The Best Gym Shorts for Men in 2024

So you wanna be a baller? A shot caller? And you want to do it on a budget? Then check out the Champion Mesh Shorts ($18). These are the OG athletic shorts — old-school cool, if you will. They offer a classic style, and at $18, they also offer tremendous value.

Chances are, if you played any kind of team sport growing up, you’ve probably owned a pair of Champions’ mesh shorts. While these aren’t the lightest or most technical shorts on the list, champion hits the mark with ample airflow, a full athletic fit, and two front pockets.

At 9 inches, the inseam is definitely on the longer side, but these shorts still fall just above the knee and allow for totally unencumbered movement in any plane. The waistband is comfortable and functional, with a simple drawcord to keep them where you want them. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.

If you’re not looking to break the bank on a pair of gym shorts, and you just need something practical and functional to hit the court and then the weight room, look no further than the Champion mesh shorts.

Simply put, the REI Co-op Active Pursuits Shorts ($45) are everything you need in a running short at a reasonable price ($45). Made of polyester and spandex, these shorts offer both unencumbered movement and excellent sweat-wicking. The waistband is comfortable and features a drawstring to keep things in place while you’re putting in the miles.

The recycled polyester liner is comfortable and wicks sweat well, and combined with flat seams to prevent chafing, you’ll be comfortable mile after mile. The active pursuit is an especially good trail short, featuring UPS 50 sun protection and a zippered front key/cash pocket.

While they aren’t as stylish as the Gym Swim, or as comfortable as the Ponto, these are the shorts we’d choose to run and hike in 10 times out of 10. They’re more than happy to pull double duty in the weight room too, where the four-way stretch and flat seams really shine by offering comfortable, full-range movement for all of your lifts.

If you’re looking for a great trail running short that you can wear to the gym too, look no further than the Active Pursuits Short.

Super comfortable and quite stylish, the Roark Bommer Short ($89) nails it. The camo colorway scores big points in our book and offers a couple of well-thought-out features that really round out the package. 

The magnetic phone/key pocket on the compression liner is an excellent touch and keeps essentials secure (no one likes things bouncing in their pockets when they’re running). One liner-averse tester found these to be the only liners he didn’t want to immediately cut out.

The four-way stretch offers excellent mobility and unrestricted movement out on the trail. Additionally, the Bommer shorts are very well-ventilated, which has been crucial as the temps have started climbing. The 3” inseam makes us think these will likely be reserved for summer trail runs, and don’t think we’ll be lifting in these shorts anytime soon. Somehow, Roark made the Bommer feel super lightweight without feeling like they’re going to wear out.

One caveat here, though: If you’re a fellow MOG (man of girth), or your friends jokingly refer to you as “Quadzilla,” you might want to consider sizing up. The large size fits well at the waist but the compression short liner is *tight* after this year’s ski season. But, to their credit, the liner didn’t ride up or pinch even a little, which is saying something. Well done, Roark. 

The Chubbies Swim Gym Short ($59) is top of the list for best everyday short for a few simple reasons: they look good, they fit well, and they perform great in the gym. If you’re the kind of person who finds yourself stopping by the river after you’ve been at the gym or running errands around town before you hit the weight room, look no further than the Swim Gym.

These shorts feature two front pockets with ample room and a rear zippered pocket to keep your keys and small items stowed safely. Featuring four-way stretch fabric and a comfortable elastic waistband, these unlined shorts will have you feeling as good as you look.

We think unlined shorts are just the ticket on super hot days, but if you prefer a little more support in your day-to-day, be sure to check out Chubbies’ underwear offerings.

Additionally, you’ll have your choice of 5.5-inch or 7-inch inseams depending on your own personal proclivities, though we’d like to take this opportunity to remind you of one of our favorite sayings — “Sky’s out, thighs out.”

The Vuori Ponto Shorts ($78) are very comfortable, and with their four-way stretch and moisture-wicking recycled material, they’re equally at home lounging at the coffee shop or smashing a WOD at your local CrossFit Box.

The Ponto is a four-pocket short, featuring two front hand pockets, a zippered rear pocket, and a fourth zippered key pocket inside the front right pocket. The fit and finish of these shorts truly are a cut above the rest. The waistband and drawstring are part of what make these shorts so comfortable and keep them riding on your waist without pinching or exerting undo pressure.

These shorts are unlined which is normally a huge plus in our book, but because of the way the material canvases your features, we’d recommend “layering up” if you catch our drift.

At $78, the Ponto is double the price of many shorts on this list, and while they certainly sport a premium fit, finish, and feel, it’s hard not to wonder if the price is worth it, especially with shorts like the Swim Gym on the list.

But hey, if you’ve got the budget and you want to look good and feel even better, take a look at the Ponto Short.

If you find most of your training revolves around logging miles on the trail or pounding pavement, take a look at the Under Armour Launch short ($35). These shorts feature a 7-inch inseam, four-way stretch, and a polyester liner as well as one of the most comfortable waistbands of any shorts on this list.

The anti-odor tech keeps your running funk to a tolerable level during and after long hot runs, which is a plus for running errands post-workout.

The launch shorts come with two front pockets but, unfortunately, no rear pocket and nowhere else to store small items like keys or gels. They do, however, feature a right-side “power mesh” phone pocket, which certainly helps to keep your phone secure but isn’t exactly practical for dealing with bouncing during running.

While these shorts are an excellent option for running, we recommend looking at other options like the Banks Short if most of your fitness pursuits are in the gym.

We are big fans of the Vuori products here at GJ — The Banks Short has long held the top spot on this list, and more recently, we reviewed the uber-comfortable Ponto Short. For this round of reviews, we took the opportunity to review the Kore Short ($68). It offers the same excellent fit that we’ve come to expect from Vuori while scoring points for being stylish, comfortable, and utilitarian. 

Out of the packaging, these shorts look and feel great. The polyester and elastane mix is lightweight and breathable without feeling too thin or cheap. The Kore short does feature a liner — something we were skeptical about initially, but after trying them on that skepticism faded quickly. These liners are less about compression and more about comfort and don’t ride up or bunch.

The waistband on the Kore Short is also very comfortable and sits at the hips without riding up or requiring frequent readjustment. A simple drawstring assures they stay snug right where you want them. 

One aspect in particular that we like is how the Kore short sports premium features without feeling like an overly fancy or gym-specific pair of shorts. These things are super comfortable and easily dress up or down depending on your preferences.

Our tester frequently wore the Kore shorts outside of the gym, running errands, doing chores around the house, to yoga, and even for a handful of impromptu naps. The Kore shorts stayed fresh thanks to their anti-odor feature and their four-way stretch allowed for unencumbered movement regardless of what he was doing.

While their versatility may be unmatched, we did run into one potential issue with the Kore Short. After just a few short weeks, our tester noticed that the stitching on the bottom and side seams had started to become frayed and begin piling. So far, this hasn’t become an issue, but it is enough to raise some questions about the durability of these shorts — time will tell.

It’s certainly not a deal-breaker, but at $68, we’d hope to get at least a couple of seasons’ use out of a pair of shorts. Regardless, the Kore shorts remain an excellent, comfortable, stylish, and practical option for folks in the market for one short to do everything. 

We are generally impressed with the Interval Short from Ten Thousand ($68). These shorts sport many well-thought-out features including a variety of pockets for your wallet, phone, and keys, an optional anti-microbial liner, a no-bunch waistband, and your choice of three different inseam lengths (5, 7, or 9 inches).

We received the lined 7-inch inseam short in Adobe for our test. Out of the box, the shorts fit well, though it’s important to note here that our tester ordered a size up from what the website recommended. Typically, we aren’t big fans of lined shorts, but the Interval short does things a little differently with its integrated anti-microbial liner. The liner is slightly thicker, and much less constricting than a traditional compression short liner, and it’s miles better than any mesh liner we’ve ever encountered.

Despite the liner being a little more heavy-duty than average, these shorts breathe very well and offer excellent sweat-wicking with little to no musty gym smell at the end of the day. The 4-way stretch provides unencumbered movement whether you are running, jumping, or lifting, and our tester found the Interval shorts to be a particularly comfortable choice for trips to the climbing gym.

We do have a couple of complaints about the interval shorts, however. The crotch in the liner hangs quite low, and our tester found himself needing to adjust his shorts frequently during testing. It’s an interesting problem because typically, we associate compression liners with riding up, but instead, we found the Interval’s liner would fall down and needed to be hiked up for comfort.

Additionally, the waistband did bunch up a little despite claims to the opposite. The material is quite comfortable and once flattened out, it’s not a huge problem, but since Ten Thousand lists the “no pinch, no bunch” waistband at the top of its features we thought we should weigh in.

Minor gripes aside, there’s a lot to like about the interval shorts. The main pockets are appropriately roomy, there’s a key sleeve in the band and a zippered double pocket for your valuables on the right side. These shorts dress up fairly well and are great for working the gym floor or a quick lunch or coffee trip before or after your gym session.

And, with the anti-microbial liner, you don’t have to worry about being funky in public (or at least it won’t be because of your shorts). Those of you looking for a pair of good-looking, well-made, and comfortable gym shorts will be well served by the Ten Thousand Interval Short.