Best Workout Shorts for an Active Lifestyle in 2023
Finding workout shorts that can keep up with your active lifestyle can be surprisingly difficult!
The real issue is that many of today’s workout shorts still use old, sub-par fabrics and designs that aren’t up to speed with the fast-paced, diverse challenges of life in 2023 and beyond.
Today, our Tasc Performance guide is here to help you cut through the crowd to find the absolute best workout shorts.
We’re focusing on highly versatile, performance oriented, sustainable styles that don’t cut corners or make sacrifices when it comes to quality. There are plenty of style recommendations in store alongside an in-depth analysis of what makes these the best gym shorts.
What Are the Best Workout Shorts for 2023?
Before we dive deep into the features of the best workout shorts, let’s get the best styles out on the table.
Men’s Weekender Shorts: Your New Favorite Pair of High-Quality Shorts
Starting with the kings of versatility, we have our Men’s Weekender Shorts. These are shorts that every man with an active lifestyle needs. Made from a mix of high-quality cotton, bamboo, and flexible elastane (similar to spandex), these shorts have everything you’d want for everyday wear.
Just as perfect for a barbeque, CrossFit-style HIIT workout, ball game, or bike ride, these stylish bamboo-based shorts have all the qualities needed to hold up to any occasion.
Men’s Carrollton Shorts: Make Your Workout Clothes Wardrobe Complete
A more traditional activewear style, our Carrollton Fitness Shorts are the active man’s bread and butter. They make excellent basketball shorts but are just at home in a yoga or pilates session.
Our MOSOtech bamboo and organic cotton blend provides 4-way stretch, moisture-wicking, superior breathability, and anti-odor: everything you could want for workouts of any intensity. The Carrollton Shorts are ideal for any type of training session, from weightlifting to long-distance running. Even after you reach your daily ten thousand steps, you’ll want to keep these on for the rest of the day.
Men’s Motion 7in Shorts: Perfect for Lounging, Golfing, and Beyond
Dress for success in an elevated active style with our stretchy, comfy Motion 7 in inseam Shorts.
Perfectly designed for the golf course, our Motion shorts pack plenty of performance quality and stretch for your swing, while still showing off with a sleek style. A water-resistant, four-way stretch fabric means these shorts are also ready for whatever conditions you might face.
Men’s Weightless Shorts
When you need absolutely nothing weighing you down, our Weightless 7in Unlined Shorts are the optimal choice. In addition to an ultra-lightweight build, you’ll also enjoy a super breathable material with moisture-wicking quality. Just baggy enough and with side pockets for ample storage, these athletic shorts will come in handy throughout the week. Instead of a drawstring, these shorts feature an elastic waistband, keeping them nice and snug without the need to tie anything.
Women’s Recess Shorts
Athletic excellence meets uncompromised comfort in our Recess 2-in-1 Running Short. The luxuriously soft inner brief liner, made with organic cotton and bamboo, provides a soft, sweat-wicking touch to the skin, while the breathable shorts body is lightweight and four-way stretch flexible, so you can workout with no worries.
Plus, the addition of zippered pockets to these quick-dryingtraining shorts makes them even more useful. With the zip pockets, you know your valuables are safe during even high-intensity workouts. If you’re looking for your next pair of interval shorts, this is it.
Women’s Varsity French Terry Shorts
Top off your active lifestyle collection with our Varsity French Terry Shorts.
With an athleisure aesthetic, these shorts look as comfortable as they feel, providing just as much support as compression shorts without the need for any type of compression liner. The looped french terry fabric is incredibly soft and packs some of the best moisture-wicking power of any material, so you’re always dry and comfy and avoid chafing. In addition, the elastic waistband keeps these shorts flexible and easy to take on and off.
What Sets Tasc Performance Gym Shorts Apart?
The best workout shorts of any inseam length and material go far beyond the gym, with qualities that make them a top choice for just about any casual occasion. Here at Tasc Performance, those features come down to intentional design and exceptional materials.
Most workout shorts you’ll find elsewhere are made with traditional synthetic materials, such as polyester. While this material has some performance benefits, it falls short in a few key areas.
Polyester and similar fabrics aren’t particularly soft or breathable, and they tend to trap odor over time (even after being washed). They also pose serious problems for the environment, from production all the way to disposal, especially in requiring chemical treatments to be effective.
At Tasc, we use the natural power of our favorite green material, bamboo, to achieve excellent performance qualities without the downfalls of polyester. Bamboo is super breathable, soft, odor-resistant, and outstanding at wicking moisture. The best part is, bamboo reaches all these qualities without the need for chemicals.
Let’s break the qualities down in more detail below.
Breathability
One of the most important qualities for any pair of shorts — especially one designed for working out — is breathable materials.
Breathability is a fabric’s ability to allow air flow. Hot air from your body can escape a breathable material (so you don’t overheat), while fresh air rolls in (keeping you cool, but not too cold). This is essential in order to allow your body to thermoregulate, which means to maintain a balanced temperature.
Materials like polyester and traditional cotton are notorious for not being breathable, but our Tasc Performance BamCo© blend and similar fabrics put the problem to rest thanks to the micro gaps in bamboo fibers.
Moisture-Wicking Technology
Along with breathability, moisture-wicking helps ensure you’ll stay cool and comfortable, whether you're working out or just relaxing.
It’s important not to confuse moisture-wicking with moisture-absorbing. Though the two are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually very different!
Moisture-absorbing is only one half of the moisture-wicking story. First a fabric needs to absorb moisture, such as sweat or water, from your skin. Materials like cotton and terry fabric do this very well.
To be a moisture-wicking fabric, the material needs to then efficiently release the moisture into the air as vapor, drying off. Cotton and terry fabric aren’t effective in this area, as they take a long time to dry, which is why they aren’t true moisture-wicking materials.
Once again, bamboo shines thanks to its powerful natural qualities. Derived from the fastest growing tree in the world, native to wet and humid environments, bamboo fabric is exceptionally good at absorbing and releasing moisture. The result is that, while wearing bamboo clothes, both you and your clothes stay dry.
Staying dry is obviously an important part of feeling comfortable, but it’s also got scientific backing as a component of maintaining high performance levels, particularly in helping to prevent overheating.
Superior Softness
A soft feel may not seem like a priority for workout shorts, but it’s not something you should skip out on. A harsh fabric wears on the skin, more so during intense activity than at any other time. Unnecessary discomfort can only detract from your ability to stay focused and push further, whether you’re going for a new personal best on your run, or pushing for a new max rep.
Choosing a soft fabric for your workout shorts also means they double as leisurewear for when you’re not working out. With versatile shorts, you have a more efficient, effective wardrobe, which is perfect for those living an active lifestyle.
Sustainable Materials
It’s an unfortunate truth that much of the activewear industry has been harming the environment for the better part of the past few decades. Synthetic materials such as polyester pose many serious sustainability issues, since they’re non-biodegradable and derived from fossil fuels.
Even natural materials like cotton can be unsustainable when they’re produced using traditional processes. Overuse and pollution of water and destruction of farmland are especially pressing problems.
Tasc is looking towards better material solutions for a more sustainable future. Bamboo, organic cotton, beechwood, and recycled polyester are just a few of our favorites, and we’re always innovating with new fabric blends.
We also use wind and solar power for our sewing factories, biodegradable corn bags for shipping, and efficient practices in our dying facilities that result in 95% of the water used being recycled.
Every effort matters! Choosing our sustainable Tasc Performance styles is another step towards a cleaner, greener future.
A Better Pair of Workout Shorts
With versatileworkout shorts that don’t come up short in any of the essential performance or comfort qualities, and promote a sustainable future, check out all of our Tasc Performance shorts styles.
For more guides like this one, tune in regularly to our Tasc Life blog.
Sources:
Thermoregulation - An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Are Synthetic Fabrics Sustainable? Overview and Environmental Impact | Tree Hugger