Many people benefit from music during exercise. Listening to music while exercising can set the beat for your workout and motivate you to keep going. You can choose something soothing to keep you focused, something rhythmic to support your breathing or an epic playlist that gets your adrenaline pumping.

Workout headphones and earbuds should be water resistant in order to handle sweat. Other design features will depend on the activity you are doing. Now that there are waterproof headphones, you can find swimming headphones. For swimming or the best running headphones or earbuds, you need a set that fits you very securely. Clip-on earbuds or ones with a hook around the ear can make good sports and exercise earphones for high movement activities.

If you anticipate taking phone calls or giving voice commands while exercising, look at sports headphones with a built-in mic.

Most gym headphones and workout earbuds use wireless technology, like Bluetooth, to connect with your with devices such as smartphones, MP3 players and fitness watches. With Bluetooth, you won’t have wires getting in the way of enjoying audio streaming while working out. Simply connect with platforms like Spotify and Apple Music or play your own digital music collection.

If you are using smart workout equipment, you may also connect your new exercise earbuds to your machine to watch or listen to workout videos that walk you through your routine. You could also connect your workout headphones to a smart TV so that you can watch fun movies or TV shows while you get your heartrate up.

If you are exercising in noisy environments, you may enjoy the benefits of noise canceling headphones. If you are unsure what features you want when choosing new headphones, look over these recommendation for what to look for in new earbuds or headphones.