lululemon Shorts Explained: Which Short is Best for You

last updated: July 17, 2021

While you’re here, be sure to check out my “lululemon Explained” posts on leggings and sports bras.

In my first “lululemon Explained” post, I broke down all of the different lululemon fabrics used for women’s leggings. Today, we’re going to tackle women’s shorts. It’s getting HOT out there and you’re ready to make the switch from living in your leggings to finding a few comfy pairs of shorts to add to your wardrobe.

There are a couple big factors to consider here – length (aka inseam) and fit. You’ll have to ask yourself a few questions to narrow down your options. Are you looking for a traditional athletic short or something more tight-to-the-body, like a biker short? How short are you comfortable going? Would you prefer a high-rise short or a more traditional medium-rise? Do you want something for a HIIT class, yoga class or a pair of shorts just to kick it around town or at the house?

With so many factors to consider, it can be tough to know where to start. I’m going to divide our options into categories based on design intent – meaning: what type of activity the short was designed for – and then discuss other factors such as length and rise. We have 3 main design intent categories to explore: High Impact Workouts, Low Impact Workouts and Casual / Everyday Wear.

And here we go …

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High Impact Workouts

So, what exactly qualifies as a high impact workout? Anything with running, jumping, lots of big movements, etc. This can include, but isn’t limited to: CrossFit, OrangeTheory, bootcamp classes, running, etc. I’d include spin classes (FlyWheel, SoulCycle, Peloton, etc) and rowing classes in this category too just bc of the nature of the workouts and type of fabrics you’d want to wear for these workouts.

Next question: Are you looking for a more traditional athletic short look or a tight-to-body “biker short” look?

If you’re looking for a biker short for high impact workouts, you’ve got 3 options: the Fast & Free Short, the Wunder Train Short and the Invigorate Short. All three of these shorts are high-rise.

If you’re looking for a more traditional athletic short for high impact workouts, you have 3 main options: the Speed Up Short, the Hotty Hot Short and the Tracker Short. During the summer months, lululemon does release a few seasonal options (like the Track That Short in 3″ + 5″ inseams) that I’ll link to but I’m going to focus most of my attention on the three year-round styles.

Fast & Free Short

The Fast and Free Short comes in three inseams: a 6″ length, an 8″ length and a 10″ length. I own the 6″ and 10″; I haven’t tried the 8″. Aesthetically, I like the 6″ better; I’m 5’4″ so the shorter length looks better on me. However, I find the 10″ a more comfortable fit. I wore the 6″ during a 5K road race, and it was great – no riding up, no chafing, I liked how I looked in my pre- and post-race pics – it was a total winner. At home though, when I ride my Peloton, I always choose the 10″. Other than the length, the biggest difference between these two inseams is the bottom hem; the 6″ has a flat seam whereas the 10″ has a laser cut hem. I’ve found that the bottom seam on the 6″ is perfectly located to hit the seat on my Peloton when I’m pedaling, which is no fun. The 10″ however is both longer and doesn’t have that bottom seam, so win-win.

Fast & Frees are made of Nulux fabric, which was launched in 2016 as the high-impact companion to Nulu (the buttery-soft naked-feeling fabric of Align fame) and it’s my favorite workout material. Nulux is lightweight, cool-to-the-touch and feels like you’re wearing nothing while also staying in place perfectly during any type of high-impact workout. You’ll feel compression in the waistband, but through the leg truly feels “next to nothing” (except at the bottom hem in the 6″). I get asked a lot about the durability of the raw hem at the bottom of the 10″ and I promise you, it doesn’t fray, so don’t worry.

Key Features of Fast & Free Shorts:

smooth and slick hand-feel
naked sensation
fabric feels cool against the skin
continuous drawstring in the waistband
drop-in pockets on the sides
breathable
moisture-wicking
quick-drying
engineered four-way stretch
weightless coverage

Wunder Train Short

The Wunder Train Short also comes in three inseam options: a 4″ length (only available online), a 6″ length, a 6″ length with pockets (new for summer 2021!) and an 8″ length. I have the WTs in 6″ and have used them mostly for outdoor hikes during the summer. I was late to the game as far as fandom on these shorts bc the bottom seam on the legs really bothered me at first, but I snagged a pair on markdown bc I liked the print and was a pretty quick convert after my first hike in them.

Wunder Trains are made with Everlux fabric. Everlux was launched in 2017 as a solve for sweaty studio workouts. So while I, personally, wouldn’t wear these shorts for long distance runs, they’d be great for other high impact workouts and runs under a mile.

Key Features of Wunder Train Shorts:

fabric feels cool + sleek against the skin on the inside; feels cottony-soft and brushed on the outside
fastest drying lululemon fabric
moisture-wicking
highly breathable
supportive, slightly compressive fit
four-way stretch
hidden waistband pocket
continuous drawstring in the waistband

Invigorate Short

You have three inseam options for the Invigorate Short: a 6″ length, an 8″ length and a 10″ length.

Like the Wunder Trains, Invigorates are made with Everlux fabric. Everlux was launched in 2017 as a solve for sweaty studio workouts. So while I, personally, wouldn’t wear these shorts for long distance runs, they’d be great for other high impact workouts and runs under a mile.

Key Features of Invigorate Shorts:

fabric feels cool + sleek against the skin on the inside; feels cottony-soft and brushed on the outside
fastest drying lululemon fabric
moisture-wicking
highly breathable
supportive, slightly compressive fit
four-way stretch
hidden waistband pocket
continuous drawstring in the waistband
drop-in pockets on the sides

Speed Up Short

You have two inseam options for the Speed Up Short: a 2.5″ length and a 4″ length. You also have three rise options: low-rise, medium-rise and high-rise.

Back when I used to CrossFit consistently and was in much better shape, these were my go-to shorts. Well, technically I wore an older iteration called Speed Shorts, but #semantics. I have probably 30 pairs of Speed Shorts, so you could say I was a little bit of a fan. All of my Speed Shorts are 2.5″ inseam, but again, I was in much better shape back then; nowadays, I’d opt for a longer inseam.

Key Features of Speed Up Shorts:

sweat-wicking
four-way stretch
leightweight
built-in liner
zippered back-waistband pocket
gel pockets in front-waistband
continuous drawstring in waistband

Hotty Hot Short

You have two inseam options for the Hotty Hot Short: a 2.5″ length and a 4″ length. Hotty Hots are available in both low-rise and high-rise options.

These are probably the best selling shorts, I’d say, right now. In both inseams. The leg opening on Hotty Hots is slightly wider than the leg on the Speed Up Shorts, which gives them a more universally flattering fit.

Key Features of Hotty Hot Shorts:

sweat-wicking
four-way stretch
leightweight
built-in liner
mesh panel for ventilation on the side of the leg
reflective details
zippered pocket in the seam of the waistband
hidden stash pocket in the liner
continuous drawstring in waistband

Tracker Short

You have one inseam option for the Tracker Short, a 4″ length, and one rise option which the website describes as low-rise, however I think it fits more like a mid- or high-rise.

Similar to the Hotty Hots, the Trackers are really popular bc of the wider leg opening and universally flattering fit.

Key Features of Tracker Shorts:

sweat-wicking
leightweight
built-in liner
continuous drawstring in the waistband
side zippered pocket

Seasonal High-Impact Styles:

Low Impact Workouts

Any of the high-impact shorts discussed above could work for low impact workouts, but shorts designed for low impact will not work for high-impact. Keep that in mind as you weigh all your options.

First, let’s define low impact. I’d put yoga, barre, pilates and strength training in this category; anything that doesn’t cause a high amount of friction on the fabric.

The only core short style truly designed for low impact workouts is in the lululemon Align™ Short. The Align Short comes in four inseam options: a 4″ length, a 6″ length (my fav!), an 8″ length and a 10″ length. You also have an option between a high-rise and a super-high-rise waistband.

Align Shorts are made of Nulu fabric, which was launched in 2015 as a “naked sensation” although I don’t think they technically call them that anymore. Now they’re referred to as a “next to nothing” feeling, I think. This is hands-down the best-selling fabric, and my personal favorite for everyday wear (between shorts, special editions and the regular tights, I have at least 15 pairs of Aligns).

Along with being designed to feel like you aren’t wearing anything (in a good way, I promise!), this fabric has a buttery soft hand-feel … and is very delicate. That means no high-impact workouts or any kind of intense activity since the process used to create that buttery soft sensation makes the fabric susceptible to natural pilling over time and with heavy use. These won’t be the most durable shorts you buy from lululemon, but they’ll probably be your favorite.

Shorts (and leggings) made with Nulu fabric are the top choice for pregnant women. A quick Google search for ‘lululemon pregnancy’ or ‘lululemon pregnancy pants’ will show you how Nulu fabric (and the Aligns specifically) are revolutionizing the field of maternity pants.

Key Features of Align Shorts:

buttery soft Nulu fabric
naked sensation
moisture-wicking
four-way stretch
breathable
hidden waistband pocket
comfy AF (I’m not joking when I say I practically live in these shorts)

Seasonal High-Impact Styles:

lululemon Align™ High Rise Short with Pockets [ available in 6″ and 8″ inseams ]
Ribbed Contoured High-Rise Short 8″

Casual / Everyday Wear

As I mentioned above, I wear the Align Shorts everyday, but there are a few styles designed specifically as casual wear … or in lululemon terms, “on the move” wear.

There are two styles we see consistently every year (On The Fly Shorts and Spring Breakaway Shorts), a third style we’ve seen for the second year in a row (Inner Glow Shorts) and then a few one-off seasonal styles I wouldn’t expect to see year-over-year.

Let’s break ’em down a little bit …

Stretch High Rise Short 3.5″

If you remember the older On The Fly Shorts, these are the new + improved version. I love these shorts because they’re so versatile. The super stretchy Luxtreme fabric is really lightweight + comfy, but doesn’t look like a lounge or sweat short making them really easy to dress up for a night out.

Key Features of the Stretch High Rise Short:

moisture-wicking
four-way stretch
breathable
cool to the touch
waistband drawstring can be worn on the outside or inside
inner side of the waistband is lined with buttery-soft Nulu™ fabric
front hand-pockets + a hidden zipper pocket and card sleeve

Stroll at Sundown Short 3″

The Stroll at Sundown comes in two fabrications: four-way stretch Swift fabric and super-lightweight Ventlight™ Mesh. Both versions feature a 3″ inseam and a mid-rise waistband.

Key Features of the Stroll at Sundown Short:

breathable
four-way stretch
sweat-wicking
quick-drying
moisture-wicking
four-way stretch
breathable
cool to the touch
waistband drawstring can be worn on the outside or inside
front hand-pockets + a hidden zipper pocket and card sleeve

Stroll at Sundown Short 3″ *Ventlight™ Mesh

Inner Glow Short 3″

The Inner Glow Short fits loose, has a high-rise and is so so soft — and I’m so very here for it.

Between the Align Short 6″, the Align Tank, the In Alignment Straight Strap Bra and the Inner Glow Shorts, I’ve been giving all my disposable income to lulu lately. I know I said I’ve been wearing Align Shorts 24/7 this year, but I should qualify that bc I’ve been splitting my time between Aligns and Inner Glows. I snagged every color of Inner Glows that was released last year, and I have no plans to curb that this year – especially with the newest release in Savannah (pictured below).

Seasonal Everyday Styles:

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Best For	Name of the Short	Lengths	Rises	Fit
High Impact	Fast & Free Short	6″, 8″ + 10″	High	Tight-to-body; naked sensation
High Impact	Wunder Train Short	4″, 6″ + 8″	High	Tight-to-body; gentle compression
High Impact	Invigorate Short	6″, 8″ + 10″	High	Tight-to-body; gentle compression
High Impact	Speed Up Short	2.5″ + 4″	Low + High	Away-from-the-body
High Impact	Hotty Hot Short	2.5″ + 4″	Low + High	Away-from-the-body
High Impact	Tracker Short	4″	Low	Away-from-the-body
High Impact	Track That Short	3″ + 5″	Medium + High	Away-from-the-body
Low Impact	Align Short	4″, 6″, 8″ + 10″	High + Super High	Tight-to-body; naked sensation
Casual	Stretch High Rise Short 3.5″	3.5″	High	Away-from-the-body
Casual	Stroll at Sundown Short 3″	3″	Medium	Away-from-the-body
Casual	Inner Glow Short	3″	High	Away-from-the-body

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