6 Best Functional Fitness Shorts for Women in 2024

Have you ever faced discomfort during functional fitness workouts because of an improper choice of sports apparel? Were disturbed from performing exercises by chafing or too tight or too roomy fit of your shorts?

Then you’re at the right place! We prepared a detailed overview of the 6 best functional fitness shorts for women that offer comfort, support, and top performance for your training session. Having tested and analyzed these items, our sports experts bring you our top list of decent fitness shorts in the market, which will work for your purposes.

Top 6 Best Functional Fitness Shorts for Women Reviewed

1. Rogue Women’s 4″ Runner Shorts – Top Pick
2. Rogue Booty Shorts Women’s – Best Booty Shorts
3. Virus Embark 6” Shorts – Best Compression
4. Virus Box Tech Shorts – Best High Rise
5. Rogue Ranger Panties – For Panty Lovers
6. Virus Asymmetric Tech Pants – Best Pants

Product	Total	Material quality	Sizing	Stretch	Resistance and Protection	Comfort	Breathability	Value for Money
Rogue Runner Shorts	69.5	10	10	10	10	10	9.5	10
Rogue Booty Shorts	69	10	10	10	9.5	9.5	10	10
Virus Embark	68	10	9.5	9.5	9.5	10	10	9.5
Virus Box Shorts	67	10	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5	9.5
Rogue Ranger Panties	66	9.5	9.5	9	9	9.5	10	9.5
Virus Asymmetric Pants	66	10	9.5	9	9.5	9.5	9	9.5

1. Rogue Women’s 4″ Runner Shorts – Top Pick

Here’s our top-pick choice of the comfortable and breathable women’s shorts that provide a full range of motion, while giving good coverage and thigh support thanks to the built-in liner during sprints, climbs, lifts, or hurdles.

• Material: 87% polyester, 13% spandex
• Inseam: 4”
• Sizes: XS-XL
• Color palette: black, blue, green, black camo, navy
• Pockets: small accessories pocket

They’re the best women’s fitness shorts that are equipped with a wide waistband that prevents slipping, and also have a tiny pocket. Shorts are designed with the Rogue logo on the front and the “R” letter on the backside. It needs to be mentioned that the built-in liner fits a bit small, so you’d better choose a bigger size for greater comfort.

The shorts are perfectly fitted on the waist and hold up great. With the mid-to-high rise, these shorts sit just above the hip, without being too high-fitted. The material is stretchy enough, yet preserves the shape and feels snugly in the waist and butt areas. They stay in place without riding up during intensive workouts, including such WODs as box jumps, rope climbs, sprints, etc.

2. Rogue Booty Shorts Women’s - Best Booty Shorts

Take a look at these mid-rise tightly fitted booty shorts that will shape your curves perfectly. You can wear them for any training session, whether you want to perfect functional fitness WODs, do some cardio, lift weights, or run.

They’ll stay in place during workouts and are out of bunching and sliding. So, you won’t need to adjust them in public between each set. Thanks to the wide waistband, you’ll avoid laying down in the midriff area because they’ll flatten your tummy.

• Material: 90% supplex, 10% polyester, lining: 92% Supplex, 8% Spandex
• Inseam: 2”
• Sizes: XS-XL
• Color palette: black camo, blue camo
• Pockets: inner waistband pocket

Since fitness training or any other workout requires lots of body flexing, you need a pair of shorts that won’t restrict your movements. These booty shorts are made exactly for these purposes.

The 4-way stretching provides support for the butt and thigh areas and is breathable too. These shorts are equipped with an inner waistband pocket for small things to stay with you while training sessions. The shorts are made of preshrunk polyester material that guarantees they won’t shrink after washing. Also, you’ll find a Rogue write logo on the right leg side.

3. Virus Embark 6” Shorts - Best Compression

Being made from Virus Bio-Polyform material that perfectly moves moisture away, these high compression women’s cross training shorts provide with excellent support and elasticity, without hindering your movements.

• Material: 70% Polyamide, 30% Spandex
• Inseam: 2.75” (for S size)
• Sizes: XS-XXL
• Color palette: black
• Pockets: side panel pockets

They have a 3” waistband that comes with the inner loop drawstring to vouch for a better fit on the place during such dynamic motions as deep squats and rope jumping. The design also includes side panel pockets. For better sizing understanding, here are the measures for the S size: height 5’5”, waist 26”, and hips 35”.

The Virus brand creates high-quality sports apparel made from technological and advanced fabrics that are soft and stretchy. All the gear is highly versatile: you can wear them for any discipline you prefer, no matter the intensity.

So, these shorts are a worthy option for WODs and HIIT sessions due to their superb compression fit that brings a locked-in feel. With Virus shorts, you’ll face no movement restrictions during the most intensive workouts.

4. Virus Box Tech Shorts - Best High Rise

Made from Bio-Polyform fabric, these high-rise box shorts fit your waist well due to the 10” front rise including a waistband. So, you’ll feel maximum comfort without being pressed in the stomach area.

• Material: 70% Nylon 30% Spandex
• Sizes: XS-XL
• Color palette: black, black gray bay, black arabian spice
• Pockets: not available

They also have side mesh panels that will bring you more airflow in the hips. The M size has the following measurements: height 5’3” and waist 30”, while S goes with height 5’3” and waist 27”.

The material feels comfortable and stretchy by providing enough airflow and breathability during intensive training. You won’t feel compressed around the legs. These high waisted fitness shorts don’t limit your sports capabilities by enabling you to perform both low and high-intensity WODs.

5. Rogue Ranger Panties - For Panty Lovers

This model is a more unisex one that can be worn both by men and women who prefer a roomier fit and want something new compared to the standard women’s tight-fit shorts.

• Material: 100% nylon tricot
• Inseam: 2 - 2 1/4”
• Sizes: S-XL
• Color palette: black, gray, blue, camo
• Pockets: inside key pocket

These lightweight short-cut ranger panties go with the inner line briefs and bring an unlimited range of motion with great support and comfort during the workout. Light material brings perfect airflow and sweat absorption by preventing your legs from being overheated. A nice feature is a small pocket in the waistband where you can store some tiny items during the exercises.

They don’t ride up during dynamic sessions due to their silky-touch material. Also, it’s possible to wear tights below them to keep legs warm during chill runs. Actually, you won’t feel them at all because they’re really light, so it may seem that you don’t put anything on.

Although, it would be better if they were thicker to give more protection. Nevertheless, this model is perfect for performing squats, lunges, and all kinds of running due to its thin, light, yet durable fabric.

6. Virus Asymmetric Tech Pants - Best Pants

Being the best women’s pants for workouts, these Virus gears are designed from the high-quality Bio-Polyform fabric that is durable and functional that makes these pants fit the majority of high-intense training.

• Material: 70% Polyamide 30% Spandex
• Sizes: XS-XXL
• Color palette: black gold, green bay black, black jungle camo
• Pockets: not available

They’re equipped with an inner drawstring for keeping them in place while you perform dynamics drills. With the 3” waistband, you’ll feel comfortable in this area and have good stomach support.

The S size has such measurements: height 5’5”, waist 26”, and hips 35”. Featured with moderate compression, the pants will fit well without pressure on the whole leg length and ankle area.

What to Look For in Best Functional Fitness Shorts for Women?

1. Material Quality

Considering sports gear, particularly shorts for functional fitness, are predominantly made from synthetic materials, such as nylon-spandex blend, or polyester. Generally, this fabric is soft, supportive, and comfortable for any sports, with durable stitching. Yet it can be tough while staying flexible and not restricting movements. Synthetic material doesn’t shrink and holds its shape even with regular wearing to the gym.

The better the material, the better shorts will maintain their shape and serve for a longer time and withstand many workouts. Also, the material quality has an impact on shorts' comfort, for instance, the majority provide a wicking feature that reduces sweat marks. We also found the shorts to be flexible and light, helping to keep us cool throughout a tough workout.

2. Sizing

Choosing a proper size is already a half success for your performance quality. As usual, fitness shorts go with a snug fit and they are highly flexible without being restrictive. Wearing the right size brings you free movements in all directions, you enjoy more comfort as they feels like your second skin.

Such a tight fit is crucial for those athletes who want to focus on their training fully, without being distracted by discomfort caused by improper shorts size.

3. Stretch

Stretchy and flexible fabric is a must for functional fitness WODs because this sport includes high-intensity explosive motions that require good endurance, power, and dynamics from an athlete. Fitness athletes tend to move quickly by transmitting their energy into performing specific workouts, i.e., deep squats, box jumps, burpees, lunges, sprints, kettlebell swings, and so on.

So, for the maximum range of motion, functional fitness shorts should be made from stretchy material that doesn’t bunch up, doesn’t need to be adjusted, and can withstand any tough WOD. Without these features, the shorts can become a burden for you, rather than a help.

4. Resistance and Protection

Moving a lot in the chosen shorts for quite a long time, with small breaks is about high-intensity workouts and functional fitness too, which also involves more strength-oriented exercises. Here durability especially matters.

No one wants to pick up shorts that will rip during the first workout. High-quality fitness shorts should protect an athlete from skin chafing while rope climbing, or when working out with bars and dumbbells.

With an inner lining, you’ll get better support and protection from occasional hits and friction. Also, you don’t need to worry about whether your shorts are riding up high as you perform a deep squat. Shorts with internal briefs aim to improve your comfort and add extra coverage.

5. Comfort

The comfort of functional fitness shorts depends on the waistband width, inseam length, leg opening, and generally their fit and design. The wider waistband is, the more comfortable the fit will be. The flatter and more elastic it is, the better it will keep the shorts in place.

Proper shorts shouldn’t fall down at the waist at the bottom of the squat, they shouldn’t limit your movements to perform any exercise to the full. If you want more support, you can pay attention to the shorts with inner loop drawstrings like in Virus Embark and Virus Asymmetric shorts. At the same time, with a perfect fit, you won’t worry about the wedgie that will pretty much bother you during the training.

6. Breathability

You should pick up a moisture-wicking fabric that helps manage sweat. Here we have all the shorts made from spandex, polyester, polyamide, and nylon which are all types of synthetics that breathe well. For example, spandex absorbs sweat, breathes, and dries quickly. Polyester is breathable too, but non-absorbent, meaning the sweat isn’t absorbed by this cloth and is left to dry on the exterior of the material on its own.

The feature of breathability comes together with several other factors like water and odor resistance. Sports apparel layers are going through specific technological developments. That’s why the vast majority of sports brands have their own technologies applied to their gear. These factors altogether affect an athlete’s performance and comfort during the WODs.

7. Value of Money

Considering our list of the best fitness shorts, we selected items that come in the range of $20-$84, because we tried to represent the gear for any pocket. The price varies depending on the brand's popularity, shorts quality, used technologies, fabric, and availability of extra features.

Although, we recommend you not to choose the cheapest options since it’s for some reason. Prefer reliable sports brands that specialize in crafting gear for functional fitness and know exactly what it should have to facilitate athletes’ performance and preserve the effectiveness of each set.

Functional Fitness in Shorts vs Leggings

You have to wear quality workout gear that is comfortable and fits you perfectly. Moreover, your apparel has to improve your performance and maximize your output in a limited amount of time. Leggings or tights work well for WODs that include rope climbs, but for the majority of functional fitness exercises, we recommend you wear a pair of durable shorts.

The intensity of fitness workouts involves more exertion, so you will sweat more. That’s why it’s better to put on short-inseam shorts to wick sweat quicker. The best option for functional fitness drills is shorts with a 4-way stretch enabling you to move freely in all directions. They should be slim fit to prevent catching on equipment, with flat locked, or bonded seams to avoid skin irritation.

Concerning leggings, they offer compression for the whole leg. If you have issues like varicose veins or knee problems, leggings with built-in compression inserts will benefit you. If choosing tights more, consider options with mesh inserts on the side or behind the knees that will cool your legs more efficiently.

Nevertheless, it’s up to you to decide what you want to wear at the fitness WOD. Think about what appeals to you most, and what gear will meet your needs better.

FAQ

What Is the Best Short Length for Functional Fitness?

Mainly to minimize the restriction of movements, it’s better to wear shorts with a shorter inseam that is 5-7”. Short functional fitness shorts allow for maximum movement while providing basic coverage. They also guarantee more breathability for your legs, meanwhile excess material can hinder your movements, and extra layers will leave you sweaty.

What Should Women Wear to Functional Fitness?

Generally, functional fitness requires apparel capable of moving with an athlete while they perform complex dynamic movements and explosive lifts. So, if you want to make your functional fitness training as effective as possible, you should think well about your gear.

Fitness shorts are considered one of the key apparel in this discipline. After all, you want your apparel to work for you and help you gain your athletic performance maximum.

To be short, you need to wear something that won’t slow you down. Your functional fitness suit may include the following positions: training shoes with a stable grip base, hard midsole, and breathable upper, sweat-wicking socks, shorts or tights, T-shirt, tank shirt, and a sports bra underneath.

Conclusion

Having considered the most outstanding best fitness shorts for women, we can summarize that Rogue 4” Runner Shorts are the best option for your WODs. Due to its exceptional quality, flexibility, lightness, and durability, this pair of shorts will wrap your body and keep muscles in good shape during any sports activity. They’ll enable you to train longer and improve your performance significantly.

Still, have some unsolved moments about the choice of shorts for fitness? Don’t hesitate to write to us if you have questions regarding choosing suitable apparel, or in case you want to know how to enhance your productivity. We’re open to any query you have.

Also read:

• What Do Compression Shorts Do
• Best Shorts For Squats
• Best Powerlifting Singlet
• Best Functional Fitness Shorts for Men
• Best Workout Shoes for Women
• Best Weight Vest
• Best Lifting Shoes for Women

References:

1. The effects of compression garments on recovery of muscle // National Library of Medicine: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19131276/
2. How to Prevent and Treat Chafing // VeryWellFit: https://www.verywellfit.com/chafing-prevention-3432493
3. Do Compression Garments Work for Muscle Recovery? // VeryWellFit: https://www.verywellfit.com/do-compression-garments-work-for-muscle-recovery-5194543