpting fit: close-contoured through the leg, supportive through the seat, the waistband sitting correctly at your natural waist.

Sizing up creates a slightly more relaxed fit through the thigh and seat while the waistband continues to function as designed. Some women prefer this if they carry more muscle through the quad or if they find true-to-size slightly restrictive for deep stretching and yoga.

Best For

• Glute training, lifting, Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts

• HIIT, circuits, functional training

• Yoga and Pilates where a close fit helps instructors read your alignment

• Gym-to-street: the fitted silhouette transitions cleanly out of the gym

Few Favourite Colours

Night Black · Midnight Navy · Cherry Berry · Golden Butter

Night Black and Midnight Navy offer versatile everyday styling, while Cherry Berry and Golden Butter bring a brighter statement to your training wardrobe.

Elevate™ High Waist Flare Leggings

What Are They?

The Elevate™ High Waist Flare Leggings share the same Elevate™ waistband and sculpting construction as the scrunch leggings through the hip and thigh - then open out into a wide flared leg from the knee down.

The flare isn't just a silhouette choice. It changes how the garment moves. The wider hem creates a more relaxed energy through the lower leg, giving you full freedom of movement without compression below the knee, while the upper body of the legging still provides all the contouring and support of the Elevate™ range.

The result is a piece that sits somewhere between a performance legging and elevated loungewear - which is exactly why it's become the studio-to-street silhouette of this collection.

How They're Designed to Fit

Sculpting and contoured through the waist, hip, and thigh - identical construction to the scrunch legging in the upper body. Then the leg opens from the knee into a relaxed, flowing flare that sits over the shoe.

True to size gives you the intended silhouette: fitted through the seat, with the flare falling naturally over your trainer. The waistband sculpts. The leg moves.

Sizing up creates a slightly more relaxed fit through the hip and thigh, with a slightly lower-sitting flare. Some women prefer this for a more dramatic, fashion-forward silhouette - particularly when styling the flares off-duty.

Best For

• Pilates, barre, and yoga - the flare moves beautifully in floor work and standing sequences

• Studio classes where the aesthetic of the session matters

• Walking, light cardio, and active recovery days - the relaxed lower leg makes these feel like permission to move, not a directive

• Gym-to-coffee, gym-to-anywhere - the flare silhouette elevates an outfit in a way a fitted legging doesn't

• Women who want the support of a high waist legging with a more relaxed, fashion-conscious finish

Few Favourite Colours

Night Black · Midnight Navy · Cherry Berry

The flares work especially well in Cherry Berry - the colour and the silhouette together make a statement that the scrunch legging in the same shade doesn't. Night Black remains the workhorse.

Elevate™ High Waist Scrunch Shorts

What Are They?

The Elevate™ High Waist Scrunch Shorts take the same Elevate™ waistband and scrunch construction from the leggings and put them in a short format - high-cut through the hip, with a fitted seat and a lightweight, breathable leg opening that gives you full range of motion for high-intensity work.

They're not a legging with the bottom cut off. The shorts are engineered specifically for the movement patterns that make shorts a better tool than leggings on certain training days: the ventilation of hot HIIT sessions, the unrestricted leg drive of explosive movements, the freedom of a squat where you don't want any fabric below the knee.

The scrunch seam through the seat does the same job it does on the leggings - it's there to move with you, not just to look good from one angle.

How They're Designed to Fit

Fitted through the seat and hip - contoured by the Elevate™ construction. The waistband sits high and holds firm. The leg opening is relaxed and doesn't grip the thigh.

True to size gives you the intended fit: the waistband at your natural waist, the seat fitted but not restrictive, the leg opening sitting naturally at the mid-thigh. This is the right starting point for most women.

Sizing up is worth considering if you carry more muscle through the glutes and thighs - the shorts should feel secure, not tight through the seat. The waistband will continue to fit correctly; the seat will have more room.

Best For

• HIIT, circuits, cardio, boxing - anywhere ventilation matters

• Heavy lifting: squats, deadlifts, hip thrusts - the short inseam removes any fabric interference

• Hot yoga and heated studios

• Leg day, every time

• Pairing under an oversized Thrivin tee or hoodie for gym-to-street days when you want the security of the waistband but the ventilation of a short

Few Favourite Colours

Night Black · Midnight Navy · Lilac

Which Elevate™ Style Is Right for You?

If you're building your Elevate™ wardrobe from scratch, start with Night Black Scrunch Leggings in Regular - this is the version that works for the most training scenarios, transitions the most easily out of the gym, and is the reference point against which everything else is measured. Add the Flare Leggings for your studio and recovery days. Add the Shorts for your HIIT and leg day sessions.

Sizing: How to Get It Right

Measure First

• Natural waist: the narrowest point of your torso, typically 2–3 inches above your belly button

• Hips: the widest point, usually 7–9 inches below your natural waist

Always cross-reference both measurements against Thrivin's size guide - not just the waist alone. The Elevate™ silhouette is sized for the waistband to sit correctly and for the seat construction to do its job. Both measurements matter.

The Three Tests

Before you commit to any high waist bottom, run these:

The waistband flat test: Hinge forward (touch your toes). The waistband should stay completely flat - no folding, no digging. If it does either, go up a size.

The squat-proof test: Deep squat, no hands. The fabric across the seat should be fully opaque. If you can see through it even slightly - that's not the right pair.

The movement test: Walk, lunge, jump on the spot. Nothing should shift, roll, or bunch. If it does at normal movement, it will not improve under training load.

Between Sizes?

Prioritise the measurement that feels most snug at true-to-size. For most women, this is the hip measurement with the Elevate™ range. If your hips are between sizes, size up - The Elevate™ waistband is designed to stay secure at the natural waist across a range of body shapes and proportions.

Care: Making Elevate™ Last

The Elevate™ fabric and construction are built to perform - but how you care for them determines how long that performance holds.

Always do:

• Cold wash, gentle cycle

• Turn inside out - this protects the scrunch stitching and outer surface

• Air dry flat or hanging - never the tumble dryer

• Wash after every wear

Never do:

• Tumble dry - heat permanently breaks down the stretch fibres. This is how a legging loses its shape and never comes back.

• Fabric softener - it coats the fibres and destroys the moisture-wicking properties

• Iron or bleach

• Wash with rough fabrics like denim - causes pilling on the seat

Rotate between two pairs if you train daily. The stretch fibres need time to recover between wears, the same way your muscles do.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are the Elevate™ Scrunch Leggings squat-proof?

Yes. The Elevate™ fabric is engineered to maintain full opacity through stretch. You can verify this yourself: stretch the seat panel firmly between both hands and hold it up to a light source. Fully opaque at tension = squat-proof.

What's the difference between the Scrunch Leggings and Flare Leggings?

The same Elevate™ waistband, sculpting construction, and scrunch seam through the hip and seat - but the leg shape is different from the knee down. The Scrunch Legging fits close from hip to ankle. The Flare Legging opens into a wide, flowing leg from the knee, creating a more relaxed lower-leg silhouette with full freedom of movement below the knee.

Can I wear the Scrunch Shorts for heavy lifting?

Yes - the short inseam actually makes them well-suited for heavy compound lifts. There's no fabric catching on equipment, no restriction through the leg drive, and the Elevate™ waistband provides the same secure hold as the leggings. The scrunch construction through the seat works through the full range of a squat or hip thrust.

How do I style high waist flare leggings off the gym?

The Elevate™ Flare Leggings pair well with a fitted Thrivin crop or seamless sports bra for the gym, and with an oversized hoodie, relaxed tee, or open jacket for off-duty wear. The flare silhouette reads as elevated rather than athletic when the upper body is styled accordingly - it's one of the more versatile pieces in the collection.

Do high waisted gym leggings help with support?

High waisted gym leggings provide additional coverage and support around the waist during training. A properly fitted high waistband stays in place during squats, lunges, and dynamic movement, reducing the need for constant adjustment throughout a workout.

Complete Your Elevate™ Look

The Elevate™ bottoms are designed to be worn as part of a complete look - every piece in the Thrivin range is built to work together.

Pair your High Waist Scrunch Leggings with an Elevate™ sports bra for a matching sculpting set. Add a Thrivin jacket for a gym-to-everywhere finish.

The High Waist Flare Leggings work especially well with a fitted sleeveless top for studio sessions, or a long sleeve workout top for a complete cold-weather training look.

For the Scrunch Shorts, pair with a high apex sports bra for HIIT and cardio, or an oversized short sleeve top for a layered gym look.

Explore the full High Waist Bottoms collection - or shop by fit: Booty-Enhancing · Waist-Sculpting.