At least once a week, someone is emailing, commenting, Tweeting, texting (hey, Sis!) me about INKnBURN and their denim line of clothing. If you aren’t familiar with INKnBURN, I would describe them as a company that manufactures workout apparel “with an edge.” If you aren’t familiar with their “performance denim” line, it is comprised of clothes made of tech material with the look of denim. And the line is extensive: pants, skirt, shorts, tank, jacket, even a sports bra and headband! So, when given the opportunity to receive and review a pair of their True Blue INB Performance Denim Capris, I jumped at the chance.
For me, the ideal piece of exercise apparel is versatile – it takes me from the weight room to the yoga studio to the road/trails. I am far too much of a minimalist to have workout wear that must match all the different activities I enjoy. Additionally, my other criteria for exercise apparel is that I don’t want to THINK about it. If I am wearing something that itches or tugs or bunches or rubs, I can’t ignore it. Many workouts have been ruined (i.e. stopped early) due to the fact that I am distracted and/or uncomfortable.
Overall, they are a high-quality product. Material, stitching…all good.
There was the perfect amount of stretch. Enough that you could wear them more than once without washing them (shut up, you know you do this) and they still retained their clingy stretchiness during subsequent wear(s). But, unlike compression-type pants, they aren’t gut-squeezing tight and limiting movement.
They were breathable and moisture-wicking. These aren’t for winter weather but in a moderate to hot environment, you will have no worries about staying cool and dry.
No tags! Nothing to scratch, rub, or irritate. Yes, the name and washing instructors are “burned” or embedded in the fabric. BRILLIANT!
THE LOOK
I feel like I can say that I “almost jogging in jeans” while wearing them because they REALLY look like denim! From the front, they might be able to pass for blue workout clothes, but the waistband stitching and back pocket stitching…yeah, jeans all the way.
I was a bit nervous wearing them because…well, you KNOW why. The look like jeans and I am wearing them to exercise.
Running: I wore them twice. The first time, I was out on a run by myself. As I passed walkers, I secretly hoped they weren’t JoggingJeans.com viewers and scrambling for their phones to take a picture of me. Thank goodness that my Twitter feed and email inbox have been empty of pictures of my own butt in “jeans.” And then I wore them this morning on a run with the BEST running group, Steel City Road Runners Club. It is comprised of a fantastic group of runners – heck, a fantastic group of people that are supportive and encouraging and passionate about the sport. Today’s run was a “blue out” training run to show our solidarity with all those affected by the tragedy in Boston. Given that these are the only blue pants I own, it seemed like a no-brainer to wear them. During and after the run, several people asked about them – most with a big smile and a “Hey, nice pants. Are they jeans?” or a “Did you just RUN in jeans!?” For those that didn’t ask, I’m sure they were wondering about the weirdo who was running in jeans.
Here I am on the far left after our 11 mile run. So much for thinking that I was out of the shot!
The weight room: I was nervous about showing up in the gym. The weight room section of my gym is pretty hardcore and, being the only girl there, I work hard to NOT do things to draw attention to myself. So I wore these on the day when there were the fewest people (Sunday at 8:00a-I opened the place), and there were only a handful of people there. However, those damn mirrors everywhere wouldn’t let me forget that I was in “jeans.” Again, I was hoping the girl on the elliptical on her phone wasn’t photographing me.
And a quick video of me at the gym in them. The weird ending is because I told Dear Husband to start the start the recording mid-set and end it as soon as I finished so I wouldn’t have to edit it. He didn’t, so you get it “as is” with his wife looking like an idiot.
To the gym rats: Don’t attack. I don’t normally do squats on the Smith machine. The regular squat racks were being used and this part of the gym was empty.
Final, VERY IMPORTANT words: As some of you know, I’m running my first half marathon in Pittsburgh in 2 weeks (cue freak out). These are the frontrunners as of now for my race day outfit. So if you see them (i.e. me) on May 5th, just say ‘hi.’ Please don’t photograph my ass and send it to me with the text, “Hey, I saw this lady at the Pittsburgh Marathon IN JEANS!”
Disclosure:The thoughts and opinions in this post are my own and based on my experience. I was provided the INKnBURN apparel free of charge for the purpose of a product review. I am under no obligation to return the product and can keep it for me own personal, continued use.
Once again, in light of the tragedy that we’ve seen in Boston, the triviality of my sites seems overwhelming.
So the time has come for a break – just a little one – to digest, accept, reflect, and pray for all those touched by the events that occurred on April 15th.
I hope these words comfort you as they comfort me. Thanks for the reminder, Chelsea.
Nothing warms my heart more than a community coming together to support and to bring attention to the sacrifice of fallen police officers and military men and women. This picture was taken at the Inaugural Brad Fox 5K, which took place last Saturday, and honored Brad Fox, a police officer who was killed last September in the line of duty, after serving two deployments with the U.S. Marines in Iraq. You can read about this race and the man who was honored here.
PhillyBurbs.com photo caption: Here the runners take off. In the center wearing jeans, Steven DeAngelis of Bristol Boro showed up with no intentions of running but took second place in the 30-40 age group.
Narrator: “Max is a sucessful nightclub owner with an aversion to traditional workout clothes. Doesn’t it look like he is fleeing a crime scene?”
So I might be a little biased, but I’m a fan before even watching the full episode. Sarah Chalke, Brad Garrett, and Elizabeth Perkins along with a jogging in jeans mention in the FIRST MINUTE of the pilot is a recipe for success!
(h/t EVERYONE who let me know about this awesomeness)
I love the StairMaster or the “sweat machine” as I like to call it. Forget paper towels to wipe down the machine after my workout, I need a mop.*
The towel in today’s picture? I understand. The jeans? No comprendo.
*Part of the reason I sweat so much is because I do run/walk interval training on it. I’ve had a couple of close calls, and it is only a matter of time before a trip lands my ass on the floor. Afterwards, I fully expect awesome Janelle**, who sits at the trainer desk behind these machines at my gym, to be all “Bahaha, that is what you get for running on that thing.”