12 best gym shorts for women; tried and tested

WHETHER your trip to the gym is for body pump classes, treadmill sprints, weight training or yoga, a good pair of gym shorts can make you feel more confident and improve your performance.

Sometimes buying gym shorts is about a preference of style, whether that means they are high-waisted, oversized, a tight fit, long or a shorter short, or it can be about your choice of exercise; fitted cycling style shorts might work better for yoga and squats.

While loose fitting might give you more freedom on the treadmill or cross-trainer.

Whatever you preference is, we’ve got the right shorts for you. Read on for our review of the best gym shorts for women available in 2024…

Best gym shorts for women at a glance

• Best overall:
• Best value:
  Best mid-range:
• Best premium:
• Best wildcard:

Women's Under Armour Fly-By 2-in-1 Shorts

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Women's Under Armour Fly-By 2-in-1 Shorts, £36, from Under Armour

Pros: Two layers for modesty, breathable, pocket

Cons: nothing really

Rating: 5/5

These gym shorts for women provide the best of both worlds, with the tight biker style shorts underneath and the more relaxed fit over the top.

This means you can have the modesty of a looser fit that is still quite short because the under short means there’s nothing to see – no matter how much bending, jumping or stretching you do.

The shorts also have the added bonus of a drawstring waist and a small zipped pocket that can fit a locker key or maybe a few quid for a protein shake.

I tested the gym shorts on a 5K treadmill run, a legs session with squats and lunges, a yoga class, and also a high impact HIIT class – and they were comfortable and breathable throughout.

Material: 100% polyester outer shorts with 84% polyester and 16% elastane inner shorts; Colours: Black, castle rock/astro pink, nimbus blue and starlight; Sizes: XS – XXL

MP Women's Tempo Ultra Geometric Seamless Booty Shorts

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MP Women's Tempo Ultra Geometric Seamless Booty Shorts, from £16.99 at My Protein

Pros: Look good on, good for most exercises

Cons: Quite thick material

Rating: 4.5/5

If aesthetic is important on your visit to the gym, then these gym shorts from MP (My Protein) might be just the thing for you.

The geometric patterns are brilliantly flattering to give your glutes fuller body and the super high waist keeps everything tucked in.

The fabric is quite a thick mesh knit, which means there’s no chance of sweat getting out and leaving patches, but the material remains breathable so it’s not too clammy during the workout.

The longer length means they’re good for activities where the legs are closer together; they worked really well while hill walking on the treadmill and during indoor cycling, as well as for weight training exercises and bodyweight HIIT classes.

The fact that one of the colours is in the sale for just £16.99, is a bargain too good to be missed.

Material: 51% polyamide, 43% polyester and 6% elastane body with 60% polyester 29% polyamide 11% elastane waist; Colours: Brindle and carbon; Sizes: XS – XXL

Helly Hansen Women's Scape Summer Shorts

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Helly Hansen Women's Scape Summer Shorts, £45 from Helly Hansen

Pros: Breathable, cool, pockets, all rounders

Cons: Nothing - other than on the pricey side

Rating: 4/5

These shorts bring together a lot of the highlights I've mentioned about the other gym shorts for women in this review. They have the drawstring elasticated waist, the pockets on both sides, the scape cut for extra movement, and the two-in-one style with an under short for increased modesty and security.

I really like these shorts, they look great for in and outside of the gym, they are lightweight and they're breathable due to the dotted design - which also looks cool.

They performed well in every corner of the gym: we tested them on the treadmill, on the bike, on the rower and in various weights sessions, and they didn’t disappoint in any of them.

Really good all-rounders, and great for outdoor hikes too. Full marks!

Material: 100% polyester shorts with 88% polyester and 12% elastane lining; Colours: Black, hot coral and white; Sizes: XS – XL

Salomon Cross Multi 7” short tights

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Salomon Cross Multi 7” short tights, £45, from Salomon

Pros: Great all rounder, good length

Cons: On the pricier side

Rating: 4/5

Maybe better known for hiking and the great outdoors, Salomon is often overlooked for indoor activities but we decided to give them a go after a tip off from a fellow gym goer – and we were not disappointed.

These shorts are an example of where technical know-how can translate off the hills and into the gym. They are perfect for any cardio machine in the gym, from the treadmill and stepper to the bike and rowing machine, primarily because they stay put, offer excellent range of movement and the longer length eliminates any chance of chaffing between the legs.

They scored equally high during yoga sessions and for all weight training exercises, and despite the light colour, the soft, breathable material kept any embarrassing sweat marks to a minimum.

Material: 80% polyester and 20% elastane; Colours: Deep black and arona; Sizes: XS – 2XL

lululemon License to Train High-Rise Lightweight Short 4”

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License to Train High-Rise Lightweight Short 4”, £59, lululemon

Pros: Good length, very comfortable

Cons: Expensive

Rating: 4/5

These gym shorts for women are super comfortable to wear, and the material feels incredibly soft to touch.

The subtle design, and crinkled material, mean that you can pair them with anything and they look great. The drawstring waist means they are easy to adjust – which came in handy during one bloated gym session.

Also to note are the handy zipped pockets on each side that are big enough to hold myriad items, including mobile phones, a small water bottle and a flannel.

These shorts are great for treadmill running, long enough for all weight training including squats, and nice and flexible for HIIT classes too.

I also used them for a yoga session and although they are not designed for yoga specifically, they provide excellent freedom of movement.

Material: Body is 100% nylon, pocket is 86% recycled polyester and 14% elastane; Colours: Black, true navy, glaze pink and Cascadia green; Sizes: 4 – 24

lululemon Align™ High-Rise Short 6”

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Align™ High-Rise Short 6”, from £48 at lululemon

Pros: Look good, versatile for all exercises

Cons: Expensive

Rating: 4/5

Another high waisted option of women’s shorts, which means they work really well with cropped tops for a cute gym look - especially as these gym shorts come in so many great colours (some of which are in the sale) and they also come with matching bra tops.

The high waist also means they easily stay up during high-intensity exercises such as burpees, squat jumps and star jumps.

This pair is actually designed for yoga, which means they are made from a soft and light fabric, and are recommended for low impact movements, so I was really surprised at how well they performed during more rigorous workouts.

I tested them in a yoga class, a low intensity body pump class, a treadmill run and also on resistance machines, and they performed well.

A nice touch is the pocket on the inside of the back of the shorts, which is big enough for a mobile phone.

Material: 81% nylon and 19% Lycra; Colours: Black, true navy, oasis blue, iron blue, vita pink, taupetastic, palm court, espresso, kayak blue light, lilac ether, nomad, washed mauve, strawberry milkshake, windmill, glaze pink and Cascadia green; Sizes: 4 - 24

DOMYOS Fitness Loose Shorts

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DOMYOS Fitness Loose Shorts, £6.99, Decathlon

Pros: Very comfortable, cool colours

Cons: Bit baggy

Rating: 4/5

These are the cheapest gym shorts I trialled, but considering the softness of the fabric, the gentle waistband, great fit and wide range of colours and prints they come in, they are a real bargain worth buying.

I found they were best suited to treadmill running and walking, and upper body weights' sessions, as the over-sized design did come up a little short during squats and yoga.

They don’t have an under short, which would provide more coverage during these exercises. Nice fun colours and comfort make these worth a go though. 

Material: 100% polyester with 84% polyester and 16% polyester yoke; Colours: Black/smoked black, lavender blue/fluo magenta pink, mauve/lilac purple, green/Caribbean green, multi-colour/steel blue, black/grey; Sizes: XS – 2XL

Nike Pro 365 Women's 5 Inch Shorts

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Nike Pro 365 Women's 5 Inch Shorts, £34.95, from SportsShoes.com

Pros: Good length, good all rounder

Cons: Very snug fit, elastic waist quite tight

Rating: 4/5

These Nike shorts are a good buy for pretty much everything you want to do in the gym.

They don’t ride up too much, so squatting and bending over is not a problem, the black colour also means they are pretty subtle when it comes to sweat marks, which can be an issue on skintight shorts.

The fully elastic waistband does come up a little tight and ended up with a bit of skin hanging over the top, so not ideal if being worn with a cropped top (should that sort of thing bother you), but going up a size sorts out that issue.

They are good for weight training, HIIT classes and spin sessions; they did ride up a few times when running sprints on the treadmill, but weren’t too annoying as were adjusted during breaks in running.

Material: 78% polyester, 22% Spandex; Colours: Black; Sizes: XS – XL

Castore Women’s Apex Lightweight Two-in-One Shorts

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Women’s Apex Lightweight Two-inOne Shorts, £65 from Castore

Pros: Comfortable, double layer, sweat-wicking

Cons: Expensive

Rating: 4/5

This is another of the two-in-one gym shorts where you get the outer more relaxed fit and then the fitted shorts layer underneath.

What’s clever about this one is that the bottom layer actually hides two pockets, both big enough to hold mobile phones, which can be handy for memberships cards and keys too, and actually great for outdoor runs as well.

These shorts feel like they’re good quality and were very breathable throughout hot sweaty workouts like sprint runs on the treadmill, a heavy legs weights session and a CrossFit style high intensity class.

The only time there was a little issue, was when one tester found them a little restrictive during wide-leg poses in yoga.

The soft waistband is pretty secure and made sure the shorts didn’t move around too much.

Material: 92% polyester and 8% elastane outer shorts with 84% polyamide and 16% elastane inner shorts; Colours: One colour; Sizes: XS – XL

Asics Core Split Short

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Asics Core Split Short, £27 from Asics

Pros: Excellent freedom of movement

Cons: Very short

Rating: 4/5

These gym short for women had a bit of a marmite affect on testers. They were absolutely loved for their lightness, breathability, and incredible freedom of movement (helped by slots cut into either side). They're ideal for everything from legs day to treadmill running; they also look great with everything from long vests and t-shirts to cropped and bra tops.

Where they aren’t for everybody, is that they are very short. They do come with an inside pant, which helps with modesty but while bending and jumping they did fly up quite high.

They performed with no problems on treadmill runs and could even aid performance with the freedom of movement they allow, but with some weighted squat and lunge exercises they did come up quite high.

This really is a matter of aesthetic choice, but in terms of performance, they are great. One more thing to add, they do come up a little small (like a lot of Asics products) so order a size up to be safe.

Material: 100% recycled polyester with 100% polyester lining; Colours: Performance black and blue expanse; Sizes: XS – XL

Gymshark Adapt Safari Tight Shorts

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Gymshark Adapt Safari Tight Shorts, £34.20 from Gymshark

Pros: Look great, comfortable, good performance

Cons: Thick material

Rating: 4/5

These gym shorts for women sit somewhere between fun and sexy. With their animal print design, figure hugging fit and super high waist, they do look great on, adding sleek curves around the glutes, and the sizing is very accurate.

Performance wise, there wasn’t much to complain about, they are as at home in the weights section of the gym as they are in the cardio area, and were great in yoga too.

I tested them during a full-body, high-impact kettlebell session, a free weights arms session and also an indoor cycling class – which got pretty sweaty. They did feel quite warm in that room but they didn’t get too sticky, despite the thick material.

They are probably best suited for weights sessions for women who get very hot during cardio, or who might be menopausal or perimenopausal and may be experiencing a higher body temperature.

Material: 81% nylon, 13% polyester and 6% elastane; Colours: Black/asphalt grey, archive brown/burnt yellow, shelly pink/fly coral and wave blue/iris blue; Sizes: XXS – XL

Gymshark Training Fleece Shorts

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Gymshark Training Fleece Shorts, £25.20 from Gymshark

Pros: Comfortable, stylish, different, pockets

Cons: Heavy, hot

Rating: 3.5/5

These gym shorts for women have more of a casual and modest vibe for those who prefer to cover up a little more and not wear tight clothes while working out.

My favourite thing about the shorts is how comfortable they are and, because of the relaxed pockets, I even wore them outside of the gym.

They’re quite heavy, so not ideal for high impact workouts such as treadmill runs or HIIT classes, but they are perfect for weight training and performed really well for squats and deadlifts.

They scored highly in terms of comfort and appearance, but lose a point because they’re not all-rounders.

Material: 80% cotton and 20% recycled polyester; Colours: Black, light core grey marl, base green, classic pink, spiced red, blue, deep olive green; Sizes: XXS – XXL

How much do gym shorts for women shorts cost?

The prices can really vary when it comes to gym shorts for women. It all depends on the style, quality and brand of the shorts.

They can be as cheap as £5 and go up to around £75 for more technical, better known brands.

Where to buy gym shorts for women in the UK

Gym shorts are available from most sports brands and also sports retailers. If you’re keen to buy now, we’d recommend the following places: