Better Conditioning : Active Wear Leaps to a Higher Level as Creators Add Padding and Reinforced Seams and Reduce Bounce, Chafe and Sweat

Hard-core aerobics activists apparently have been whining. They want the burn, but they want it while sitting on the soft, cushy seat of padding in warm, dry clothing that sucks in body fat and supports creaky knees. And the women would like a bit of cleavage showing, too.

As equipment and training regimens become more sophisticated, so does clothing. The people who create workout wear have been toiling to eliminate the bounce, chafe, sweat and stench associated with exercise--without sacrificing style. Their latest innovations include reinforced panels, extra padding and sophisticated fabrics.

Fibers are stronger and more elastic. Fabrics are designed not only to absorb and disperse moisture but also to fight bacteria. Garments are engineered to support muscles and protect joints. It seems the only people still wearing old-fashioned sweat pants are those who don’t intend to sweat.

Nautilus, the Independence, Va., company associated with muscle-crunching equipment, will begin selling its inaugural line of apparel and footwear next month in major sporting-goods stores. Most of the clothing items are made of heavy-duty Supplex, a synthetic fiber that’s much thicker and stronger than spandex. It “gives a feeling of compression,” says David Erwin, Nautilus design director. “People don’t like the feel of body fat moving around.”

The company’s $85 multipurpose pants feature a double layer of heavyweight quilted Supplex at the knees, a show of extra support for aerobicizers, weightlifters, runners or anyone with weak joints.

Shorts and sports tops, $22 to $55, have strategically placed (small of the back, chest, underarm) panels of Aquator, a wicking (sweat dispensing) fabric. And the $8 socks and $75 weight-training shoes contain agents that fight that gym-bag aroma.

Hind, a San Luis Obispo maker of active wear, collaborated with Cal Poly researchers in developing its wicking fabric, DryLete. The company, whose line is sold at Big 5 and Sports Chalet, is also working with cyclists to create more comfortable gear.

Its cycling unitard, $64, comes with a thick crotch padding that mimics the shape of the bicycle seat. The cycling pants, $70, have a padded crotch and a double layer of fabric in the knees, not so much for support as for warmth. And to prevent chaffing along the inner thigh, Hind moved seams of the garment to the front and back.

A design advance of another kind offers support and separation for women who like the comfort of a sports bra.

“They were all of the uni-boob construction,” avid aerobicizer Kimberly Mattson says of the first sports bras. “They made my chest look like a shelf.”

So Mattson, who lives in Los Angeles, looked into the sports-bra market, found a niche, ran some numbers and hooked up with a pattern maker. The result is a $35 underwire bra--made of Supplex, lace and non-stretch straps--that looks like fine lingerie. It is sold in sizes 32-B to 40-D under the label By Kimberly at Nordstrom.

For women whose problem area is below the waist, Carol Green has developed matte nylon/Lycra bike pants and leggings with satin tummy- and thigh-control panels.

“The satin makes them look tuxedo-ish, and those panels hold in everything,” Green says. The $40 to $80 line, Aubergine, is sold at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.