Best Men's Workout Shorts of 2026

There is very little fabric here, and in a hot gym that's the entire appeal. Under Armour's Tech shorts weigh next to nothing, handle sweat without clinging, and dry off between sets. We reach for them on the muggiest weeks of summer, and we've stopped expecting them to do anything heavier than that.

The 10-inch inseam gives more coverage than most of the running-focused picks here, and the drawstring is a real flat tie rather than the loop that's impossible to knot. That combination — longer leg, adjustable waist — is why this pair keeps turning up in gym bags. Sizing leans big, so measure your waist before you order rather than reaching for your usual letter.

What we keep coming back to is how little thought they require. They pack small, they don't hold on to a sweat smell, and the graphic on the leg gives them enough personality for a gym-to-coffee morning. Just don't count on them as your only pair.

Three inseam lengths in a single listing is unusual, and it's the reason this pair sits at the top of our list. You can order the NORTHYARD shorts in 5, 7, or 9 inches, which covers everything from a race-day split short to something that finishes just above the knee. In a category where a couple of inches decides whether a pair feels right, picking your length before checkout removes most of the guesswork.

The zippered pockets are what sealed it. There are three of them, and they keep a phone flat against your thigh through sprints, burpees, and a bench session — the thing every open-pocket pair here, including the Under Armour Tech shorts, can't promise. The fabric is light and smooth, dries quickly after a sweaty hour, and doesn't balloon through the leg the way a basketball short does. We also appreciated the waistband, which sits flat under a shirt instead of bunching at the hem.

Where it slips a little is the hand feel. The polyester has a faint sheen and reads more synthetic than the price suggests, though it dries fast enough that we stopped minding after a few sessions. If you want a short that passes at a casual dinner, the Amazon Essentials pair looks more like regular clothing. For training, though, this is the one we reach for.

Two pairs arrive for roughly what most single pairs here cost, and that framing explains why this pack shows up in so many gym bags. The fabric is a light, breathable mesh with a moisture-wicking finish, the elastic waist has a drawstring to snug it, and the pockets are deep enough for a phone. Colors have held through repeated washing.

The cut is loose and long through the leg, closer to a basketball short than a running short. That's comfortable for lifting and for lounging on the couch afterward, but it swims on a leaner frame, and there's no trim version of the fit. If you want something that stays close to the thigh, this isn't the pack.

Where it earns its place is laundry math. Train four or five days a week and a couple of cheap pairs you can throw into any wash cycle without a second thought beats one precious pair you baby. The waistband is the plainest in this group — no wide band, no zippered pocket — but as the pair that gets worn on the ordinary days, it does the job.

One order covers a training week. The BOOJO five-pack arrives as five pairs of quick-dry shorts, and the cost per pair is the lowest of anything on this list — useful if your laundry pile, rather than your motivation, is what decides how often you train.

The wide elastic waistband is the detail we appreciated most. It sits flat, doesn't roll down mid-set, and the drawstring is there if you want it. The pockets are genuinely deep, deep enough that a phone doesn't climb out when you sit between sets. The fabric is silky with a slight shine, cool against the skin in heat, and dries fast on a line.

What you're accepting is a thin short. In a paler color, a brightly lit gym will show more than you might want, and the shine reads synthetic in daylight. That's the trade for the price, and for a set of daily drivers you don't have to protect, it's one we'd take again.

The fabric is what sets this pair apart: soft, smooth 100% polyester that feels closer to pajama material than to crisp mesh, and it dries quickly after a hard session. We like these for the gym and just as much for the errand afterward, because they don't look or feel like technical gear. The pockets are roomy and the waistband stays put through a lifting session.

One catch: the material is thin, and in strong light a paler color can read see-through, so treat black or navy as the gym-safe choice. It also runs small, so work from the size chart rather than your usual letter. Neither is unusual at this price, and neither changes the fact that these are the most comfortable shorts in the group.

This is the most expensive pair in the group, and it isn't the one with the most features — no zippered pockets, no length options. What you're paying for is fabric and finish: a smooth, well-draped short in a range of colors and patterns that look considerably better than the gym-only pairs here.

The pockets are set well forward and hold a phone against the hip without dragging the shorts down, and the waistband is wide and snug without cutting in. They're comfortable enough that they get worn well past the gym, which is a strange thing to say about athletic shorts and an accurate one.

The fabric is thin, and the lighter colorways can go sheer in direct sun — worth knowing before you order the pale gray. Sizing leans small, so measure rather than guessing. Neither issue is unusual in this category; both matter more when you're paying the most on the page.

So who should buy them? If one pair has to cover training, travel, and a casual dinner, and you care how the fabric feels against your skin, the premium buys you something real. If your shorts only ever see the inside of a gym, put the money into two pairs of the BOOJO pack instead and get a week of training out of it.

Five quick-dry pairs in muted colors, with pockets deep enough that a phone, keys, and headphones sit without bouncing while you run. That's the pitch, and it's a sensible one if a single order needs to reset your whole drawer without turning it neon.

They're light and airy — the fabric barely registers on a hot run — and they dry overnight, which matters if you're rinsing a pair in the sink between sessions. The leg is loose without being a basketball short, and the waist adjusts with a drawstring if you need it.

The difference between this pack and BOOJO's is mostly the palette. AKAWOOKO leans neutral, which makes these the easier set to wear on a weekend errand, and the quick-dry behavior is much the same. Both land in the same budget bracket, so color is as good a tiebreaker as anything else here.

Buy the AKAWOOKO set if you want five pairs that don't look like workout clothes, and the BOOJO pack if you want the wider waistband and the deeper pockets. Either way, five pairs cost less than a single premium pair on this list, which is the whole argument for going bulk.

Ten inches of inseam is the whole reason to look at this pair. Champion's Sport Shorts come in a standard fit that doesn't balloon, in a lightweight moisture-wicking fabric that stays cool through a full session, and the length keeps the hem from riding up on taller frames or in a deep squat. If you've ordered "long" shorts before and found they stop mid-thigh, this is the pair that actually gets there.

The flip side of a simple, inexpensive short is a simple pocket. It's shallow, and a phone works its way up the moment you sit down, so plan on an armband or a bag if you carry one. That aside, the case for these is plain length with a standard leg and none of the technical extras — nobody needs a zip pocket to do leg day, and the Champion does the basic job of covering your thighs at a length you chose on purpose.