These were the ABSOLUTE best leggings for exercise I could imagine! High waist with a snug 1 or 3/4 or so elastic at the natural waist. They stayed up in all exercises no matter how intense. I never had to pull them up and they werent too tight either. The side pockets are ’¯. I purchased 4 or 5 pairs that were all perfect. HOWEVER- the version I purchased in Dec 03 has a wimpy version of the waistband. The pants are now a little saggy and Im pulling them up all the time. Im sooooooooooooo heartbroken! ­ So maybe it was just a bad batch! Im hoping the company didnt change the specs. Im hoping the manufacturer just used inferior elastic and the problem will be fixed in future batches. Im not giving up yet! But if you want leggings that wont slide down - Im not sure if these will do the trick or not anymore.