The 2021 GQ Fitness Awards 

The post-vaccine era of fitness has arrived: gyms are open, yoga is happening, there are marathons and triathlons and turkey trots to train for. But it’s not as if working out—or any other part of life—is fully back to normal. And so as we reconstruct our routines and build the bodies we want, it’s up to each of us to chart our own unique path to enlightenment and/or abs by way of physical activity.

That’s why GQ has spent the last year sweat-testing the best new fitness gear on the market for our annual Fitness Awards. We settled on a long list of editor-approved pieces that could take your workout to the next level, no matter what your preferred workout might be. If your at-home yoga practice has become a permanent fixture, reboot your home studio with our favorite mat. If you started running for stress relief last year, we've found the kit that lets you run your faster and get a fit off. From the big-money items (high-tech connected home gyms, cutting-edge racing shoes) to the affordable fitness upgrades (a genius accessory for rubber resistance bands; our new go-to treatment for sore muscles)—we’ve discovered 49 products that are all but guaranteed to level up your next workout.

The GQ Fitness Awards Table of Contents

In case you're looking for something specific:

• Best Workout Clothes: Shirts, Shorts, Hoodies, Outwear, Underwear, Tights, Socks
• Best Workout Accessories: Hat, Gym Bags, Sunglasses
• Best Workout Shoes: Running Shoes, Trail Running Shoes, Gym Shoes
• Best Fitness Tech: Workout App, Fitness Trackers, Workout Headphones
• Best Home Gym Equipment: Workout Machines, Workout Gear, Prehab and Recovery Tools

You want your gym shirt to look good, of course. And yeah, it's gotta be up to snuff performance-wise, too. But more than anything, it needs to be able to take a serious beating: getting snagged on machines, stretched every which way, and run through the heavy cycle 50 times a year. Ten Thousand's tees hit all those marks. They're flatteringly cut, treated with odor-fighting silver ions, finished with chafe-free flatlock seams, and built from a heavy-duty poly-cotton blend that'll stand up to just about anything. Oh, yeah, and did we mention they only cost $34 a pop? Stock up.

When it's chilly out and you need to trick yourself into running, there's no easier method than pulling on a long-sleeved tee as good as this one. It's soft and breathable and anti-microbial, but the striking color combination alone—that cool, deep green with a blaze of burnt orange across the chest—will be enough to get you primed and energized for a crisp morning of pounding the pavement.

Perhaps you're one of the lucky SOBs for whom the changing of the seasons is not an issue. Where you live, there's never a cloud in the sky, and you break out a parka if the weather dips below 75. How nice for you. Soar Running's handsome paneled tees are just the thing to complement your blessed warm-weather existence. They're crafted from feather-light jersey with UPF50 protection, with a spot-on boxy fit to keep the breeze flowing just right.

Sure, Ciele's NSB tank has all the bells and whistles you need: it's got flatlock seams for comfort, an antimicrobial finish to battle stink, and it's made from a blend of cooling organic cotton and quick-drying recycled polyester. But the real reason it made our list is that gorgeous mullet of a colorway: all-business white in the front for when you're chasing down a runner; party zebra print in the back for when you're blowing right past them.

If you're looking for some bare-bones, high-performance bottoms to throw on and get moving, Alo's Adapt running shorts are as good as it gets. The 5" cut is both flattering and unobtrusive, the crazy light material and interior brief will keep everything secure and comfortable, and the hidden pocket is just the right size for your cards and keys. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

A lot of activewear claims to be ready for anything, but these glitzy trunks from Parisian label True Tribe actually are: they'll take you from a morning run to a powerlifting sesh to a dip in the pool. Maybe even to a night at the club—that is, if you dress ‘em up right and don’t skip leg day.

The musclebound aesthetes behind Y,IWO—that's "Yeah, I Work Out"—borrow liberally from the greased-up bodybuilding heyday of Arnold and Gold's Gym. These shorts are silky smooth and have a helpful brief liner to make sure the only things that show are your quads. 

They look pleasingly basic to the naked eye, but Olivers' signature shorts are more performance-minded than you'd think: the fabric is soft, stretchy, sweat-wicking, and water-repellent. Plus, a trio of pockets—two on the hips, one hidden within—will keep your stuff secure on the go.

There are hoodies you can work out in if you want to, and then there are purpose-built workout hoodies. Fourlaps' Equip Hoodie is unmistakably the latter. The fit is trim, the material is seriously stretchy, there's a handy zip pocket for your valuables, and it's got those performance thumbholes at the cuffs (if you're into that sort of thing and know what to do with ‘em). What the hoodie isn’t? Stifling. It's a flawless light layer you can pull on for anything: yoga, crossfit, XC skiing on a sunny day. The appeal of Pangaia's eco-friendly activewear hoodie, meanwhile, is written plainly across its chest: "This hoodie is made from seaweed, eucalyptus, biobased nylon and a responsible stretch fiber. The fabric is treated with plant-based moisture absorbing technology and peppermint oil to keep it fresh—saving water, energy, and time." Couldn't have said it better ourselves.

If the weather app warns about showers or wind, bring along Lululemon's Warp Lite packable jacket. Pull it out of the pouch, and you've got a layer that's water repellent enough to get you home mostly dry, yet breathable enough to keep you from overheating in the process. Doesn't hurt that, like a lot of Lululemon pieces of late, the Warp Lite also looks good—enough that you'll be tempted to break it out when there's no weather alert. If you're a cyclist who actually celebrates a rainy-day ride, you're better than us. And you'll also want the sleek Chroma bomber from cycling upstarts Universal Colours. The fully waterproofed outer will keep you bone dry, while the ventilated pits and back will ensure your performance doesn't suffer from all the wet.

The best running hat is the one you don't even remember you're wearing. Janji's Hyperlight cap—clocking in at a mere 29 ounces—is precisely that, while also keeping your noggin cool and dry and comfortable. The pliable foam brim can be flipped up when you don't need sun protection, and the whole hat can be scrunched up into your pocket after a workout without ever losing its shape. Though you might not remember it's on, the Hyperlight's extra tasty "spray dye" treatment ensures that everyone around you sees it loud and clear.

Aer's pocket-happy duffle—with a special compartment for your sneakers, side ventilation to air out your sweaty duds, and a tough water-resistant outer to keep everything inside dry—is for Type A folks who like everything in its place. In the market for an understated flex? Prada's signature black nylon still speaks volumes, even 40-plus years after it was first introduced. For more of an overstated flex, give the Baboon to the Moon Go-Bag Mini a shot. It's a spacious backpack in a slew of candytones, built from military-grade materials and featuring a slew of thoughtful conveniences, like external stash pockets and easy-access key hooks.

Oakley's sci-fi Xeus sunglasses (shown above) struck gold twice this summer: first on the temples of Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse as he topped the podium in the men's 200m dash, and again a couple of weeks later when the frames instantly sold out upon release. They'll be back on offer again soon, but if you can't wait, the equally new Oakley Kato sunglasses are a worthy silver medalist: the oversized, frameless lenses align with the contours of your face for a striking gapless look.

For a slightly less sci-fi take, District Vision Junya sunglasses delivers slick, advanced, Japanese-made frames that'll work as well with a leather jacket and jeans as they will with tights and trainers out on the track.

Rafa Nadal's known for making “adjustments” before every serve, but the rest of us can't get away with constantly messing with our drawers in public. Thankfully, innovation in underwear marches ever onward. Under Armour’s Charged Cotton 3” Boxerjock feels like your comfiest pair of cotton briefs, but is sneakily designed to withstand heat and moisture better than most. Similarly, the pima cotton and modal construction of Rhone’s Everyday Essentials Boxer Trunk make these low profile undies the perfect choice for heading to the gym straight from the office. (We especially like the slimmer waistband, which makes good on it’s no-roll promise.) And for your most high-intensity workouts, pull on the Nike Pro compression short. With 14 separate size and length combinations, this is the universal answer to chafing. 

From the makers of Milo Ventimiglia’s infamous short shorts come some of the most versatile tights on the market. ASRV’s Reflexx tights not only layer well but are designed with performance in mind: a sweat-wicking fabric holds its shape throughout high-impact workouts, a back yoke seam keeps all your moving parts in one place, and the side pockets are the roomiest and most secure spot for a phone and keys that we’ve ever seen. 

A lightweight, odor-resistant fabric paired with left and right-specific contouring means Ten Thousand Training Socks will perform at the track, on the courts, in your indoor cycling class, and anywhere you work out. Even better, Ten Thousand's produced this formula in three different lengths—crew, ankle, and no-show—to match your preferred level of lower-leg nudity.

Over the last few years, high-tech “super shoes” with springy carbon plates and ultra-bouncy foam led to a flood of new running world records. Until recently, though, those innovations were limited to ultra-practical race-day-only kicks. But with the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next% x Gyakusou, Nike has created a super shoe that’s as rad-looking as it is fast. Whether you want to run a personal-best half marathon or just put together a personal-best outfit is up to you. 

What’s more, bleeding-edge shoe tech now isn’t just about speed. For the Nike Zoomx Invincible Run, the brand used a huge chunk of its springiest foam to create an everyday shoe that’s about going further, not faster, with less fatigue and fewer injuries. And unlike most max-cushion training shoes, the Invincible run feels more like a trampoline than a marshmallow.

The Swoosh isn’t the only brand deploying race day advances in an everyday shoe. The original Hoka Bondi was a cushy workhorse beloved by runners who liked a cushioned ride and workers who lived on their feet, like waiters and nurses. In other words, it was no speed demon. But the just-announced Hoka Bondi X transforms the French brand's plushest model with a carbon plate in the midsole that pushes back the moment you pick up the pace. You can really feel the tech working—and, unlike with a hardcore racing shoe, you’ll get to enjoy that feeling more than a few times a year.

Of course, the newest shoe advances are still primarily about getting to the finish line as quickly as possible, and thankfully other brands are now catching up to Nike when it comes to speed. The Adizero Adios Pro 2.0, Adidas’s latest contribution, has a system of carbon rods built in and offers a huge bounce without vagueness—it could be the missing piece to your next PR.

We have two more running shoe honorees, but just to be clear: it's not because they're going to make you fly so much as they'll make you look fly. In recent years the partnership between Asics and London-based avant-garde designer Kiko Kostadinov has produced a remarkable run of heaters. The latest, Gel-Quantum Levitrack, is no exception. Of course, you don’t need a designer out of Central Saint Martins to make a great-looking running shoe, because sometimes form just follows function: the Hoka L Suede is simply the brand’s flagship runner in a fetching shade of leather. Add either to your closet, though maybe not your gym bag. 

Burlier than a pure runner but lighter than a hiking boot, trail runners have proven to be the ideal shoes for an enormous range of off-road applications, from speedy miles on gravel roads to strolling your local five-mile trail. Whichever you're doing, the soft cushioning, grippy lugs, and flexible protection of the Brooks Cascadia 16 is a flawless all-terrain companion.

Many programs these days call for heavy weights and intense cardio in the same workout—in other words, you need a shoe you want to squat and sprint in. The Reebok Nano x1 is the latest edition of what’s become a classic workout shoe. A lighter-than-ever weight and a little extra cushioning a are blessing if you're knocking out a quick treadmill sprint or HIIT regimen, while the burly heel cup gives you confidence during big lifts. Turns out, good things happen when CrossFit legend Rich Froning is the one giving designers feedback between dozens of unbroken pull-ups and a few 500-pound deadlifts.

Last December Apple barreled into the world of digital workout classes with Apple Fitness+ in a way only the incredibly well-capitalized tech behemoth could: streaming from a gorgeous, brand-new facility in Santa Monica with name-brand talent (Dolly Parton, Carmelo Anthony), a deep roster of charismatic full-time trainers, and a staggering attention to detail. (One example: Every single pose of every single yoga class has a second instructor demonstrating a modification that requires less mobility.) It was immediately some of the best yoga, spinning, treadmill, and HIIT content anywhere. The catch is that you need an Apple Watch to even open the app. If you already have a watch, Fitness+ deserves a trial, at the very least. If you're on the fence about committing to the watch, this might push you over the edge.   

Garmin has been the leader in GPS workout tracking for ages, and the latest model of the brand's top-end running watch is much of a data powerhouse as ever: it logs a huge variety of workouts, tracks your heart rate and blood oxygen levels, and seamlessly connects to Strava, as well as almost any external sensor that uses ANT+ or Bluetooth. New this year, though, is cellular connectivity ($6 per month), which can beam your position in real time to anyone following your race or send out an SOS to either local emergency services or the phone of a trusted contact. There’s less reason than ever to run with a phone in a sweaty armband.

The screen-free Whoop strap has carved out a unique fitness tracking niche—unlike a wearable that you slap on only for workouts or a jack-of-all-trades smartwatch that'll bombard you with text alerts mid-squat, the Whoop sits quietly on your wrist and collects data insights that only around-the-clock wear can provide. It knows how you're sleeping, how you're recovering, what sort of strain you're under in both workouts and day-to-day life—and then you do, too. The new Whoop 4.0 doubles down on everything the tracker's always excelled at: it's easier to wear (a.k.a., it's smaller), easier to keep charged (the snap-on battery packs are now waterproof), and, with the addition of blood oxygen and skin temperature sensors, it integrates even more data about your body's functioning than ever. If you're looking to know everything about your body, and optimize accordingly, nothing out-quantifies the Whoop. (The band is free with a $30/month subscription; discounts are available for longer commitments.)  

The Levels tracker is still in its beta stage, but it's already one of the most exciting recent developments in wearable technology. A self-implantable continuous glucose monitors (doesn't hurt, and each lasts 14 days) syncs up with a phone app to display a minute-by minute graph of your blood sugar. Learning what keeps that number low and stable—to avoid fatigue and hunger—is fascinating because it's not at all intuitive. The Levels service is currently structured as a month-long program during which you're practically guaranteed to unlock some revelations about how your body processes food. 

The ideal pair of workout earbuds will drown out the world when you want (dialing up jock jams to drown out the groans from the next squat rack over) and let in the outside when you need (so you don't become roadkill during an early-morning jog). Both come together in the Jaybird Vista 2, completely wireless earbuds, whose powerful noise cancelling flips to a heads-up mode called SurroundSense that lets in the outside with just a tap.

Best Home Gym Equipment 

The first thing you notice about the Ergatta is that it’s beautiful: A rowing machine takes up a real chunk of floor space, so it matters that the matte cherry-wood frame is easy on the eyes. But If you ever get tired of looking at it, that’s cool too—it’s light enough to maneuver with one hand and stow vertically into a corner. None of that would matter if it wasn’t an excellent workout, of course, but a row on this thing is a delightful way to wring yourself out. The Ergatta uses a precise calibration system to personalize its workouts, so they grow with you and always feel challenging and engaging, from gamified interval rows on the integrated screen to competitive head-to-head virtual regattas. It’s also mercifully quiet and peaceful to use. There’s no music, no faux-spiritual mumbo-jumbo, no final turn of the dial—just you, your splits, and the rhythmic hum of the water in the tank. 

This sleek strength machine uses electromagnetic resistance to create up to 200 pounds of pushback for almost every move you might do with free weights. Mid-squat or -biceps curl, it’ll give you pointers on form, acting as a personal trainer. It's like installing a full-on weight room in your living room without making it look like the University of Alabama's football team's moved in over the weekend.

These days, most gym machines distinguish themselves by offering bells and whistles: a bigger screen, a cool design, access to an entire world of trainers and workouts. So you have to admire Woodway’s commitment to simply making a straight-up better treadmill than the competition. It’s extremely comfortable and confidence-inspiring running surface is available with preposterously fast motors for those pushing Kipchoge-level paces. The 4Front isn’t cheap—it costs more than ten grand before you start adding options. But it’s the absolute most enjoyable way to run in place.

Jumping rope is one of the most efficient, effective exercises out there, especially if you level up from a plain old rope. Rogue’s updated SR-2S Speed Rope features a customizable metal cable that can be cut down to the perfect fit for any height, while its omnidirectional bearings create a smooth rotation for beginners learning the, um, ropes and pros piling up double-unders.

An at-home yoga practice unlocks joys that would never fly in a studio: sneaking in a 20 minute class between Zooms, pausing a flow for some extra breathwork, and (if you take our advice) the joy of a gigantic mat. At 78 inches square, the new PRO Squared mat from Manduka is truly humongous—as wide as a standard mat is long. You’d get laughed out of your local studio if you showed up with this thing. (If you could even get it there; it weighs more than 25 pounds.) But as a fixture in your home studio? Absolute bliss. No matter where your flow takes you, your bony knees and elbows will never wind up on hardwood again.

Essentially a big tank with handles, this solid-walled water bag is just over 60 pounds when it’s at max capacity. That might not sound like much if you regularly work with plates, but remember that water sloshes around: the instability will work your grip, core, and balance while letting you swing a weight in all new ways—just the thing if you ever need a break from iron.

There’s a lot to love about training with resistance bands: they’re inexpensive, effective, and portable enough to take to a park or in your carry-on. The only problem comes from pinching and pulling where you grip them. Enter the TRX Bandit kit, which includes four bands and two handles that securely slip over the band, letting you get a hotel-room pump without the friction burn. (TRX also sells the Bandit handles separately for $30 for devout resistance band believers.)

Compression therapy boots promote circulation and reduce swelling by squeezing your muscles with targeted bags of air. They’ve been around for some time—mostly for pro athletes and anyone with big-league budgets to spend. But this new release from Therabody drastically lowers the cost of entry without cutting corners. The Recovery Air still isn't cheap, but it's less than the entry fee for your next Ironman. 

Never mind the IcyHot. This rechargeable sleeve slides over your knee to deliver contrast therapy, alternating hot and cold to soothe sore muscles and overworked tendons. The crazy part? The Hyperice X works with no ice, no liquids, and no cables. We don’t know how it works either—it’s like something out of the physical therapy office on the Death Star.

Plenty of sleep tech will tell you you're not sleeping well. The Eight Sleep Pod Pro will actually do something abut it. Baked into the mattress cover are medical-grade sensors that track data like your heart rate, respiratory rate, and movement. All those metrics are tabulated via Eight Sleep’s easy-to-understand app, similar to what you'd find with a fitness wearable. Unlike a watch, though, the mattress has powerful heating and cooling elements built in, and the power to make the correct adjustments for you on the fly. Are you the type to consistently wake up at three in the morning feeling overheated? Eight Sleep will take into account both the real-time temperature of your bedroom and your personal sleep history to keep you comfy and blissfully conked out. 

Meditation is clinically proven to fight stress and reduce anxiety—and, in practice, we've found it to be difficult to commit to when relying on phone-based apps, what with all the texts and Slacks lighting up the screen. But our meditation improved with the help of this small sphere, a handheld accountability buddy that uses vibrations to cue inhales and exhales. The Core may be your path to a more collected you—with app-generated “calm” and “focus” scores generated from biometric data to prove it.

Tired muscles recover better if they get a little stimulation, and massaging in a pump or two of Muscle Rub from the grooming and skincare geniuses at EiR is our new favorite way to do just that. It’s a lightweight oil formulated with capsicum—the stuff that gives chili peppers their kick—to create some pleasant, subtle heat. Just like the last rep of the last set of a big workout, it’s the kind of burn that feels great.

CONTRIBUTORS:
Emily Abbate, Chris Cohen, Yang-Yi Goh, Emma Janaskie, Mick Rouse

PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Styled by Tori Leung
Grooming by Faye Lauren for Exclusive Artists using Oribe Haircare / Armani Beauty