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Whether you want a little boost of adrenaline or just need the motivation to keep going during your workout, a little audio assistance via the best workout headphones can go a long way. One meta-analysis from 2020 of 139 previously published studies published in Psychological Bulletin found that music can encourage positive emotions about your workout and make exercise feel less hard, even when you’re going at the same intensity. But every fine-tuned workout playlist requires a great pair of headphones to keep those tunes in steady supply, and your everyday earbuds might not be the best for a workout.

What should you look for in a pair of workout headphones?

There are a few key features to look for when shopping for the best headphones. Ideally, you want water-resistant earphones that don’t get swampy and filmy after an hour or so of sweating on them. It’s also nice to have a pair that come with different-sized ear tips or ear hooks so that they won’t get jostled out of your ears mid-burpee, but it’s not a necessity—especially if you stick to strength training or walking. If you’re looking for wireless or Bluetooth headphones, they should have a reliable and long battery life, especially if you’re looking for some that will carry you through, say, an entire marathon.

Even if you’re not a certifiable audiophile, you want your pair to have top-tier sound quality for your budget, and maybe noise isolation or noise-canceling features to help you get in the zone. Some newer sets boast automatic adaptive sound features, which means that the volume in your ears will automatically adjust based on your surroundings (so you can drown out loud noises easily or turn down the sound of your music during conversations). If you’re looking for running headphones, noise-cancellation features should have easy, intuitive on-off controls so you can hear ambient sound while running outside. Safety first!

To get some insight on where to shop, we asked a handful of fitness instructors, coaches, and trainers about which earbuds and over-the-ear options they recommend specifically for movement and exercise. They came up with this comprehensive list of the best workout headphones, including picks for all budgets from brands like Bose, Beats, Apple, Sony, Jaybird, and more. Your music and podcast-listening experience is about to get a major upgrade.

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.

Apple AirPods (2nd Generation)

One set of headphones, seamless connectivity across most of your devices. That’s what sold Katelyn DiGiorgio, an instructor at Pure Barre in California, on Apple’s classic AirPods. “Once you pair them to your Apple devices, like your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Macbook, you don’t have to pair and re-pair,” she says. “The AirPods automatically switch to the device you’re playing content on, so you can answer a call on your phone, then get right back to listening to music on your iPad.”

Kehinde Anjorin, a New York City–based trainer, also loves that she can leave her phone in one place in her home, workout in another, and not worry about losing connectivity.

Beats Solo3 Wireless Headphones

If you want to be completely in the zone, this is your pick, says Nichelle Hines, Los Angeles–based trainer and chief ride officer at Cycle House. “I love how you can isolate the sound,” she says, adding that her bright red pair is “cute AF” and the over-ear style is ideal for her small ears. “When I get sweaty, AirPods and other in-ear styles slip out, and I don’t have that issue with the beats.”

Charlee Atkins, CSCS and creator of Le Sweat, totally agrees, adding that the sound quality is awesome and they’re easy to adjust for a more snug fit. “I like their bigger size.”

Jabra Elite 75t True Wireless Earbuds with Charging Case

Shodan Rodney, a New York City–based trainer at Limelight in Brooklyn, was first attracted to this style because of the price tag. Butt add in the active noise cancellation and a super-secure fit, and he was absolutely sold. “I like that I can run with a friend but still have some jams going on in the background,” he adds.

Bose SoundSport Wireless Headphones

If you’re the kind of person who always forgets to charge your headphones, this pick has an added feature you’ll really appreciate. When you turn on the wireless style, they tell you exactly how much battery life they’ve got left. “It’s the perfect reminder for me to know when I have to charge them next,” says Dianna Falzarano, a Long Island–based trainer and owner of Dynamic Fitness. Falzarano adds that she’s had her pair for over three years now, and they still hold a charge and work like they’re fresh out of the box.
Read more:THE 5 BEST-SOUNDING HEADPHONES THAT WON’T FALL OUT DURING YOUR WORKOUT