The North Face Ampere Core Shorts Review
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Looking for a short to fit your cross-training needs? Then you should take a look at the Ampere Core Shorts from The North Face. Part of the Mountain Athletics line of apparel, the Ampere Core Shorts are made to withstand some wear and tear. If you don’t believe it, you can always fall back on The North Face’s lifetime warranty.
Fabric, Features, and Fit
The North Face Ampere Core Shorts are made of 100% polyester, with enough stretch to keep you moving through your workouts. These shorts have a 10” inseam, which provides full coverage down to the knee. They are also outfitted with three large pockets, enough to hold a phone, wallet, keys, and more. The downside is that when running, everything tends to flop around. I have not had anything fall out yet, but it wouldn’t be out of the question.
There is an internal drawcord to keep the shorts tight. I found this helpful, as a size medium fit comfortably loose without this drawcord tied tight. However, the shorts do sag on my 32″ waist if not tied at all. They do have a baggier fit, which works well for gym workouts that require lots of 360 degree movements.
Performance of The North Face Ampere Core Shorts
As with the rest of the Mountain Athletics line, these shorts are made with cross-training in mind. Said a different way, they are ideal for lifting weights at the gym and performing other exercises where range of motion is a necessity. During CrossFit classes, I did not have to worry about the Ampere Core shorts getting stuck on any weights or restricting my mobility. Along the inside of the seams, there is a gusset which is made of a stretchier polyester than the rest of the shorts. This adds even a bit more flexibility with body movements.
As for range of motion, The North Face Ampere Core shorts performed as well as a basketball short, without excessive bagginess. They are also lightweight for a training short, so you don’t have that constant nagging feeling of being weighed down. However, you will not reach to these for your daily runs around the block.
Final Thoughts
The North Face knew what they wanted to do from this short, and they nailed it. With pockets and mobility, The North Face Ampere Core shorts are the perfect short for your gym workouts. And with a lifetime warranty, they are reasonably priced at $40.
For more information, visit www.thenorthface.com or www.amazon.com/thenorthface.
What I would like to know is if these shorts stick to the legs fairly well. Say for example when doing upside down bicycles or lower ab leg up crunches, all the shorts I use now when I do those type of exercises, the legs part slide down my legs and sometimes all the way to my crotch, which is generally not a big deal but i guess it kind of is when other people in the gym or studio are around. So do you know if the short legs stay in place or do they fall down the legs when doing upside down workouts?
Thanks for the great review on these shorts.
Johnny,
These shorts are made of a tougher material than your typical mesh shorts, and because of that do not ride down as much as you would expect. Per your comment, I tried them while performing crunches with legs fully extended upwards, as well as scissors and other exercises with legs up. The shorts gave me at least 4 inches of coverage above the crotch. I also added a pic above of me doing a handstand to give you an idea of how they perform (this was about 5 seconds in to the handstand). I hope this helps.
Dan