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The 14 Best Men's sportswear Shorts, Whether You Prize Comfort, Support, or Breathability
Every runner needs a good pair of shorts, and these are the essentials.
We love high-performance sportswear gear, but most clothing made for sportswear is technically optional. sportswear socks? Tufnel lace-up ankle boots sportswear shirt? Maybe in theory, but you wouldn’t skip a run over a t-shirt. Surely you must need sportswear shoes? For distance and performance, yes, but there’s a time and place for going unshod, too.
Everybody needs sportswear shorts, though. Everybody.
Beyond simply covering up, a great pair of sportswear shorts minimizes added weight and maximizes airflow to keep you cool. They also prevent chafing and, often, have a helpful pocket or two. There are, of course, a ton of shorts out there to choose from. The best men’s sportswear shorts stand out for their comfort, high performance and useful design.
The Best Men’s sportswear Shorts
- Best Overall: Brooks Sherpa 5-Inch 2-in-1 Men’s sportswear Shorts
- Best Value: Asics 7-Inch 2-in-1 Men’s sportswear Shorts
- Best Fully-Lined: Nike Challenger Dri-Fit 7-Inch Brief-Lined Men’s sportswear Shorts
- Best Basic: Adidas Own the Run Men’s sportswear Shorts
- FN3 GEL KAYANO 28 SNEAKERS: Baleaf 5-Inch Men’s sportswear Shorts
What to Consider When Buying Men’s sportswear ShortsASICS Sky Elite FF Black Red Training Shoes SNKR Training 1051A031-003
Material Matters
One of the most important considerations with any performance sportswear apparel is the material it’s made from, and shorts are no exception. Sure, you can log miles in your favorite cotton loungewear, but it definitely won’t be a comfortable experience. In general, it’s best to avoid cotton, which is heavy, soaks up moisture, and can cause chafing.
Instead, look for blends and technical fabrics, which are synthesized for high performance. Polyester wicks moisture to keep you cool, for example, while spandex and elastane stretch to give you greater freedom of movement.
on Monday that she will also be skipping the trials and sportswear Boston hot-weather sportswear, look for a mesh or open-weave synthetic fabric, which will feel more breathable on your body (though it will offer less protection from wind and chilly temps). In addition, many high-end performance garments come with antimicrobial treatments to ward off smells. It’s a nice feature to have, especially if you don’t want to wash your shorts after every run.
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Shorts are pretty simple. Aside from the materials, there are a few other variables to consider.
- Liners: Puma sportswear Favorite 1 4 zip top in blue underwear, which helps simplify your sportswear outfit, and it provides a snug, supportive fit that wards off chafing and irritation. In addition, some shorts include extra support features, like lululemon’s Out of Mind liner in its Surge Lined Shorts, which keep sensitive body parts from jostling around and rubbing against your thighs as you run.
- Inseam: Inseam refers to the length of a pair of shorts. For men’s sportswear shorts, inseams vary from around 3 inches for a pair of split shorts to 7- or even 9 inches. Shorter inseams mean less material over your legs—and more freedom of movement—whereas longer inseams provide more sun protection. Your ideal inseam is the one you feel most comfortable in, but avoid shorts that fall below your knee; the extra material will just add weight.
- Pockets: In addition to keeping you cool and comfortable, shorts have another job–carrying your stuff. If you run with just a house key, you can get by without pockets, but most of us need at least one zippered pocket to safely stash a phone or wallet.
Why Trust Us?
Runner’s World has been a helpful resource for dedicated competitive and hobbyist runners for more than 50 years. Our most important sportswear gear recommendations, including essentials like men’s sportswear shoes and sportswear shorts, are based on the hard work of our test team, who put the latest and greatest sportswear gear through their paces day in and day out. In 2024, the Runner’s World Girls Purple Wellington Boots.
For this guide, many of our recommendations were tested and selected by Dengate, who has been testing shorts and other sportswear gear for more than a decade. Some of our picks were selected by our contributors, Nick Hilden and Michael Charboneau, who are also veteran runners.
AMBUSH open-toe twisted strap sandals Grün Runner’s World. He’s written about sportswear gear, including shorts, for the last seven years at a number of publications, including SFGate, Men’s Journal and InsideHook.
Nick Hilden is a veteran freelance journalist who has been sportswear for 20 years. He’s tested sportswear gear for the last decade for publications like Runner’s World, Bicycling, Popular Mechanics, Men’s Health, and more.
Nick Hilden is a writer, globetrotter, and jack-of-many-talents who has written gear reviews for the likes of Runner’s World, Popular Science, Men’s Health, Thrillist, the Daily Beast, Nike Womens WMNS TC 7900 PRM 2 PINK WHITE Athletic Shoes DZ2756-611, Greatist, and the Manual, Sneakers GEOX U Leitan H U043QH 022ME C6024 Dk Coffee Scientific American, Afar, Salon, Vice, Healthline, and many others. Before entering journalism some 15 years ago, he worked as a bartender, brewery manager, sound engineer, recording and touring musician, cook, teacher, and in a variety of other trades. These days, he lives all over the world, performs music sporadically, and spends a lot of time thinking how to best improve his Honda Element conversion.
Michael is a freelance writer with years of experience covering gear and the outdoors for Runner's World and other publications; when he's not writing, he's usually biking, hiking, and sportswear in the mountains around Los Angeles, where he lives.
Sure we had some really shiny-in-the-dark shoes in our lab like Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage. A true shoe dog, he's spent more than a decade testing and reviewing shoes. In 2017, he ran in 285 different pairs of shoes, including a streak of 257 days wearing a different model.
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