Reviewing Ten Thousand’s Interval Shorts, Comparing to A Better Alternative

With a similar style to Ten Thousand’s bestselling Interval Short, Rugged Black’s Premium Workout Shorts feature waterproof fabric, zippered pockets, and compression liner at $20 less (use promo code: BAINTV30 for 30% off)

TL;DR - Ten Thousand struck gold with their bestselling Interval Shorts. They're lightweight, breathable, and worthy of all the hype. But Rugged Black produces a better performing pair of high-end workout shorts for 30% less.

Men will just throw on anything to go to the gym. My go-to gym outfit was an old outdoor festival t-shirt and mesh basketball shorts.

Aside from looking schleppy around some of the most beautiful people, I would be soaked in sweat 10 minutes into my workout. You know how bad a cheap t-shirt looks after its lost its shape? A drunk-looking collar, sweat stains, and wet gym shorts that made you feel like you jumped in the pool.

Thankfully, those days are long gone.

Taking a cue from the ladies (shout out to Lululemon leggings), men everywhere upgraded their gym attire to high-performance, high-style workout clothes.

The perfect workout outfit has four functions:

1. Keep You Dry
2. Be Durable
3. Be Stylishly Versatile
4. Don’t Restrict Movement

This is especially important to the Crossfit community. Scanning through Ten Thousand’s 7000+ reviews, the Crossfit community massively embraced their brand.

Ten Thousand's bestselling Interval Shorts is the perfect product to compare our Active Workout Shorts to.

So we’re doing an in-depth review, video, and comparison. Leggo.

The Tale of the Tape

Side by side shot of each pair of active shorts.

Interval Shorts by Ten Thousand

Price (of Ten Thousand Interval Shorts) 

$68

Ten Thousand's Interval Shorts are expensive. At $68 a pop, it costs hundreds of dollars to revamp your workout wardrobe with Ten Thousand gear.

Training a three-day split (3 workout outfits), you are looking at $366 before tax. 

Then again, if you're spending hundreds of dollars per month on a Crossfit gym membership, a one-time cost of $122 per workout outfit ($68 for Interval Shorts and $54 for Versatile Shirt) doesn’t sound too bad. 

Surprisingly, to Ten Thousand’s credit, not too many reviewers complain about the high prices. The quality is obviously there.

Buy once, cry once.

Reviews (of Ten Thousand Interval Shorts) 

7,500+ reviews with a 4.8 rating 

Ten Thousand has done a tremendous job creating high-end workout gear geared toward crossfitters, runners, and functional trainers. 

The excellent reviews reflect the amazing job of matching customer expectations to what they actually deliver product-wise, service-wise, experience-wise, etc.

The Good (5-star reviews):

• “Feels great and can sustain any type of workout.”
• “The material is durable, breathable, and fits comfortably…”
• “These shorts check all the boxes”

The Bad (1-3 star reviews):

• “These shorts did not fit my body well.”
• “Pockets are extremely shallow. Phone and wallet easily falls out.”
• “I thought they would be worth the price…you can find equal at a far lower price…”

The Fit and Feel (of Ten Thousand Interval Shorts) 

My impression after wearing these workout shorts for 3 months is somewhat positive. 

The fabric is a lightweight technical knit fabric–86% Polyester and 14% Spandex. 

With such a high virgin polyester content, the fabric has a swishy feel (and sound) reminding me of old-school track pants/warm-ups in basketball. 

Crafting the perfect workout shorts is a Goldilocks exercise. Not too soft, not too stiff. Softness sacrifices durability. Stiffness restricts movement and comfort.

The high point for me was how lightweight the Interval Shorts are. They are thin and summer appropriate.

The low point was the fit. I’m a bigger guy with big legs. These shorts were very tight around my waist and thigh areas. If you are small or medium-sized guy with , the fit won’t be too much of an issue. 

As you can see here, per their size chart, any guy over 200 lbs should order a XXL.

The medium compression liner is a great feature. While performing explosive active movements, you will be comfortable, covered, and restriction-free. I used to hate when my boxers would ride up during squats, cleans, or box jumps. Their liner eliminates that problem.

With three inseam length options (5-inch, 7-inch, and 9-inch) and seven color options, you have a damn-near customized experience in what you want to wear.

Uses and Design (of Ten Thousand Interval Shorts) 

As the name denotes, the Interval Shorts are made for the gym. Some reviewers noted these shorts are comfortable enough to wear around. But the reason you pay the high price for these shorts is to enable and aid high intensity interval training.

Walking around in these especially with the compression liner is akin to wearing a basketball jersey around the house. Made for a different purpose.

The minimalist design of these shorts are classic and functional. Flat-front, two-tone colors with no extraneous design elements makes it easy to pair with just about anything.

Features

The only knock against these shorts’ design is the absence of back pockets. 

I understand the rationale. Your training shorts are your training shorts. But a lot of guys don’t change clothes coming or going to the gym, so a back pocket would be greatly appreciated. 

Other features include the faux fly, inside key pocket, and inside drawstring.

Summary (of Ten Thousand Interval Shorts) 

The bottom line Ten Thousand’s Interval Shorts are some of the best workout shorts you can buy for interval and functional training. They are lightweight, breathable, and have a compression liner to keep you comfortable throughout your workout. 

Some reviewers complained about the cost, no back pocket, and the fit (for bigger guys). 

If you are considering an upgrade to your old polyester mesh workout shorts, these are a great option.

Active Workout Shorts by Rugged Black 

Price (of Rugged Black Active Workout Shorts)

$41 (with promo code)

Rugged Black’s Active Workout Shorts are well worth the $59 regular price. But with a first-time customer discount of 30%, it’s a no-brainer.

You will save over $25 per pair over the Interval Shorts.

Reviews (of Rugged Black Active Workout Shorts)

Though recently released, the Active Workout Shorts have great initial reviews. All of them 5 stars.

The Good (5-star reviews):

• “These shorts are the best I’ve found by a country mile…Moves great, feels soft, and breathes”
• “Dig these shorts…Lightweight and comfy. ”
• “I never knew that wearing the right pair of shorts can have such a dramatic effect on my workout until I tried out the active shorts.”

The Bad (1-3 star reviews):

• No negative reviews to date.
• My areas of improvement I personally see for this product: add dedicated phone and key pocket on the inside, add more color options, and add liner-less option.

We also stand behind all our products with a money back guarantee, free returns and exchanges. 

The Fit and Feel (of Rugged Black Active Workout Shorts)

After trying on both pairs of shorts from RBLK and Ten Thousand, there are only two differences to note other than subjective design elements. The fabric and the fit.

I believe our fabric is significantly better. And the fit of the Active Workout Shorts are better for bigger guys (above 200 lbs or muscular legs).

Our shorts are made of a 88% nylon and 12% spandex blend. 

Which is about the same composition as Ten Thousand. But we swap out polyester (cheaper) for a more premium nylon (expensive).

Nylon has three main advantages over polyester.

1. Nylon is more durable and abrasive resistant.
2. Nylon has a softer, more premium feel.
3. Nylon is made from unavoidable byproducts, so more environmentally conscious.

I wear an XL in RuggedBlack and XXL in Ten Thousand. 

In the Ten Thousand Interval Short, I barely fit. To be fair, I am at the outer edge of their size chart. While I can still go up (but hopefully down) a size in RBLK.

While testing the Active Workout shorts, I wore them exclusively for two weeks worth of workouts. And they did not disappoint.

Same as the Interval Shorts, the Active Shorts were lightweight, breathable, have a compression liner and kept me dry and comfortable throughout my workouts. 

I also played pickup basketball to test if they would restrict movement. They didn't.

After the trial period, I immediately got rid of every other pair of polyester mesh workout shorts I owned. There was no use keeping them. I couldn’t go back.

As a reviewer noted, “I didn't know changing my workout shorts would have such a big impact on my workout performance.” 

These shorts are just better in every way. They feel better. They perform better. No restriction whatsoever. The compression liner is a game changer if you don’t already have shorts that incorporate them.

The minimalist style of these shorts look like they are made for grown-ups. And can go with any shirt you wear.

Uses and Design (of Rugged Black Active Workout Shorts)

Similar to the Interval Shorts, the Active Workout shorts are made for sweat. 

Intense, active workouts are what these shorts are made for. Going for a run, metcon training session, basketball, yoga, or any other training session that requires mobility, flexibility, and cool, comfort throughout.

These shorts will replace every pair of workout shorts in your closet.

Features include zippered side and back pockets, smooth no-bunch waistband with drawstring, compression liner, and waterproof fabric. 

Summary (of Rugged Black Active Workout Shorts)

Compared to the highly-rated Interval Shorts, RuggedBlack's Active Shorts are a better alternative. 

Our Active Workout shorts use a more premium fabric, waterproof rather than “moisture-resistant”, more functional pockets, and offers the same money-back guarantee as Ten Thousand.

If you want to experience the best workout shorts in the game, get these shorts. Actually buy a couple of pair if you work out multiple times per week. You won’t regret it.

The Verdict

In summary, if you want to save a little bit of money for a superior product, opt for the Active Workout shorts over the Interval Shorts from Ten Thousand. Better price, better fit, and better performance.

If for any reason you don’t believe our shorts don’t beat the pants off of their version, we will refund your money. It’s as risk-free as it gets.

Use promo code BAINTV30 for 30% off a couple pairs.