Best Headphones for Indoor or Outdoor Exercise
Anyone who hits the gym or runs knows that awesome music is a huge asset to any exercise routine. After all, nothing can get you motivated for a hard workout quite like your favorite tunes. When choosing your 'sport' headphones, it's important to consider where you'll be listening -- indoors or outdoors. Indoor exercise at gym or home is typically best done with good in-ear headphones or closed headphones which can isolate at varying levels from ambient noise and distractions. You also won't need to turn up the volume to hear the music very clearly. However, if running, walking or cycling outdoors, you'll need 'open-back' headphones, such as an 'on-ear' earpad style, that allows you to hear traffic and other potential hazards. In either case, your headphones will be working as hard as you and must withstand tough conditions, have a well-built ergonomic design, and short flexible cords for easy mobility. When buying exercise headphones, keep in mind this category focuses on fit, durability and comfort over audio fidelity, although most listeners should find themselves very sonically satisfied with our HeadRoom recommendations.
Best Headphones for the Gym
In ear headphones are excellent for workouts since they can isolate you from all the ambient gym noise and distractions. Add some toughness to your workout with the Sennheiser/ Adidas line of headphones which are sweat-proof and built to last eons. Sennheiser/Adidas models are available as in-ear, earbud, behind-the-neck and traditional headband style, and most have "i" versions with in-line microphones so you can listen to music and answer your iPhone. The 'clip-on' style Koss KSC-75 is a killer bargain exercise headphone with secure fit, a tidy thumping sound, and great lifetime warranty. For wireless 'no cord' listening at the gym or while jogging, JayBird offers workhorse Bluetooth headphones with an amazingly engaging sound and which pair very easily with iPhone or Droid smartphones.
Best Headphones for Running or Jogging
Perhaps amongst the very best choice for dedicated running or jogging headphones are the recent Polk Audio series. All Polk models feature tough-built sweatproof designs with extra-stable fit ergonomics and most feature iPhone mic + controls; our sound quality favorite is the Polk UltraFit 2000. If you want to hear all sounds around you and have no noise blocking, the Koss KSC-75 are easy to use, inexpensive, and are very lightweight which keeps them from jiggling around too much. They have excellent sound for the price and that lifetime Koss guarantee ensures they can be replaced for free at any time for any failure. Also offering a secure fit, behind the neck headphones work very well for running. All these headphones will work for running and jogging, but remember to always stay aware of your surroundings.
