Review

My review is based on my experience with the Core long compression pants, but this review could also translate to the Core shorts. Other than the leg length of the fabric, the shorts version has exactly the same design.

Design

Color Options: The Core long pants is available only in black, whereas the Core shorts can be purchase in black or white.

Material: According to Shock Doctor, the Core utilizes a moisture wicking fabric that also has anti-microbial properties. This fabric provides great compression and can stretch comfortably during training sessions.

Waistband: A simple elastic waistband keeps the pants secured around the individual’s waist. The Shock Doctor brand name is repeated around this waistband.

Vented Cup Pocket: The Core is designed to have a mesh cup pocket for inserting the Bio-Flex protective cup that comes with it. This particular section has extra ventilation to increase the breathability in the groin area. Additional stitching is integrated to replicate the jock strap design for keeping the cup in position as you move around.

Bio-Flex Cup: The cup is made mostly out of a thin, flexible plastic material and incorporates a gel padding at specific areas of the cup. This gel material looks like it is made out of silicone rubber or a similar type of material. The gel padding is highlighted along the cup’s perimeter. This cup is also designed with ventilation holes to maximize the airflow for the groin region. Separately, the Bio-Flex Cup has four color options, but the one that is included with this Core purchase is only available in the color scheme below.

Sizing Chart

Shock Doctor Quick Overview of the Core Compression Pants

Comfort and Fit

I have found the Core to be so comfortable that I use them for martial arts classes as well as for hikes and other sport-related activities. Core’s elastic waistband holds the compression pants firmly and comfortably around my waist without feeling too constricting.

Personally, I have found the best fitting cup to be the one from my Title Boxing Groin Protector Plus. Compared to the boxing groin protector, the Shock Doctor Bio-Flex Cup is narrower and its depth is shallower. Therefore, some individuals may not feel comfortable wearing the cup due to its size and design. Bio-Flex Cup’s perimeter gel padding is beneficial for long-term use and prevents the plastic from digging into your body. However, the gel padding could be softer or have a thicker padding widthwise to make it even more comfortable. If you do not like the Shock Doctor Bio-Flex Cup, you can insert another banana style cup inside the Core’s cup pocket instead.

Quality and Durability

The quality of the compression pants is great for how long they lasted me. They can be washed with regular clothes without concern. Core’s stitching is holding up well and only minor loose threads are visible and they do not affect the structural integrity of the pants. A small durability issue observed over time with the Core is how the tightness in its lower leg portion is not as snug as when I first started wearing it. Other than that, the Core is still actively being used as part of my martial arts training attire.

Protection

A major problem I have with the Core is its lack of ability to hold the cup snug to the groin, especially the bottom third portion of the cup. Unlike jock straps or other types of groin protectors, this causes the cup to float over your groin and makes it dangerous if you receive an accidental groin strike. This occurrence may even be more dangerous than not wearing a cup at all. Other users of the Core have the same complaint about how the cup is situated during particular movements.

Bio-Flex Cup inside an older model of the Core Compression Pants.

I believe this problem arises from the Core’s “X-Fit” stitchings that tries to replicate how a jock strap design utilizes two elastic straps to firmly hold the bottom of the cup pouch in place. This X-Fit does not provide the same pull and tension needed. However, I do not disregard the idea that my lack of gluteus maximus may be part of the problem too!