Sick of washing your outdoor gear and clothes, plus all your fitness clothes, and they still stink? I feel your pain—and, um, smell it. 

But here's where that tragedy ends.

I tested the several highly touted brands like Tide and a few little-known brands like Hex Performance and was blown away by the inefficacy of some and the complete rocking effects of others. Read on for testing notes and why you need to go boutique by using this up and coming brand Hex at least on just your more prized activewear gear to clean, protect, and preserve it better. 

This article originally appeared in the Sept/Oct issue of Muscle & Fitness Hers magazine.  

Nobody wants to talk about their underwear—for good reason. Because no one wants to hear about your underwear. But...there's one exception to that. When a pair of underwear or a garment is so breathable, comfortable, and perfect for working out, gear-heads perk up (even if they're self-termed as fitness fashionistas). 

That's the total trifecta that I want in my panties. (!)

I tried all the best brands of underwear for active women—Under Armour, Moving Comfort, Nike, Knix Wear, and Thinx Period Panties—and I did AMRAPs, EMOMs, several-mile runs in the summer and more to find the top three underwear for women who workout, to keep you high and dry, even if it's that time of the month.

This article originally appeared in Muscle & Fitness Hers print magazine and then online. 

Nike Impossibly Light Jacket

Travel featherweight and fast with an intensely micro-weight, packable, breathable outer layer for running. This layer of protection is wind and water resistant, which makes it a perfect just in case, for those days you're unsure about the weather but certain about your run. 

By Cat Perry

Fitness and technology are now intrinsically intertwined. For better or for worse, measuring metrics like frequency, duration, speed, elevation, and direction, no matter the sport, makes us better athletes. The following gadgets are sure to improve your running, cycling, swimming, golf, weightlifting, trekking, hunting, fishing, skiing, and paddleboarding—or pretty much any activity you get yourself into. There's a look and feel for everyone.

Casio G-Shock Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10 - With AndroidWear technology, you have Sleek and ultradurable, Android Wear, app compatible, built-in mic, water resistant, altimeter, Blutetooth and wifi, and more for cycling, fishing, trekking/ hiking. $500. 

•  50 meter water resistant 
• Built in Microphone
• Military Standard MIL-STD-810G - which means this thing has been stress tested beyond comprehension (specified by the US Department of Defense) and is built to last.
• Bright dual-layer display makes for superb visibility under any light.
• Camera control 

By Cat Perry

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

We live on our smartphones, but that's not necessarily bad for fit folks. Smartphones, apps, and widgets can help us get on our path to adventure if we know the best apps to download. With the Apple store having 1.2 million apps and Android boasting 1.8 million, you can bet that the following top apps will make your fit life better. Get stronger, team up, correct form, and more with these 4 best fitness apps of 2016 for cycling, running, mountain biking, and more.

As you may have gathered, I love biking and everything to do with bikes, from funky cycling clothes to innovative biking gear. So when I came across the Amazon.com Deals page on Diamondback bikes, with discounts of up to 60% on adult (and kids) bikes (for road, MTB hard tails, MTB full suspension), I thought I might as well put that on blast. If you're trying to save a little cash but still get a serious quality ride when you're on the road or trail, Diamondback may have your new two-wheeled whip.

So get to it in the Shop Amazon link below! Plus watch video from Diamondback's Skill Shop, of how to master cornering by improving your hip flexion, at the bottom of this page.

If you are your toughest competition or you just want the chance to track your weekend warrior jaunts, here's a solid review of six of the best GPS watches to record your cycling, triathlon training, runs, and other unscheduled adventures. How else are you going to have bragging rights on Strava or Map My Run on the peaks you'll be bombing down this weekend or the distance you'll cover? Put your money where your GPS watch is.

Many GPS trackers are now stacked with typical smartwatch features like alerting to calls/texts, taking and receiving calls/texts, heart rate and sleep monitoring, and even measuring your VO2 max, a measure of the maximum amount of oxygen a body takes in during exercise, which is a key improvement indicator for elite athletes and amateurs alike. 

You work hard and you ride hard. It's your therapy and your challenge. And for the ever-changing weather, you need new cycling jerseys and kits to ride out the storms. Here are a few eye-catching cycling clothes for winter, spring, summer, and fall to get you through, no matter where the road takes you. 

As if your workout clothes needed built in bacteria? No, not at all. Mine either. But we put silver into activewear now to combat odors, so how might this technology benefit you while training too?

Tangible Media Group at MIT Media Lab in collaboration with MIT Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Royal College of Art and New Balance is manufacturing clothes that when activated by heat during exercise, the bacteria in the garment will curl inward, which will then allow aeration of the clothing at strategic points, like the back, so you stay cool. 

Foam rolling is one of the single most important training tools your body needs. Yet most people who work out in any form do not use a foam roller regularly. It's often dismissed with, "That's something for people in physical therapy." But that's not true! Foam rollers facilitate self-myofasical release, a process that applies low pressure across soft tissue to slowly release tightness and trigger points within muscles that can create severe vulnerabilities over time—in anybody. Acumobility Eclipse Foam Roller, created by sport medicine clinicians based in Massachusetts, claims to be the "most versatile myofascial release tool ever made." In short, you've got muscle kinks—thanks to all the cycling, hiking, running, and training you love to do—and the Eclipse is your SUPPLE solution. Here's why you need to check out the weirdest-looking foam roller available. 

By Cat Perry

Running shoes are the most important piece of gear in your closet and everyone's ideal pair of running shoes will be different thanks to weight, height, foot strike, cadence, foot size, foot width, etc. No one brand will fit all runners for all purposes, but certain shoes can give comfort to a wider array of runners because they're just that good. Here are some of the ultimate running shoe crowd pleasers.

I came across a RizKnows video of his top 5 picks for running shoes—and his list is really solid for a wide range of runners so I wanted to highlight it. I'm going to add a few of my own picks below it, since I too, as a deputy magazine editor at Muscle & Fitness Hers have tried every brand imaginable and have few noteworthy ones myself. For pure performance.

RizKnows Highlights:

• adidas ULTRA Boost: http://amzn.to/1dLArxq
  
• ASICS GEL-Kayano 21: http://amzn.to/1JGE4Ae
  
• Saucony Triumph ISO: http://amzn.to/1HAMOs8
  
• PUMA IGNITE: http://amzn.to/1LkGeW6
  
• UA Speedform Gemini: http://amzn.to/1R9fn6q
  

BY CAT PERRY

Earlier this summer, I posted a fitness tracker review video that attempts to give hard proof of which fitness wearables can stand the test of accuracy and overall usefulness. But there was one brand beyond Apple Watch, Fitbit, Jawbone, Withings, etc., that was not on the scene yet that needs mentioning: the Microsoft Band, a fitness tracker/smart watch hybrid that's gotten a lot of things right.

True, the household-favorite brand is somewhat known for chasing its competitors. So although, you may be skeptical, especially because it's not flashy, nor did it come out with much hype, this fitness wearable you've never heard of may be just the one you need.

How does it perform? What does it offer? What's it got that nothing else has? Are you getting the most bang for your buck with it? Short answer: You're gonna love this smart watch-fitness tracker, but like all other fitness bands, it won't be perfect (see very bottom for Upsets)—but for $200, it's pretty darn close.

In road cycling and mountain biking there are always new bike fixes or bike upgrades to consider, and then there are always immediate bike maintenance must-dos as well, especially in the case of a flat or a fall. And Global Cycling Network has a pro tips video below for you to learn some new bike upgrades that will dial in your bike aesthetics. 

If you know some bike repair basics—like adjusting your brake orientation, choosing and then setting the height on your new bike seat like the Fabric Cell bike saddle, and getting the right wheels and handlebars for your ride—these tips will set you up even smarter.  

• Cable Length
• Helicopter Tape, to prevent scratches from cables and chains
• Bar Tape, looking neat and sleek
• Trim Your Steerer Tube, leaving a 5-10mm spacer on top
• Valve System and Tire Logo

By Cat Perry