What to Wear
Toning Major Muscle GroupsHeadband Headphone Styles
Traditional, full size and wrap-around
If you don’t have the right headphones you’ll likely end up disappointed, or worse, uncomfortable. Nothing is worse than earbuds that constantly fall out when you’re exercising or a sound that’s just not pleasing to the ear. Music is meant to be energizing or even soothing during a workout, not so frustrating you end up throwing your MP3 player into the path of an oncoming truck.
Headband styles
These headphone styles can cost anywhere from $10 to hundreds of dollars depending on quality and brand name. They are a popular choice for fitness because they generally stay put, but some fitness buffs aren’t fans of how bulky some headband headphones can be.
- Traditional headphones - This style is where the name headphone came from. It covers each ear with a small, circular foam covered speaker and a strap sits over the top of the wearer’s head. They are usually a decent choice for durability. If you do buy traditional headphones look for a style that has a cord attached to only one side, or even better, a set that’s cordless.
- Full-size headphones - These headphones cover the entire ear and may be open, which means they let in sound, or sealed, which means they don’t. Any headphones that cancel out sound can be dangerous when worn outside for obvious vehicular reasons.
- Wrap-around headphones - Some of these headphones have the same foam covered speakers that sit over the ear, while others have earbuds or small speakers. Instead of sitting atop the head the strap fits around the back of the neck and loops over the ears. It’s a good bet “street headphones” like these will stay put, but they can chafe the back of the ears if they don’t fit properly. Overall, it is a very popular style of fitness headphone.
If you still have no idea what style of headphones or earphones is the right one for you, you can always buy a set of sports earphones made specifically for the activities you have in mind and hope for the best. Just make sure the band is size adjustable.