10 Best Headphones for Working Out in 2025 to Crush Your Fitness Goals

The Best for Your Post-Workout Gaming Session: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5

For my husband, his post-workout reward will always be video games—so I’ve made it my mission in life to find headphones that don’t look like, well, gaming headphones. He’s reported back that he loves the build quality, especially at this price point, and that they feel very comfortable even during extended gaming sessions. They have built-in ANC and a retractable mic that helps them truly look like regular headphones for shooting things on a screen. They come with a built-in Bluetooth dongle, which he said he loves because it provides “solid low latency,” which I’m told means there’s no delay. Basically, you can go cordless without any audio frustrations.

What To Look for in Workout Headphones

• Sweat- and water-resistance rating: Water-resistance (and dust resistance) are covered by an IP ("ingress protection") rating, which is usually shown as the letters ‘IP’ and then two digits. The first digit shows the level of dust protection, and the second digit references the water resistance. The higher the number, the better the resistance. (An X means that resistance wasn't tested.) Anything above a 1 in the second digit works for sweat and raindrops; anything 8 or above can handle being submerged in some capacity. (Over-ear headphones—whether they're from Beats, Sony, or beyond—don't usually have IP ratings, but should be able to handle a little sweat if you wipe down the earcups.)
• Audio quality: This is one factor where the more you spend, the better you'll get—though the increase in quality gets nominal above $200 or so.
• Active noise cancellation: Active noise cancellation (ANC) is a major boon for tuning out annoying noise. It tends to work best for consistent sounds, like background voices and loud fans, but won't do as much for clanging weight plates or dudes power-grunting through their final bench sets. Nicer headphones will pair ANC with adaptive audio settings (or transparency settings you can toggle on) that let some noises through, like conversations you're in or traffic noises while you run (so you stay safe).

What Is IP Rating?

If you've ever bought a pair of headphones, you've surely come across an IP rating, which is denoted by the letters “IP” followed by either two digits, two X's, or a combo “X” and a number. IP, or “ingress protection,” ratings are a way for a brand to denote a pair of headphones' water- and dust-resistance. The first digit denotes protection against dust and stand, with a rating between 1 and 6, and the second digit denotes water protection, which ranges between 0 and 8. If a brand hasn't tested either of those, then you'll find an “X” instead. The best rating would be an IP68, which means your headphones are fully dust- and waterproof, while lesser ratings will vary in resistance–i.e. how much exposure they can withstand and for how long, like if you can only keep them submerged in a meter for an hour—though check with the brand and its care instructions to make sure you're not subjecting your headphones to anything it can't take.

Headphones Versus Earbuds for Workouts

The great debate between headphones and earbuds rages on, even in the context of workouts. Headphones are great for those who want something tight and secure on their head, but the pressure on the cranium can get burdensome if you're wearing them for a long time—especially if your head is on the larger side. Headphones are great for working out at gyms because they signify to other gym-goers that you're in the zone and likely not able to hear them if they're asking how many sets you have left at the squat rock. On the other hand, going hard on a brutal workout while wearing headphones can lead to dreaded sweaty ears, since you're basically wearing a pair of earmuffs. People love earbuds for their day-to-day life, and they have their place for certain people who are trying to work out. One of the biggest downfalls of earbuds is finding the right size for your ears, but a lot of brands will supply various ear tips so that you can get a customized fit and the buds won't pop out while you're doing the smallest movement. Earbuds are also more likely to have better water resistance, which means they'll be able to handle your sweatiest workouts more easily without going on the fritz.

How We Tested

To find the best headphones for working out, we've spent years (yes, literal years) running, biking, lifting, and...walking briskly, with a few dozen different pairs of Bluetooth headphones to find the ones that were best for a variety of movements. We didn't want to recommend any headphones that only delivered subpar sound quality, and fit and security were arguably the most important criteria for differentiating between the best headphones and the best ones for working out. Because sweat is almost always a result of working out, we also compared the various IP ratings of the various headphones we liked the most to make sure they wouldn't conk out just because you were doing your thing. In short, we did the heavy lifting for you, so that we may now introduce you to the best headphones for working out—ones that function so well you won’t really have to think about them at all.