The Best Headphones for Working Out

“You’re always mooooving,” a parent friend once said in my direction, as he rapidly disappeared over the horizon. As the working parent of two kids, I … don’t disagree. Luxurious over-the-ear headphones are great if you primarily use headphones at work or for meetings, but for the rest of your life—working out, traveling, or puttering around your house pretending you’re putting things away—you probably want something much more convenient and durable.

Since I started testing workout headphones years ago, the sound, comfort, variety, and features have all improved dramatically. I pretty much always have a pair on or around me during the day, whether I’m biking on errands, running, rock climbing, or following along to mildly embarrassing yoga videos on my laptop in my bedroom. If you also need the distraction of music or podcasts while scrambling up stony slopes or mowing your lawn, here are a bunch of WIRED’s favorite pairs. We’ve worn and sweated on all of them. Don’t see anything you like? Check out our Best Wirefree Earbuds, Best Cheap Headphones, Best Bluetooth Speakers, or any of our other buying guides for more.

Updated June 2024: We added the Jabra Elite 8 Gen 2, the Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarers, and the Shokz OpenSwim Pro. We also updated links and pricing throughout.

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