13 Brands Like Born Primitive for Functional Workout Gear
The inseam splits on rep four of a heavy set. The shirt you paid $12 for is already see-through at the shoulders. Kit that quits before you do turns a good session into an annoying one, which is why Born Primitive built its reputation on shorts like the Versatile Short w/ Compression 7" ($70) rather than on graphics. Here are 13 brands that hold up the same way.
We've checked every price and link below on the brand's own site. Where a site blocks scripted visitors, we've given the tier in words instead of inventing a number.
| Brand | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Gymshark | $26 to $80 on men's shorts | Cheapest way in |
| Mayhem Nation | $35 to $74.95 on tees and jerseys | CrossFit affiliation |
| NOBULL | $15 to $99 on shoes and accessories | Training shoes |
| Lululemon | Premium | Fabric feel |
| Under Armour | $23 to $70 on men's shorts | Sizing you can find in person |
| Reebok | $100 to $250 on Nano shoes | Lifting under load |
| Vuori | $78 for the Kore Short | Gym-to-errands wear |
| Alphalete | Mid-range | Fitted, logo-forward cuts |
| Ryderwear | $50 to $65 on men's shorts | Bodybuilding culture |
| Hylete | $38 to $88 on tees and joggers | Plain gear, no shouting |
| Ten Thousand | $98 to $108 on shorts | One pair, worn to death |
| GORUCK | $99 to $225 on men's apparel | Rucking and outdoor work |
| TYR | $69 to $128 on men's apparel | Competition-floor kit |
Gymshark
Gymshark is the cheapest realistic step across from Born Primitive, with 133 men's shorts running from $26 for the Arrival 5" up to $80 for the Running Elite line. The Train 5" Short ($30) and the Crest Short ($28) are the two that turn up in most first orders.
What you give up against Born Primitive is the tactical styling. Gymshark's cuts are slimmer and its colour blocking is louder, built for a gym floor rather than a rucksack. What you get back is range: six inseam lengths from 3" to 9", so you can buy the exact leg you like instead of settling.
Best for: spending under $35 a pair and still getting sweat-wicking fabric.
Mayhem Nation
Mayhem Nation is the apparel arm of Rich Froning's CrossFit Mayhem, and the tees sit at $35 to $40. The Team Mayhem USA T-Shirt ($35) and the Panchik Bros T-Shirt ($40) are athlete-name pieces, and the Mayhem Jersey '26 ($74.95) is the competition-style top.
This one leans further into gym identity than Born Primitive does. Born Primitive sells you shorts you'd also wear fishing. Mayhem sells you the shirt of a specific box, with a faith-led PRAY collection alongside the athlete tees, plus headwear and a hunting line.
Best for: anyone whose training already runs on CrossFit programming.
NOBULL
NOBULL earns its place here on footwear more than clothing. The Allday 365 sneaker sits at $99, the Crew Performance Sock at $15, and the Crossbody Bag at $35, all in the flat black-and-white palette the brand has kept since launch.
Born Primitive now makes its own shoes across the Savage 1, Patriot 1 and Pursuit 1 lines, so the two overlap more than they used to. NOBULL still has the longer track record on the gym floor, and its Drive Hybrid Training Shorts extend the same abrasion-resistant thinking into apparel. If you want the wider read on this brand, we've written about brands like NoBull separately.
Best for: one shoe that survives rope climbs and rack work.
Lululemon
Lululemon sits at the premium end of this list, and its Train collection is the part that competes with Born Primitive. The technical fabrics carry over from the yoga side, which is why the shorts and tops hold shape through a session instead of going baggy at the knee.
Lululemon's site turns away scripted visitors, so we haven't quoted prices for it here rather than repeat figures we can't check on the page. What we can say is that it costs more per piece than any mid-tier brand above, and the payoff is fabric hand and finishing rather than tactical detailing. Born Primitive is the tougher-looking option. Lululemon is the one that reads as normal clothing outside the gym.
Best for: buying fewer pieces and wearing them everywhere.
Under Armour
Under Armour covers the widest price spread of anything here, from the UA Challenger 7" Short ($23) to the UA Drive 10" Short ($70). The HeatGear Pocket 9" Short ($30) and the HeatGear 6" Compression Short ($30) are the two that come closest to Born Primitive's everyday shorts.
Scale is the real difference. Under Armour is stocked in physical shops, so you can try a size on before committing, and the discounting is constant. The UA Vanish Woven 2.0 6" Short lists at $55 and sits on sale at $41.25 as we write. Born Primitive keeps a tighter range and a stronger point of view.
Best for: shoppers who want to check the fit in a changing room first.
Reebok
Reebok ended its CrossFit-branded line, and the training work now sits under the Nano name. The Nano Gym 2.0 Training Shoe runs $100, the Nano X5 Edge $119.99, and the Nano Pro tops the range at $250.
Reebok's pull is the flat, stable sole that lets you sit into a squat without the heel compressing. Born Primitive's footwear is younger, and its apparel is the stronger half of the business. Buying a Nano and a set of Born Primitive shorts is a common enough combination on a gym floor that it barely counts as mixing brands.
Best for: lifting heavy without your shoe folding underneath you.
Vuori
Vuori makes the softest gear on this list. The Kore Short Lined 7" ($78) uses a shell of 48% recycled polyester, 42% polyester and 10% elastane over a breathable boxer-brief liner, and it holds 4.8 out of 5 stars across more than 26,000 reviews.
Vuori sells on comfort. The four-way stretch and the quick-dry finish mean the same pair goes from a training session to the school run without a change. Born Primitive's shorts are built for abrasion. Vuori's are built for hours of wear. We compare it against its closest rivals in our guide to brands like Vuori for men.
Best for: one pair of shorts that carries the whole day.
Alphalete
Alphalete trades at alphaleteathletics.com, and its site blocks automated visitors, so we've listed it as mid-range rather than quote prices we can't load. The fit is the draw: close-cut, high-stretch pieces designed to show the shape you've trained for.
Against Born Primitive's roomier, utility-minded cuts, Alphalete runs tighter and puts its logo front and centre. Both sit in a similar bracket, so the choice is aesthetic rather than budgetary. Our head-to-head on Alphalete vs Gymshark covers the fit differences in detail.
Best for: fitted gym wear with the branding on show.
Ryderwear
Ryderwear is an Australian brand that prices in US dollars for American shoppers, with 116 men's shorts on the site. The Adapt 5" Training Short ($65), the Advance Mesh Short ($59) and the Iron Arnie Short ($50) run the spread.
The Arnie name tells you the reference point. Ryderwear's design language comes out of old-school bodybuilding rather than functional fitness, so the shorts sit shorter and the cuts favour a quad. Born Primitive's tactical influence puts it in different territory, even though both hold up under the same weight.
Best for: hypertrophy work and a gym wardrobe with 1970s in it.
Hylete
Hylete keeps 122 pieces live at any time and prices its basics low for the tier. The Block Logo HY-Blend Crew Tee runs $38, the Ava Short $58, the Altium II Bra $58, and the Aurora Jogger $88.
Hylete's whole idea is gear that doesn't announce itself. The logos are small, the palette runs to bone white, navy and gull grey, and the Barbell Club tees are about as loud as it gets. Born Primitive's camo prints and flag colourways sit at the other end of that scale. Pick Hylete if you'd like your training kit to pass for normal clothes on the way home.
Best for: plain, well-priced training basics.
Ten Thousand
Ten Thousand makes one thing properly. The Interval Short ($98) comes in 5-inch and 7-inch, the Session Short ($98) sits alongside it, and the Set Short ($108) is the heaviest of the three. That's a lot for a pair of shorts, and the brand builds its case on how long they last.
Born Primitive gives you more choice for less money. Ten Thousand gives you fewer decisions and a longer replacement cycle, with a men's-only range and no seasonal churn. If you're the sort of person who finds one pair and wears them four times a week, the maths works out in its favour.
Best for: buying once and not thinking about shorts again.
GORUCK
GORUCK is the closest thing here to Born Primitive's tactical side. The Men's Rucking Shirt L/S runs $125, the Men's Sun Hoodie in ToughMesh $99, the Commando Quarter Zip in merino wool $135, and the Task Force Dagger Jacket in Polartec fleece $225.
Those prices reflect gear built to carry a loaded pack over distance without the shoulder seams giving out. Born Primitive borrows tactical styling and applies it to gym clothes. GORUCK starts from the rucksack and works outward, which is why its apparel skews toward long sleeves, sun protection and cold-weather layers rather than shorts.
Best for: rucking, hiking and training that happens outdoors.
TYR
TYR came out of swimming and moved into functional fitness, and its apparel now shows up on competition floors. The Men's Vintage Wash Oversized Tee runs $69 in dune, olive and crimson, and the Core Logo Oversized Pullover Hoodie is $128.
The cuts run oversized where Born Primitive runs closer to the body, so the two sit differently even at similar weights. TYR's advantage is the shoe programme behind the clothing, since the brand builds lifters and trainers for the same athletes it dresses. For more in this bracket, our list of brands like Gymreapers covers the strength-focused end.
Best for: oversized fits and matching kit to your lifting shoes.
How to Choose the Right Brand for You
Start with where you train. Indoors under a barbell, Reebok's Nano range and Ryderwear cover the ground. Outdoors with weight on your back, GORUCK earns its prices. Somewhere between the two, Born Primitive is already the right answer, which is presumably why you're here.
Then set a number. Under $35 a pair puts Gymshark and Under Armour in front. Around $60 opens up Hylete, Ryderwear and Vuori. Past $95, Ten Thousand and GORUCK ask you to buy less and keep it longer, and that only pays off if you wear the same thing every session.
Alphalete and Lululemon both block the tools we use to verify prices, so treat the tiers above as a guide and check the figure on the page before you buy. More lists like this one live in our articles archive.
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Written by
Spencer Lanoue
