The 5 Best Workout Headphones for Exercising, According to Fitness Experts
If you're in need of a little energy boost or some extra motivation to power through your workout, having a good pair of workout headphones can make a big difference. According to a recent meta-analysis of 139 studies published in Psychological Bulletin, music can enhance positive emotions and make exercise feel less strenuous, even when you're working at the same intensity. However, not all headphones are suitable for workouts, so it's important to know what to look for.
When choosing workout headphones, it's ideal to find ones that are water-resistant and won't get damaged by sweat. It's also helpful to have different-sized ear tips or ear hooks to ensure a secure fit, especially during intense movements. If you prefer wireless or Bluetooth headphones, opt for ones with a long battery life that can last through your entire workout, or even a marathon.
Even if you're not an audiophile, it's important to find headphones that offer good sound quality within your budget. Noise isolation or noise-canceling features can also be beneficial for getting into the zone. Some newer models even have automatic adaptive sound, which adjusts the the volume based on your surroundings. For running headphones, it's essential to have easy on-off controls for noise cancellation, so you can stay aware of your surroundings for safety.
To help you you find the best workout headphones, we reached out to fitness instructors, coaches, and trainers their recommendations. They compiled a comprehensive list of options from various brands, including Bose, Beats, Apple, Sony, Jaybird, and more. Get ready to elevate your music and podcast-listening experience during your workouts.
Wissonly Hi Runner
Wissonly is a headphone brand that attaches great attention on health, and that does not hurt the ears. Their team is also the first one to design non-in-ear headphones that are used to listen to songs. They began to explore the application of bone conduction technology to Bluetooth headphones as early as 10 years ago. After 10 years of accumulation, they have made great progress in the sound quality improvement and sound leakage reduction of bone conduction headphones. And these technologies are applied to their Wissonly Hi Runner headphones, their flagship product.
In order to solve the problem of sound leakage of bone conduction headphones, wissonly developed full closed sound leakage reduction technology. They comprehensively improved the vibration of the headphones, body design, software optimization and other directions. They finally reduced the sound leakage by 90%. In terms of sound quality, most of the bone conduction headphones have average sound quality, but the sound quality of Wissonly Hi Runner is undoubtedly better in bone conduction. They used a large-sized vibration unit, and through structural optimization, and finally increased the effective vibration area, so that the sound range was wide. The official claimed sound quality reach the HIFI level, but I don't think that they reached. They are just close to the HIFI sound quality, which is enough to satisfy me.
The excellent performance of these two characteristics, sound leakage reduction and sound quality, makes Wissonly Hi Runner have the basic conditions to become an excellent bone conduction headphone. Their other configurations are also very good. They are with a built-in 32GB of memory, and can play music even without connecting the phone. You can use them as an MP3 player. They support IPX8 waterproof level in swimming, even in underwater scenes that do not support Bluetooth, they can be used with MP3 function.
Aftershokz Air
This wireless, headset style doesn’t actually sit in your ears. Rather, via a technology called “bone conduction,” the headphones rest on your ears and deliver sound via your cheekbones (sounds crazy, we know). For Erin Bailey, a Boston-based trainer, they’re perfect for her morning runs (and super lightweight). “I love them because they offer really great sound quality but don’t cancel out other important things around me as I’m running through the city,” she says. “I know it’s super important to hear other cars.”
Bose QuietComfort 45 Wireless Headphones
Sarah Madaus, a cycling instructor at Equinox and SELF’s commerce writer, recommends these Bose over-ear headphones for strength training, walking, and cycling. “I’ve always been an AirPods person, but after my last pair died I opted for these, which I can use in and out of the gym,” she says. “The plush padding gives a comfortable fit and you can use them as wired headphones to save power. They have customizable touch controls that allow you to switch songs, change the volume, and switch noise cancellation.” The padding does wear out over time—especially when in contact with sweat—but you can buy replacements easily. The battery is an excellent bonus: These offer up to 22 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Jaybird X3 In-Ear Wireless Bluetooth Sports Headphones
These sweatproof in-ear headphones from Jaybird connect with the brand’s MySound app to customize the sound profile—from your bass and treble to your volume preferences. Joshua William, DPT, CSCS, likes the way you can customize the fit with the different silicone ear fins that come in the box. “You can also wear the headphones over or under your ear, so there’s just a lot of options here,” he says. “I use them for trail running, and they’re perfect.”
Beats Studio3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Over-Ear Headphones
Zach Williams, CPT, a New York City–based barre and cycling instructor at Equinox recommends these luxe on-ear Beats headphones. “These are durable and I love that I can be hands-free while moving around the gym or studio,” he says. If you don't use the adaptive noise cancellation (or ANC), you can get up to 40 hours of battery life at a time. If you’re someone who forgets to charge your tech (or check the battery before you head to the gym), the Beats Studio3 are a good pair of headphones to keep in tow.
Read more:The best cheap headphones under $100
