Best over-ear headphones for working out 2023

You're here because wireless earbuds or on-ear headphones aren't what you want for your workout routine. In-ear earbuds don't give you the powerful sound you want, and can cause ear pain or wax buildup over time; on-ear headphones just aren't secure enough for fast-moving workouts. Sometimes, the best headphones for working out are over-ear cans that can better immerse you in the tunes or content, motivating you to get sweaty and reach your goals. 

If that's you, look no further than the pairs we've lined up here because they've got the goods to get you moving. Starting with the incomparable Sony WH-1000XM5s, these are our favorite active over-ear headphones. 

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At a glance

Best overall

Normally, I wouldn't recommend any pair of headphones for workouts when they have no water or sweat resistance, but I make an exception for the Sony WH-1000XM5 for a couple of reasons. First, these can handle light workouts or jogs. Yoga or stretching routines are also perfectly fine. The second reason is most over-ear headphones won't give you certified water or sweat resistance, so you have to manage on your own. Keep these clean and dry them off after workouts, and you should be okay.

It's just hard to overlook these cans because they're so good in many respects, something I explained in my Sony WH-1000XM5 review. The audio performance is superb, giving you an excellent balanced sound signature that you can always tune yourself through Sony's Headphones Connect app. That's also where you'll find a "clear bass" slider to add a little extra to the bass response when your workout calls for it. 

Then there's the active noise cancelation (ANC) performance, courtesy of Sony's QN1 processor and a dual noise sensor that does an outstanding job blocking out background noise. If your plan is to silence the world around you as you do what you have to do, there is no better pair of over-ears to do it for you. Even their predecessors, the WH-1000XM4, still rank among the best in the industry for their own ANC performance. 

You also get superb battery life to keep you going, with up to 30 hours per charge (depending on volume level). Fast charging is always nice when you need a quick boost for playback as you're set to work out. However, if you plan to charge and listen at the same time when you're not working out, you won't be able to, unfortunately. 

Best durability

These headphones came out in 2019, but their age shouldn't deter you. Plantronics built these headphones to handle some sweat, courtesy of the IPX5 rating. That's enough to protect against a "low-pressure water stream," so unless you go swimming or sweat like the pilot from the movie Airplane! you'll know these will survive any workout.

The headphones themselves fit comfortably thanks to a lightweight design. Its nimbler size is less likely to get in your way during a workout. You lose out on any form of ANC, so your only method to drown out background noise is to get a good fit for passive isolation. But you do get the benefit of an awareness mode to hear ambient noise when you need it, and blocking out noise during a workout isn't always the safest idea anyways.

Battery life is superb at up to 24 hours per charge, though listening at louder volumes cuts into this estimate. Plantronics tuned these headphones a little lower by default, so you will likely need to raise the volume in a busier environment. The downside is that they charge via micro-USB, which now feels like a forgotten relic compared to the common USB-C ports.

You won't get as much bass with these as you will with others on this list, but you should expect a solidly balanced soundstage. Just a shame there's no support for aptX. You can always adjust how they sound using the BackBeat app, though you're limited with your options. 

While you can customize the controls, to some degree, you can't do much about their sensitivity. It's not that the touch controls aren't responsive, it's that they're too responsive. You might try to hit pause only to end up skipping a track by accident. 

Best style

JBL previously partnered with Under Armour and "The Rock" Dwayne Johnson to make over-ear headphones under the Project Rock brand, but those are gone now, and we've found JBL's Live 660NC to be the better value anyway. While not as overtly flashy as other headphones sometimes are, they can still stand out in a crowd.

The Live 660NC have a fabric headband that makes them easier to wear for longer workouts. The ear cups are made with a vinyl material that won't feel as constricting, though the fit should feel comfortable and secure enough to stay in place while doing a rigorous workout or going out for a run. 

So, how do they sound? If you want bass, you'll get plenty here. JBL tuned them to deliver a thick response on the low end, all the more noticeable when you play around with the EQ in the JBL Headphones app. Turn on ANC and you can drown out some of the background, even if it can't quiet everything down like the best ANC headphones can. The onboard controls are easy to manage, leaving you from reaching for your phone.

The good news is you can keep the music playing for several workouts before you even need to recharge them. With ANC on, the Live 660NC can go for up to 40 hours at default volume levels. If you're in a crunch for time heading out to the gym with low power, plug in for 10 minutes and you can get up to four hours of playback.

Best bass

The Hesh ANC aren't Skullcandy's best pair of over-ear headphones, but they come in at a good price and deliver a bass-boosted sound profile out of the box. You notice this at default volume, and more so as you creep up the volume. The strong low-end comes with moderate mids and highs, and unfortunately, you can't make any adjustments because the Hesh ANC isn't supported by Skullcandy's app. No special Bluetooth codecs here — it's just SBC.

Equally important is how well they fit, and how comfortable they are wearing them over longer periods — both strong suits for these cans. You don't need to worry so much about that during a longer workout or run. When you want to block out all noise, you can turn on ANC, which is decent, though not all that exceptional. The ambient mode is solid when you want to hear the background. 

For the price, it's a package that works. The only catch is the Hesh ANC don't have any certified water or sweat resistance, making it all the more important to wipe them down and clean them regularly to keep them going.

Battery life is pretty good at up to 22 hours per charge, depending on ANC and volume levels. Use those liberally, and you're falling under 20 hours. They do charge via USB-C and can do so fairly quickly. It's also worth noting these cans have Tile built in, letting you find them in case you misplaced or lost them.

Best value

Anker didn't give the Soundcore Life Q30 any certifiable protection from water or sweat, but we liked them a lot when we reviewed them. A number of things are impressive here, and despite not having an IP rating, they are worth a shot if you want affordable cans to wear during runs or workouts. 

They sound great for what you pay, and a lot of the credit for that goes to a resonant soundstage. You can get plenty of bass if you want that, or if you'd rather listen to something different, the excellent Soundcore app gives you a customizable equalizer and over 20 presets. Bluetooth stays consistent if you start working out in another room away from your phone, 

The fit and comfort are nice, giving you good passive isolation to start, though you can always turn on ANC to drown out the background when you want. The app gives you three distinct ANC settings to try out, and you don't lose out on audio quality when you enable the cancelation, too.

And you can do it all for a long while. The Soundcore Life Q30 can go for up to 40 hours with ANC enabled, and it goes up to a ridiculous 60 hours when leaving it off. For those rare times you need a quick jolt, plug in via USB-C for five minutes and get four hours of playtime.

Ultimately, there's a reason we still have the Soundcore Life Q30 at the top of our list of the best wireless headphones under $100, years after we first reviewed the Q30. The rich audio quality and comfortable fit just can't be topped at this price point.

Best versatility

You may not have heard of Treblab, or if you have, considered the Z2 as a credible option for the gym, but you'd be surprised, either way. These headphones have solid utility, starting with the IPX4 water and sweat resistance. That's not overly rugged, but it's good enough to handle splashes of water, which should be more than enough for indoor use.

That's not the only reason the Z2 make the cut. They produce better sound quality than their price would otherwise indicate. Not to say they'll sound like headphones at triple the price, but they do a great job delivering sonic performance anyone can appreciate. Good bass with real verve in the mids and highs. 

On top of that, you get pretty good ANC to go with it all, drowning out a good portion of the background to focus on your workout while the tunes play to pump you up. The sound actually gets a boost because of the ANC, so you're often better off leaving it on to get the most out of the audio.

Plus, you can enjoy it all for long periods, thanks to the battery life lasting up to 35 hours per charge. Mind you, that's with ANC off. Turn it on, and it easily chops off 10 hours, which may go even lower if you raise the volume. No fast charging options here, so when it's time to fill them back up, you'll need to wait about three hours.

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We've got you covered for every workout

When you look at the best wireless headphones, they're not all ideal for workout regimens. You have plenty of options when it comes to wireless earbuds and other headphone types, whereas over-ears are a trickier mix to figure out. But they're out there, as this list makes clear. 

Despite the lack of certified protection, the Sony WH-1000XM5 are world-class, and if you treat them right, they should be able to get you through workouts with incredible clarity and noise cancelation. But if you're more comfortable with protection in place, the JBL Live 660NC and Treblab Z2 are always available as alternatives to get you through the sweatiest of workouts.