The Best Headphones for Running and Working Out

In a search for the best headphones for running, working out, or exercising in general, I have tried a number of sports headphones, earbuds, earphones and ear speakers. Any earphones that fit snugly into your ear can be used during workouts. However those specially designed for sports have features to guarantee they won't fall out during exercise, feel comfortable for long workouts and are water and sweat-resistant.

I tested headphones while running, lifting weights, stretching, during boot camp classes, and other exercises. The following three sports headphone models stood out among all that I have tried. Other headphones would fall out of my ears, or the high tones would be tinny, or they would rub and feel uncomfortable soon after putting them on. Yurbuds, iSports, and the Sennheiser/Adidas models have good sound, are incredibly comfortable to wear for hours, and don't fall out even when I do a head stand or shake my head vigorously.

Yurbuds— Yurbuds are silicone earbud covers that fit snugly into your ear. Each box of Yurbuds comes with three pair of different-sized covers and instructions for choosing the correct size to fit your ears. Twist the Yurbuds when you insert them into your ears and they will stay in place until you take them out.

The Yurbuds (slightly) improve the sound of your earbuds because it directs the sound into your ear canal. Because of the good fit, the Yurbuds block out some quieter sounds—my dog's panting, shuffling of footsteps behind me, and I can't really carry on a conversation—but I can hear cars and people yelling at me to pass. The rubberized covers also protect your earbuds from sweat. While Yurbuds come as a complete earphone, the Yurbud covers can be used on the earbuds that came with your phone or music player. When driving, I use a Yurbud cover on my bluetooth phone headset to hold it securely in my ear.

iSport by Monster- Monster was started by Noel Lee, a musician and audio-aficionado. He was one of the partners behind the design of the popular Beats headphones, and has taken earbuds to new heights in quality, creating "ear speakers." If you want great sound when you are working out, the iSports is one of your best headphone choices.

Make no mistake about it, to achieve this great sound, the iSports ear speakers block out ambient sound. To make sure they fit snugly in the ear canal, each pair of iSports "In-Ear Headphones" come with several sizes of "Pro sound Isolating Eartips." "Isolating" being the keyword here. I cannot hear ambient noise outdoors: not runners and bicyclists approaching from behind, not the words in a conversation, and not my dog's panting. I can hear a loud bark, car engine that's close by, and I can hear that someone is yelling to pass, although only occasionally do I understand what they are saying. When wearing the iSports, I can hear my own heavy breathing. Still, the sound quality is great and I can get lost in the music. I use the iSports when working out inside a gym where I don't want to hear other's conversations. If I start hearing my own breathing, I will loosen the fit.

The colorful iSports come in blue, Livestrong Yellow, or black. Along with the eartips, each headphone comes with several sizes of sports clips to brace the headphones inside the ear. They work well, comfortably keeping the earphones in place.

Sennheiser/Adidas Over-the-Ear Sport Headphones (OMX 680i) - These headphones are my favorite. While I've never been fond of over-the-ear headphones (because they never seen to be the right shape to go behind my ears), these Sennheiser/Adidas sports headphones got it right. The rubber that goes around the ear is completely bendable and can be shaped to perfectly fit around your ear. I can wear them for hours comfortably.

Sennheiser has long had an excellent reputation for sound quality and these headphones live up to that reputation. Because the earbuds do not block surrounding sound, sound quality suffers slightly compared to Monster's iSports. Still, these are one of the best headphones for running and have the perfect balance of quality sound and safety. Unless I crank the music up too loud, I can have a conversation, hear my dog, shuffling footsteps, and any important ambient noises.