There’s been a positive explosion in the number of different workout headphones that are on the market as we enter 2014. The last two Consumer Electronics Show’s (CES) in Las Vegas have both heavily featured sports and fitness peripherals, and it’s getting to the point now that we need to separate out running headphones from ones that are better geared to the noble art of weight training. Let’s waste no further time and dive into the best headphones for weight training.
Jaybird Sportsband
As weightlifters, we all have our own sense of fashion, and at the moment, bigger ‘over the ears’ ‘phones are definitely in. These Jaybirds are actually far sleeker and more comfortable to wear than we feared when we unboxed them. The over ear design avoids sound leakage, to the point of totally eliminating it, and the sound quality is top-notch. As a bonus, these fit snugly enough to be more than adequate for your cardio needs too. You can pick these up for around the $99 mark
Yurbuds Inspire Duro
Special “Twistlock” technology lets you twist the buds into your ear, ensuring a snug fit that’s fit to take on the hardest sets in the weight room. Whilst they were designed by a triathlete with triathletes in mind, it still works well for the more average gym rat. Ay sweat proof bud that locks on to the ear is sure to work as well in the weights room as pounding the pavements and at just $49.99, it comes in favourably on the price stakes.
Denon AH-W150 exercise freak
These clip on ‘phones are wonderfully comfortable – once you’ve worked out how to put them on. Yes, donning headphones does not sound like an outrageous challenge, but there is a definite art to getting the right fit with the Exercise Freaks. Once they’re on, the sound quality is fantastic but you do need to budget for a post-workout recharge. The Ah-W150’s can be bagged for around the $150 mark
Plantronics BlackBeat Go
The BlackBeat Go’s are designed to be lightweight and easily small enough to fit in any gym bag. They’re in-ear buds and use Bluetooth to sync to your Bluetooth devices, meaning you can easily hook them up with your smartphone or Bluetooth MP3 whilst in the weights room. They include a special hook connector which ensures a snug fit, meaning you will be fine using these for cardio and the more adventurous weights workouts, including the likes of decline presses which might encourage lesser headphones to slip out.
Jabra Sport
Priced at a buck under $100, these wireless headphones are perfect for the gym. Rugged and hard wearing, water (and sweat) proof as well as wireless to avoid cables getting in the way; they’re a perfect accompaniment for those hard reps to failure. The ear loops give easy control over your device too, meaning you can skip through tracks and take calls without touching your smartphone. Whilst the sound quality leaves a little to be desired, extra features like hooking in to your sports apps is a real nice to have.
So there you have it – our list of the best ‘phones for the weight room. Taking into account the research – which indicates that most gym-goers are more interested in noise cancellation, sweat resistance and sound quality as opposed to the more fancy features. We have focussed on compiling headphones that offer multiple sizes, because all ears are different shapes and sizes, as opposed to the more outdated ‘one size fits all’ idea.
