Are Ankle Socks or Crew Socks Better for Your Workouts?

I’M A GENERATIONAL turncoat—from the ankle up, at least.

While I’m squarely a Millennial (born in 1990), I’ve found myself on the other side of the latest intergenerational social media spat, siding with Gen Z. The subject: Sock length. I prefer a crew (or half-calf), ideally with light padding in the heel and a snug fit. My compatriots of the early internet age would rather wear ankle socks, which can leave the impression that there’s nothing on under their shoes at all. This growing sartorial rift has been the talk of TikTok (and, as these things go, the fodder for trend pieces documenting whatever’s percolating on the platform).

This conflict is very silly, as anyone who doesn’t spend most of their time online can tell you. Style trends come and go, and while demographics sometimes stick together to reinforce certain dressing choices as integral characteristics of an in-group, your choice of sock length does not signal anything about you as a person. There’s nothing inherent about either group revealed by the amount of fabric on their feet.

I can think of one possible exception to the sock choice dilemma: Performance. My preference for crew socks has more bearing on what I use them to do, especially when I’m exercising, than how they look. I feel that I move better with some extra material for reinforcement and comfort; I’ve had too many heel blowouts on runs and have worn too many high-cut shoes while lifting weights, playing basketball, and doing other sports to trust a low-cut sock to be the best choice for me.

The Types of Training Socks for Workouts

“There are typically four types of socks at athletes can use,” says Dr. Mark Mendeszoon, a board-certified podiatrist and foot and ankle surgeon. These types are no-show, ankle, crew, and compression socks.

No-Show Socks

No-show socks are cut low enough to be hidden by the wearer’s shoes. “If one wears these type of socks, they have to be careful from the elastic band which can cause a pseudo-tourniquet effect,” Mendeszoon says. “This can affect blood flow and thus cause swelling in the feet or above the sock line in the ankles.”

Ankle Socks

Ankle socks go just above the anklebones. Runners and athletes (and Millennials) choose them, says Mendeszoon, since they are fairly lightweight and non-restrictive.

Crew Socks

Crew socks go just above the ankle bones to below the calf muscle. Mendeszoon notes they provide better coverage of the bones and tissue of the ankle, especially when utilized in sports where there may be contact or collisions.

Compression Socks

Compression socks are made of materials that can apply different gradients of pressure, which are helpful for blood return and reducing swelling according to Mendeszoon.

“Wear compression socks, even with weightlifting,” he says. “If you think about weightlifting when we are exhaling and inhaling, you can increase the pressure and the vessels push blood down. If you do that on a routine basis, as you get older, the veins get weaker and swelling can ensue and long-term changes in your veins and spider veins can occur.”

Mendeszoon says he was an ankle sock guy, but due to a history of vein procedures and “significant Venus reflux,” he’s now in compression socks, 24/7. “Yes, I look like a dork,” he admits.

Picking between these four types is a bit more complicated than the simple crew vs. ankle length debate, but ultimately, the choice still largely seems to be up to vibes. “I think that style and fashion dictates a lot of peoples’ choices,” Mendeszoon says.

But what about everyone else? I took a deep dive into the sock drawer and spoke to coaches, athletes, and trainers to find out which socks they depend on for their workouts. For our purposes, we’re lumping no-show and and ankle socks into one category, since most people don’t differentiate between the two.

Spoiler: The winner of the debate between ankle and crew lengths, ultimately, comes down to personal comfort and preference. With few exceptions, the best length of sock for you will be the one you feel best wearing.

Running

Runners can be especially finicky about what’s on their feet, no matter their generational allegiance. I prefer to run with higher cut socks, especially after developing blisters and struggling with slippage with low cut pairs and shoes that are tight in the heel. But preference here is just as important as performance.

Jes Woods, a Nike Run coach, says that she prefers ankle socks—at least when she’s running on a clear path. “I wear ankle socks on road and crew socks on trail,” she says, admitting that she’s more concerned about aesthetics and how the higher cut looks on her legs. But the moment she goes off road, Woods says she swaps her no-shows for more coverage. “When it comes to trail, it’s function over fashion. No dirt and sand and debris creeping their way into your socks.”

Socks haven’t always been so important for runners; in years past, especially with low-profile racing flats and spikes for the track, they skipped out on socks entirely. “I used to wear no socks with my road racing shoes,” Woods says. But the current style of plush, cushioned road racers requires some extra coverage, so going barefoot is no longer en vogue. Not wearing socks can also put you at higher risk for fungal infections and skin infections and blisters, adds Mendeszoon.

Woods is aware that she is ultimately choosing based on her style preferences, rather than prioritizing performance. “Gen Z will never get me to wear crew socks on the regular,” she admits. “I already gave up skinny jeans and a side part, but they will never take my ankle socks.”

Strength Workouts

Your weight room workouts might be slightly less demanding on your sock and shoe combon than the running track, but the trainers I spoke to still pointed to personal preferences as being important. Men’s Health Advisory Board member and trainer David Otey, C.S.C.S., isn’t so concerned about what’s on his clients’ feet as much as the way they feel. “I don’t think it matters much,” he says. “I think you wear whatever you feel most comfortable in, but I’ve always been an ankle sock guy.”

There are exceptions, however. You always want to make sure your weight room socks are the right match to your footwear of choice—especially if you’re treating your shoes as tools for your training. “My sock preference revolves around my shoes,” says Jake Boly, C.S.C.S., founder of That Fit Friend and trainer. “If I’m wearing barefoot shoes, then I’ll opt for lightweight, breathable, no-show socks. This helps with ventilation and it hides the socks when wearing this low-profile style of footwear. A wide toe box sock is bonus points if you can find them!”

What types of exercises you have planned can also dictate which type of sock will be your best option. “I wear crew socks if I’m barbell deadlifting,” says Men’s Health fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. The reason: When you’re using proper form, you’ll raise the barbell up as close to yourself as possible, causing some lifters to scrape the bar along their shins. Longer-cut socks can help to prevent you from cutting a bloody path up your legs.

Your chosen style of training matters, too. “If I’m doing a CrossFit WOD where I’ll be rope climbing or potentially hitting my shins on boxes, then I’ll wear longer socks,” adds Boly.

Group Training

Group training workouts are slightly different than more traditional weight training. You might wind up progressing through stations on a treadmill, lifting free weights, and even light plyometrics (and the dreaded burpee). This demo might have slightly different preferences for how they look, too, since there’s a built-in social component to the group setting where looking the part can be important for fitting in.

“While I personally am a crew sock fan, I think it’s important that everyone chooses the option that makes them feel the most comfortable,” says Kate Potz, ISSA CPT, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor based in NYC. “For me, crew socks tend to stay in place throughout a variety of different dynamic movements, whereas ankle socks sometimes slip around. Plus, crew socks make my outfit feel complete and I’m more likely to crush my workout when I’m feeling cute.”

Potz, it should be noted, is the youngest coach I spoke to at 23—squarely in Gen Z.

Triathlon/Cycling

Triathletes have different needs than other types of athletes, since they’re depending on more specialized gear and switching between events on the fly, shifting from swimming to biking to running.

“I come from a triathlon background, where some people don’t wear socks at all for the bike,” says MH Health Director Marty Munson, a certified triathlon coach. “So for triathlon, I prefer low-profile socks for the vain reason that they just look better against my substantial legs.”

That preference doesn’t always persist from competition to training, either. Cyclists often opt for taller socks; the current school of thought holds that long socks can make the legs more aerodynamic. The UCI, the world governing body of sports cycling, issued regulations on sock length in May 2020: “socks used in competition may not rise above the height defined by half the distance between the middle of the lateral malleolus and the middle of the fibula head.” By these guidelines, cyclists socks can’t be higher than the half of your lower leg—essentially making crew the length of choice.

“For cycling-only days, I cave to the trend and go longish; just below the calf,” Munson says of her own preference. “Why not look pro?”