There are many reasons why listening to anything from music to audiobooks and podcasts can help with your exercise regime. Whether it’s giving you more motivation, helping you to keep focussed or simply being a distraction from a tough workout, having your favourite jams in your ears can really make a difference.
However, to make sure you can be truly inspired by your chosen melodies, you need some decent headphones to play them on. You shouldn’t just buy any old set though, as the last thing you want is for them to feel uncomfortable, to have poor quality audio, or most annoyingly, keep falling off when you’re exercising.
So if you are in the market for a new pair, here’s our list, in no particular order, of the best headphones for exercising that you can buy right now. We’ve even broken these down by their features – including: how comfy they are, their battery life, water resistance and more – and explained which types of exercise they’re most suitable for:
Beats Fit Pro
With quite a reputation to live up to – including their predecessor the mighty Beats Powerbeats Pro – these wireless earbuds from Beats by Dre thankfully deliver and are some of the best headphones you can get for exercise. Designed with sport in mind, they’re particularly good for a gym workout and boast exceptional sound quality and noise cancellation. The battery life is also decent, and to top it all off, they look sleek and smart.
Comfort
The tapered, wing tip design of the Fit Pros makes them feel safe and secure, plus they’re much gentler on the ears than the Powerbeats Pro. However, they have seen criticism from wearers for some eventual rubbing and irritation if they’re worn for several hours.
Battery Life
According to their specs, the battery life is pretty good and you can get up to six hours of performance with noise cancellation turned on and seven hours without it, all on a single charge. The charge time can take up to 30 hours though, so make sure to keep on top of this between workouts.
Wired Vs Wireless
The Fit Pros have wireless range capabilities up to 40 feet away from a device and they have easy connectivity with both iOS and Android devices.
Audio Quality
On a general level, audio quality is excellent on the Fit Pros and the bass range has been fine-tuned to add more weight and deeper tones to the overall sound. Via Apple Music you can also make the most of spatial audio, which despite the small size of the buds, is very impressive. The let down is that unless you’re using this on an Apple device, you won’t be able to use it.
Noise Cancellation
These headphones come with active noise cancellation and offer a similar experience to the AirPods Pro – the frontrunners for this popular audio tech. The silence from background noise is superb and is sure to block out any distractions for you when working out.
Form Factor
The measurement for each bud is 0.75 x 1.18 x 0.94 inches, making them neat and compact. However, to help get the perfect fit for your ear-shape you have a choice of three tips, but additional info is available from Beats to help you get your sizing right.
Additional Features
Another couple of features that make these great for exercising is their water-resistance, via the protective casings found on each earbud. The controls are managed through skin-detection sensors, as well as voice commands for a truly ‘hands free’ experience. In other words, if a tune comes on you don’t like, or you need to take a quick call, you don’t need to stop or interrupt your gym session.
Jabra Elite Active 75t
Jabra has marketed its Elite Active 75t headphones as ‘workout-proof’ and they claim to have specifically engineered them to get users ‘no better fit for sport’. This is of course quite the gauntlet to lay down, but it appears they’ve nailed it, as having tested them, they are definitely some of the best headphones for exercising, but especially for running. This is mainly down to their great fit and sleek aesthetics, but you get stunning sound quality to top it all off.
Comfort
Each bud only weighs around five and a half grams, so you’d be forgiven for forgetting you’re even wearing them at times. This is also helped by their comfy, snug, ear-hugging fit and their soft silicon tips which means they stay firmly in place when you’re running.
Battery Life
The battery life is another big plus and is one of the best on the market. You can get around seven hours of playback just from the earbuds, while the charge case can hold up to 28 extra hours. Jabra also recently updated the charge case to be compatible with Qi-enabled wireless chargers. Although, at about 10 hours, it’s also reasonably quick to fully charge the case from the mains.
Wired Vs Wireless
These are another set of wireless headphones from Jabra and although these are technically a step up from the standard Elite versions, the performance in terms of range and connectivity is still the same.
Audio Quality
There’s no other way of putting this, but these headphones can be pretty darn loud and you’ll probably want to bring it down to a mid-level setting when you’re using them. That said, the audio overall is clear and dynamic, but via the Jabra Sound+ app you can play around with the EQ to tune the settings to your particular aural preferences.
Noise Cancellation
The Active 75t earbuds have active and passive noise cancellation and as such they’re great for subduing and suppressing the sounds of even the busiest of backgrounds. This, alongside their big volume, means you can easily work out in peace.
Form Factor
One of the best features of the Active 75t earbuds is their sleek, hookless profile that lies almost flush against your ear. They’re one of the most aerodynamic-looking headphones you can get, and Jabra says these are over 20% smaller than their Active 65 range.
Additional Features
A few more top features include the water and dust resistant materials used on the headphones and on the casing. This means that even during or after the sweatiest of workouts, their performance won’t be compromised, nor will they slip out of your damp hands. From a style perspective you can also find six different finishes, so the option is there if you want to match the earbuds to your favoured sports attire.
Apple AirPods Pro
If you use Apple devices, then you’ll be hard pressed to find a better pair of headphones for exercising than the AirPods Pro. There’s plenty to enjoy with these clever little pieces of tech, and we mean in addition to the features that are specifically for iPhone users, and of course, their iconic styling that’s synonymous with Apple’s hallmark for great products.
Comfort
When it comes to comfort, Apple has stepped things up a lot since the previous generations of AirPods. The Pros are much lighter at around five and a half grams each and the silicon tips are nice and soft when plugged into your ears. This also helps keep them in place, particularly when running, but to help ensure their security you can also run an ‘ear fit test’ with the different sized tips to make sure you get the right ones for your ears.
Battery Life
It’s fair to say that you can find other headphones that offer a better battery life, but equally what they do provide certainly isn’t bad for Apple. The earbuds give around five hours of usage, while the MagSafe Charging Case gives you another 24 hours. A Wireless Charging Case is also available, but if you’re plugging them in with the Lightning Cable, they can fully charge within a few hours – which certainly beats a lot of the competition.
Wired Vs Wireless
The AirPods Pro are wireless and use Bluetooth 5.0, this means that they could theoretically get up to 800 feet in device range. In reality though it’s about 50 feet, but that’s still not to be sniffed at.
Audio Quality
Thanks again to the ‘ear fit test’ you should get a decent seal on your AirPods Pro and this makes all the difference to the sound quality. A proper fit means minimal sound leakage and because Apple has again upped the game on the last generation, the audio is superbly balanced and nicely equalised.
Noise Cancellation
The active noise cancellation features of the AirPods Pro are a big strength, but you also have the ‘Transparency Mode’ option if you want to let in some outside sounds. The benefit here is that if you want to shut off when working out you can, but if you still want to talk to others without irritating background noises, the TM lets you do so. The noise cancellation also boosts the quality of the audio playback, so you’ll need this on if you really want to get into your tunes.
Form Factor
The AirPods Pro are unmistakably an Apple product, but tweaks to their design from the last generation has made these cleaner, slimmer and better-engineered for sports. They sit neatly in the ear and their stems fall naturally without much protrusion. That said, if you’re not a fan of the Apple style, you probably won’t fall in love with these.
Additional Features
These headphones come with spatial audio, giving a ‘3D audio experience’ which feels like the sound is moving around you rather than staying static. This can make what you’re listening to feel more immersive, which is great if you want to really switch off and focus on your exercise.
Shokz OpenRun Pro
If you don’t like the feel of earbuds, you don’t want to run with cumbersome headsets, or you have a hearing aid in place, then these ‘bone-conduction’ headphones are the perfect choice for you. As this description suggests, you’ll leave your ears free when working out, but thanks to this innovative tech, you – or specifically your head – will still enjoy your top tracks.
Comfort
As they’re designed with running in mind, the OpenRun Pros are lightweight but will gently anchor around your head, meaning they won’t bounce around. Despite the wraparound frame being made from titanium they’re also gentle around the tops of your ears and won’t chafe, even with intense use.
Battery Life
The OpenRun Pros lead the way when it comes to the battery life of both general headphones and bone-conduction ones. On a single charge you can get up to 10 hours of playback, plus it only takes a couple of hours to charge them up. This combo makes them great if you regularly run long distances. .
Wired Vs Wireless
These headphones are wireless and feature Bluetooth 5.1, so much like similar sets with such connectivity you’ve got plenty of range if you’re going to be working out around different areas of a gym.
Audio Quality
The audio quality of Shokz latest headphones is a notable improvement on the previous generations and you get a pleasant, rich and balanced sound. However, if it’s the music that really matters to you, these aren’t necessarily going to tick your boxes as you don’t get the same performance you get from other top spec earbuds.
Noise Cancellation
On top of this last point, these aren’t noise cancelling headphones. In fact, because your ears will be exposed, you won’t be able to block out any external noise during your workout.
Form Factor
Even though these come with a wraparound design, they’re still unobtrusive, aerodynamic and smart-looking. Shokz have also cleverly improved the size of the command console that sits discreetly behind your ear, meaning you have easier access to the controls and functions.
Additional Features
Shokz also says the OpenRun Pros have an IP55 rating, making them water and dust resistant, which is another positive for outdoor, long-distance running. However, arguably the best additional feature is how these headphones can help people with hearing impairments and can give individuals who wear hearing aids the opportunity to make the most of some quality running headphones.
Sony WH-1000XM4
For some attractive and high-quality over-ear headphones that are perfect for days when you’re hitting the free weights, these wireless ones from Sony are just the ticket. The WH-1000XM4 range has also made some notable improvements on the last generation, bringing a bigger and better audio experience.
Comfort
The cushioning from the imitation leather is both soft and comfy around the ears and on top of your head. They’re also light, but rigid and stay firmly in place, however, if you’re planning on jogging when wearing these, they will move around a bit when you do.
Battery Life
The headphones house some amazing batteries that give a huge 30 hours of run time, but one of the party tricks of these is that from just 10 minutes on an AC adapter, you can top up five hours’ worth of charge. To give a full charge it’ll take you around three hours.
Wired Vs Wireless
Another advantage for the gym is that these headphones are indeed wireless with Bluetooth 5.0. So again, any session where you’ll be switching between exercise equipment, your music won’t be interrupted. You can also pair multiple devices at once with these headphones.
Audio Quality
Sony is known for its audio quality and it hasn’t tinkered too much with the setup that has served the previous generations in this range. This means you get the warm, balanced mix in the sound, but this can be adjusted to give an impressive bass boost.
Noise Cancellation
The WH-1000XM4s don’t just have noise cancellation features, they have Sony’s Dual Noise Sensor tech that adjusts the level of cancellation based on the external noise it detects. In other words, you will comfortably – and consistently – keep any distractions at bay.
Form Factor
The earcups are technically of a thinner design than their predecessors and are over a gram lighter overall, despite being over 10% larger. This makes them look less chunky and more streamlined, but unlike most over-ear headphones these can be folded down twice, making them much easier to store in your gym bag.
Additional Features
It’s worth pointing out that they’re not water resistant – so another argument not to use them for a sweaty cardio session – but what you do get instead is some smarter tech. One top example is the connectivity with the Sony app, from which you can activate and change the settings on all the features from the EQ to the noise cancellation, making your headphones bespoke to you and your gym needs.
