When we poll professional trainers and athletes on their favorite gear, Ten Thousand shorts often come up. It makes sense, given that the company gathers intel from the same types of people to fine-tune its designs. But to make a different kind of gym short, one that's durable enough to handle the roughest workouts imaginable, the company reached out to a distinct group of hard-wearers: members of the US Special Operations Forces.
An advisory board made up of former Special Ops members who have continued their careers in training, fitness, leadership and physical therapy aided Ten Thousand in conceptualizing and prototyping iterations of what would become the Tactical Short, and over 50 active service members wear-tested it to ensure it stood up to real-world use. They worked out in it, swam in it, hiked in it and rucked in it (rucking is the practice of walking with a weighted bag, the foundation of military fitness training).
The result is a pair of gym shorts that's durable enough for lifting and lugging but lightweight enough for running. The fabric, exclusive to the Tactical Short, stretches four ways and dries quickly after getting wet. There's a built-in compression liner that includes a no-bounce phone pocket and doesn't chafe, and there are zippered exterior side pockets for stashing other essentials.
