The Best Men’s Workout Shorts For Every Type of Exercise

The right equipment can make or break a workout. Not only does the right gear offer a chance to improve your performance, but it’s also a great motivator for exercising more, and men’s workout shorts are one piece of gear you should consider changing up.

Most guys just have a single pair of go-to workout shorts, but not all workout clothing is made equal. Upgrading your workout wardrobe — whether workout shorts, workout shoes or even workout underwear — can elevate your whole game, make you start hitting the gym again or even help smash through a plateau.

If you’re not sure which shorts will be best for your sport or exercise, read on. We’ve rounded up some of the best men’s workout shorts. Some are just great overall, some are just solid cheap options and others are better for specific athletic activities, including cycling, running, weightlifting and more.

Check them out below because even if you don’t notice improvement with your exercises, we’d bet you’ll still feel more comfortable doing them with the right pair of men’s workout shorts.

1. Under Armour Men’s Tech Graphic Shorts

BEST OVERALL

We love these Under Armour Men’s Tech Graphic Shorts because they’re meant for people who exercise the right way, which is to say the hot, sweaty, messy way. These men’s workout shorts are soft, ultralight and they effectively wick sweat and dry out quickly. Truly, that’s all there is to it. Go running in them, lift weights and just generally have your way with them and they’ll keep your legs feeling fresh.

2. Adidas Aeroready Designed 2 Move Woven Sport Shorts

RUNNER UP

Who likes short shorts? We like shorter shorts, especially the Adidas Aeroready Designed 2 Move Woven Sport Shorts.

These all-black (with white logo) shorts are made with a 100% recycled polyester plain weave. They work to keep you dry, have zippered pockets to keep your essentials and have a trendy above-the-knee length, keeping you feeling fresher and drier for longer during even your most rigorous routines.

3. Amazon Essentials Men’s 2-Pack Loose-Fit Performance Shorts

BEST VALUE

If you’re less concerned with the ideal men’s workout shorts for this or that workout, you might consider a great value pick like the Amazon Essentials Men’s 2-Pack Loose-Fit Performance Shorts.

For the price of one, you get two of these generally solid men’s workout shorts. Polyester helps deal with sweat and the loose fit will ride up less during leg-intensive workouts like squats.

4. maamgic Athletic Gym Shorts

BEST FOR WEIGHTLIFTING

These slim-fitted shorts from maamgic are ideal for weightlifting and strength training. And, yeah, they’re a favorite amongst men on Amazon. They’re made with a durable fabric that doesn’t pill as much as others do even after repeated washing. They have almost 5,000 reviews on Amazon and 4.6 stars in total, so you pretty much be fully assured you’ll love them.

5. Hanes Men’s Jersey Short

BUDGET PICK

If you don’t care too much about the quality, brand or design of your shorts or merely want to get some new workout shorts on the absolute cheap, the Hanes Men’s Jersey Short is the way to go.

These shorts combine cotton and polyester to deliver the basic comfort and sweat-wicking you need to get through your workout.

Plus, though pockets can be divisive on workout gear (should you really need to carry stuff when exercising?), they are so undeniably convenient in these cheap workout shorts that you likely use these shorts when chilling on the couch.

Just be aware that the solid color Hanes shorts don’t use any polyester. The heather colors, like the charcoal heather seen below, do use some polyester.

6. Lululemon T.H.E. Short 7″ Linerless

BEST FOR TRAINING

Ready to get training? You couldn’t have picked a better pair of shorts. These linerless shorts from Lululemon are made with 100% recycled polyester to keep you going through any and all training sessions. Complete with a sweat-wicking, four-way stretch, these are the shorts that will bring you through runs, jogs, marathons and more. They’re available in a number of colors, too, so feel free to pick your poison.

Related: The Best Men’s Shorts

7. Pinkbomb Men’s 2-in-1 Running Shorts

BEST FOR RUNNING

The one situation you’ll probably need to carry something during exercise is when you’re out running. Whether it’s for music or safety, having a phone with you can be a lifesaver. But nothing sucks more than running with a phone bouncing around in your pocket, so what’s a runner to do?

The Pinkbomb Men’s 2-in-1 Running Shorts effectively resolved this problem through its two-layer shorts. The top layer is your traditional breathable, light mesh fabric, but the bottom layer is a compression short with a phone pocket meant to keep your phone tight against your leg. The outer layer also has a headphone hole so you can still listen to music while running.

For the rest of your valuables, zippered side pockets have got you covered.

Read More: 5-Inch Inseam Shorts for Men

8. Real Essentials Dry-Fit Performance Shorts

BEST VARIETY PACK

Why get yourself one pair of the best workout shorts for men when you can get yourself five for the same price? Although this 5-pack from Amazon is incredibly cheap, it doesn’t mean that the shorts themselves are cheap. Each pair is made with dry-fit technology which offers great ventilation for all sport-like activities. Plus, the shorts are extremely comfy.

9. Reebok Men’s Drawstring Shorts

BEST FOR CARDIO

Grab these Reebok shorts whenever you’re going to be sweating, huffing and puffing for an extended amount of time. They’re simple, comfy, and great for a range of cardio-based activities from running to basketball.

10. Under Armour Men’s Raid 10-Inch Workout Gym Shorts

BEST FOR CROSSFIT

Crossfit shorts need to allow for varied movement, speed and high impact activities, but they should also provide more coverage than running shorts. We recommend a reliable overall workout short like these from Under Armour because they’re simple, lightweight and feature an ultra-soft HeatGear fabric to protect against chafing.

11. Sponeed Men’s Cycling Shorts

BEST FOR CYCLING

Bike shorts might be a fashion statement now, but they’re still essential for actual cycling. We like these men’s workout shorts from Sponeed because they’re reasonably priced, but feature quality padding and premium construction that works great for cyclists of all levels.

12. Gymshark Arrival 5″ Shorts

BEST INSEAM

Everyone’s raving over 5-inch inseam shorts recently, so you’ll never look better in these from Gymshark. These woven shorts are built with a lightweight material that performs under pressure and wicks sweat as you’re working out. As you’d imagine, you will get welt-side pockets to keep everything where it needs to be, too.

13. Champion 7″ Sport Short with Liner

BEST WITH LINER

These will be your go-to shorts for anything you got going on — and you don’t even have to wear your underwear. These sport shorts come with a liner to keep everything where it needs to be on runs, jogs and workouts. Because they’re Champion, you can expect stellar quality and total comfort no matter where your day takes you.

14. Anthem Athletics Resilience MMA Shorts

BEST FOR MMA

Even if you’re not Conor McGregor, you should still be wearing the proper shorts while practicing MMA. This pair from Anthem Athletics is great because they have a tear-resistant, fast-drying fabric and great reviews on Amazon.

15. Under Armour Men’s Rival Fleece Big Logo Shorts

BEST WARM SHORTS

Nothing beats exercising outside when the temp is just cool enough to not sweat hard but not too cold that you’ll feel it in your shorts. Fleece shorts like the Under Armour Men’s Rival Fleece Big Logo Shorts will help do their part to keep your legs just a click warmer when dealing with cooler weather.

They use a mid-weight cotton-blend fleece with a brushed interior for added softness and warmth. Plus, with a 10-inch inseam, they’ll inherently keep more heat in the shorts than shorter shorts.

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