There’s probably a big difference between the best workout shorts for men and the stained sweatpant cutoffs you’ve been wearing for bi-weekly crunches and leg lifts in front of the TV this past year. And if you’ve paused your gym membership (and still haven’t been able to find any adjustable dumbbells in stock) the best use of your monthly stay-somewhat-in-shape budget right now might just be a fresh pair of performance shorts that will get you excited about the idea of moving your body vigorously outdoors on a regular basis.

Over the past several years we’ve sweated in a wide array of different gym and running shorts. To determine the best we’ve considered, price, durability, hand feel, and a host of other variables. Is the stretchy performance fabric actually breathable? If there’s a lining, does it actually stay put or does it ride up after the third deep lunge? Where are the pockets and can they actually succeed at holding the things one needs while doing different kinds of work outs? And, of course, do the shorts look good enough that you wouldn’t mind running some errands in them on the way to the run? Below, here are the 12 best workout shorts for men we’ve found. They should help you make some gains and look pretty good doing it. 

The Most Versatile Workout Shorts

Outdoor Voices’ workout shorts were the clear winner of our 2020 fitness awards for a host of reasons. First, a Tik-Tok-approved 5-inch inseam means no extra fabric getting in the way. Second, they’re constructed from extremely tech-y fabric which is both breathable and water-resistant, with a comfy protective built-in liner (that stays put) and plenty of pockets to hold all your essentials whether you’re on a run or lifting at the gym. Think of them as the gym-rat younger brother of the ubiquitous Patagonia Baggies. 

The Best Workout Shorts for Getting After It at the Gym

Ten Thousand Interval short

Ten Thousand makes a lot of workout gear, but it got its start back in 2014 with a simple pair of shorts and a shirt. We dug version 1.0, which we tried back in 2015, but the company has spent the intervening years making small tweaks and adjustment to the design that have made it even better. The updates retain the shorts extremely minimalist aesthetic, but add a bunch of little hidden touches, including hidden zipper pockets. The thing you’ll notice the most as you actually use the shorts though is how they move. Thanks to the un-bunchable, pinch-free waistband and extremely flexible shell, the short both somehow molds perfectly to your body and expands easily with your movement. If you’re looking for the best shorts for going absolutely nuts on the battle ropes, look no further.

The Best Workout Shorts for Runners

Tracksmith “Ekiden” running shorts

Serious runners require serious running shorts. And nobody designs more serious running kits than Tracksmith, the Boston label that transplants Chariots of Fire–era aesthetics onto modern marathon-ready gear. Its latest concoction is these thigh-high split shorts inspired by Japan’s Hakone Ekiden—a legendary 218-kilometer relay race—fashioned from plush, antimicrobial mesh. You’re not going to be able to fit your phone into the 2.5-inch inseam, but the shorts manage to make space for two internal pockets that hold your keys or one of those race-day sports goo packets. 

The Best All-Around Workout Shorts

Rhone “Mako” workout shorts

The Rhone Mako short is a little bit gymmier than you might want to wear on a day to day basis, but it’s all in service of performance. Their stretchy fabric feels smooth against your skin, and yields that satisfying swish-swish rustling noise with each successive stride. Its full-zip, standalone smartphone hip pocket is the best-executed and most secure version out of all the shorts we tested. They’re available in both 7-inch and 9-inch inseams, so are a good option for shorter guys and/or taller guys who want to show some thigh.

8 More Workout Shorts We Love

Patagonia Strider Pro workout shorts

We wholeheartedly endorse doing HIIT in your 5-inch Patagonia baggies, but if you prefer a slightly techier Patagonia offering for working out, these fast-drying shorts are ideal for runners, thanks to a super streamlined design.

Lululemon T.H.E. workout short

Lululemon’s shorts are made from a buttery smooth, cool-to-the-touch fabric that feels super luxurious. The shorts aren’t as substantial as the Outdoor Voices and Rhone shorts, but that also makes them plenty breathable.

Adidas Squadra 17 workout shorts

An extremely cheap, classic option. These will not be your “forever” shorts, but they’ll hold up just fine for a few seasons.

Brooks Sherpa split workout short

If the idea of 3-inch running shorts gives you pause, internalize this pair’s perfect tagline: “less short, more speed.”

Satisfy short distance workout shorts

The liner on these lightweight shorts is just a tad longer than the shorts themselves, making the bold snakeskin print all the more striking. They pack an internal phone pocket, an external zipper pocket, and a key carabiner into one streamlined and stylish package.

Rec Gen Type 2 lite workout short

If AirPod buds tend to fall out of your ears by the second squat or your simply remain devoted to your reliable fully-wired headphones, Rec Gen might be a good option. The brand’s shorts come with a small headphone pocket that corrals wires, leading them up to your ears along your back to ensure you don’t get tangled while doing curls.

Nike Flex Stride workout shorts

Nike’s shorts include a breathable and supportive soft inner liner. They also have more than enough pockets to cover your PKW needs—two on the sides, and a zippered one just above the butt.

Under Armour Locker workout shorts

Clean and unobtrusive, with a roomy 9-inch inseam, these light workout shorts come in about a billion colors.

There’s a common adage you hear about great masters in their fields: the Michelin-starred chef who, after a long day composing gastronomical wonders in the kitchen, comes home craving the simplicity of a grilled cheese; the musical genius who listens to nothing but white noise anywhere outside of the studio. No one would ever mistake me for a great master of anything, but even I—your humble middle-of-the-road menswear blogger—sometimes need a mental vacation from thinking about clothes after the endless hours of internet garm-wrangling I put in everyday. About every six months or so, I’ll open my closet in the morning and instantly feel like Rocky in the 14th round, bleary-eyed and overmatched and unable to piece together even a half-decent fit. I can’t see nothing. You gotta dress me, Mick! In those instances, I’ve come to rely on a uniform that helps me realign my sartorial chakras: denim-on-denim.

That’s right, the Canadian Tuxedo. When I first stumbled into this semi-regular habit a couple of years back, it was completely subconscious: every day for a week or so, without really thinking about it, I’d pull on my trusty 501s with my even-trust-ier trucker jacket, plucked for a pittance from the Club Monaco sale rack more than a decade ago in college and put through absolute hell ever since. What peculiar forces had drawn me to double denim, exactly? Perhaps it was a comforting nod to my roots north of the border, or a small tribute to the decades of style gods who have donned it before me: your Marvins, your Hoppers, your Meryls, your Kermits. But mostly, I think, I leaned on it for its quiet functionality. No matter what you wear underneath—a plain tee or a freaky camp shirt, a hoodie or a polo—there’s a purpose-driven clarity to pairing jeans and a jean jacket. A few days of palate-cleansing indigo, and I’m right back ready to furiously stunt on the world like post-baseball Mike.

Lately, I’ve taken to calling these occasional denim-heavy stretches my Style Detoxes. Even if you aren’t as enamored with the rugged ease of all-jean-everything as I am, it’s a useful practice to adopt from time to time. The next time you wake up sick of all your own clothes, too weary to decide what to wear, go with your gut and throw on something effortless and innocuous. Then wear it again, and again, and again, and again—à la Doug from Doug—until you’re ready to return to getting dressed with fresh eyes and renewed intention.

Maybe your Style Detox is wearing head-to-toe white like Andrew W.K. or head-to-toe black like a Chelsea gallerist. Maybe it’s the perfect tracksuit or the perfect suit-suit. Whatever you land on, I’ll be floating above it all in my dungaree-induced meditative trance. If you’d like to join me, here are a handful of hard-wearing ways to do just that.

Levi’s 501 original shrink-to-fit jeans

Tough to beat the brand that invented the look.

Uniqlo U cotton trucker jacket

Uniqlo U regular fit jeans

Christophe Lemaire brings his artful Parisian eye to an all-American ensemble.

Oni Denim 16oz natural indigo jean jacket

Oni Denim 16oz natural indigo neat straight jeans

Ready to see what all the hype is about over Japanese denim? Let this gorgeous slubby set be your introduction.

A.P.C. New Standard jeans

The label that introduced you to raw denim does the whole stonewash thing better than most, too.

Everlane relaxed 4-way stretch organic jean

Rockstar-ify your Canadian Tuxedo with a little pitch black denim.

Todd Snyder stretch denim jacket

Todd Snyder slim fit selvedge jean

Trashed like a perfect thrift store find, minus the impossible-to-wash-out thrift store smell.

Now, this is not “suitable” for work clothes!

Super sexy models swapping spit in a lusty menswear ad are making social media do a spit take over a company’s tongue-in-cheek ad.

Just short of stripping down to their birthday suits, well-groomed hotties posing for Suitsupply’s latest promotional campaign are kissing, licking and groping each other and calling it “The New Normal.” At least 10 scantily clad men and women are intertwined in an orgy-like lovemaking scene in the NSFW promo spread that was released Friday. 

The campaign’s title and imagery are likely symbols of hope for a future with less social distancing since the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is underway. 

Glistening wet tongues, dripping saliva and bulging crotches steal the show, rendering Suitsupply’s newest threads nearly invisible in the photos. However, each shot does feature at least one man dressed in the fashion brand’s suit, sucking face with a near-nude woman. 

Unsurprisingly, Twitter is cyber-spanking Suitsupply, comically criticizing the clothing pushers for pushing their “new normal” views of marketing onto the socially distancing public. 

“I’m working from bed and really and truly just pulled the covers over my head. Too close in a pandemic!!!!!!!!!!!,” one cringing critic tweeted. 

“I ain’t uptight, but the suitsupply ads gross me out,” a sickened social-media messenger wrote. 

“I see the world is once again ready for Suitsupply’s incredibly inappropriately horny ads!” another finger-wagger typed.