Where I live in Canada, summers get really hot (a welcome reprieve from our winters!). The cities come alive and hot-girl-walks are back in session. I love when summer comes around because it means I can wear all of my favourite workout shorts when I am out running errands, at a concert, or, of course, while I am training.

I am a girlie with thicker thighs, so I am very particular about my training shorts because not all shorts fit the same. Sometimes you get sausage leg, sometimes they are too short and ride up into your coochie, and sometimes the length of them does my body proportions absolutely no favours.

So here is my list of the best running and lifting shorts.

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GymShark

Everyday Seamless Shorts

My number one pick for a training short or running short will always be a spandex, seamless short. I have mentioned in many articles before, that I love GymShark’s options for women because they have lots of styles, colours, fits and all of this comes at a reasonable price compared to something like Lululemon.

These shorts are a go-to for the following reasons:

• 5 inch inseam: I have tried lots of different lengths of spandex shorts and I find this in-seam on my proportions looks and feels the best. It is long enough that I don’t feel like I am going out in spandex booty-shorts, but also short enough that my long femurs are really celebrated. The proportions are right, the fit is great, and I genuinely feel confident in a short this length.
• Seamless: I have a really problem with shorts that have a seam that runs right up the middle of the pelvis. It is asking for a camel-toe and I just don’t want to have to deal with that when I am running or working out.
• Price: this are just $38. If we looked a similar short from Lululemon ,for example, you’d get a slightly shorter inseam, a seam up the middle and would have to pay double for it. Yes, you get lifetime warranty with Lululemon, it is still double for the price for a short that doesn’t offer the other fit benefits that GymShark offers.

Sweat Seamless Shorts

I have spoken about these seamless shorts before, and I am not afraid to talk about them again! These are my go-to seamless shorts. These are the shorts that I save for my favourite workouts. I know that when I put on these shorts, I am going to have a great day and a great workout.

I currently own them in black and a discontinued orange colour and I cannot recommend these enough. They are a little more pricey than the everyday seamless above, but they are worth it. I don’t have any worries about them being squat-proof, they’ve maintained their quality through every wash, and they don’t squeeze or sit weird on any part of my body.

I just love them and I hope you do too!

Running 2-in-1 Shorts

I have always found flowy running shorts so cute. I just love they look and that breeze you get as you run. However, I have thick, weight-lifting thighs, so if I run in traditional running shorts without some kind of spandex underneath, these shorts will ride up and I risk chafing my inner thighs. When I run, I just want to be able to zone out to my music and not have to worry about anything until the run is done.

These 2-in-1 shorts are great for someone with thicker thighs who wants the flowy-ness of a traditional running short, with the comfort and protection of the spandex. It’s a simple solution, and these are also a great price at just $43.40 (on sale at the time of writing. $62 regular price.)

Sweat Seamless Skort

I know these are not technically shorts, but skorts are trending right now and I just think they are so cute and a great addition to your summer workout wardrobe. If you are a Taylor Swift fan, you’ll know the viral video she posted in a lilac purple skort that sent the internet into a skort frenzy.

Everyone is jumping onboard, and I am so happy that GymShark has come out with one. My one issue would be the length of the skort – I would want it just a little shorter – but this is still a great first crack at the skort.

Alo Yoga

Please keep in mind that these items are at a higher price-point, but the quality of the clothing is excellent and you gain access to the Alo Yoga community.

Alosoft Suns Out Onesie

Again, this is not necessarily a traditional short, but onesie’s are also a big trend this summer so I would be remiss if I didn’t include at least one.

Even though I really do not like a seam that runs up the middle of the body, I do really like the look of this onesie, and the Alosoft technology means that this onesie is built to be comfortable and wearable.

I would wear this on my hot-girl-walks, to yoga in the park, or under a denim jacket at an open air. It is comfortable, easy to wear, and incredibly comfortable.

Aces Tennis Skirt

For the last Alo Yoga product, I recommend their tennis skirts because they have shorts on the inside and the shorts are very comfortable.

I’d love to recommend more shorts, but all of their shorts have that middle in-seam or no spandex liner in the running shorts, so I cannot in good conscience recommend those to you. However, like I mentioned before, skorts are on trend. So I wanted to make sure I brought this one to your attention because I wouldn’t definitely buy this and be wearing it any chance I could.

It is so feminine and functional, and that’s a winning combination in the summer.

Halara

I can’t write a sportswear article without mentioning Halara. This brand has surged on to the market, and in my experience, is a great new option for women shopping for comfortable athleisure at a reasonable price.

Breezeful™ High Waisted Crossover Petal Hem 2-in-1 Side Pocket Quick Dry Yoga Shorts

These are a pair of shorts I have had my eye on for a while. Ever since I tried my sister’s skort from Halara, I knew that this brand was going to be a gamechanger for women’s athleisure.

This shorts have a spandex liner, which we now know I love and need to stay comfortable and avoid chafing. The high-waisted waistband is also a nice touch and opens up so many possibilities for cute outfits at the gym and on hot-girl-walks. I could see this being perfect for a hardcore HIIT workout as well since they have good movement to them, but are also light so you won’t get too warm in them.

Seamless Flow High Waisted Running Biker Shorts

These were the only seamless shorts from Halara that were the perfect length and had some interesting fabric details to warrant adding these to your wardrobe. They also come with the scrunch detail on the back to help lift and define the glutes.

Recommended: If you’re looking to build more defined glutes, check out this article on my top 5 glute-defining exercises (no bulgarian split squats or hip thrust required!)

These shorts come in 3 different colourways, black, navy and sage green so you can get all 3 and get them all at a discount! Halara regularly runs bundling discounts, so it is a great place to find favourite pieces and buy multiples of that item.

There you have it! Those are my top picks for shorts (and some skorts) for the summertime. I am personally very picky and will try to avoid that middle seam as much as possible, which is why this list may seem shorter than most (no pun intended). So many sportswear companies are designing women’s shorts with that middle seam, which tells me they are not really thinking about the wear experience for women when they design them

Let me know what you think below on this! Do you care about that middle seam?