Last year I googled the LSKD Accelerate shorts about a million times. They’re expensive, there’s no LSKD store in New York, and I wanted to see them on a real person. Were they actually that short? Were they low rise or mid rise? What was the difference between the mid-rise and the high-rise? I googled that one so many times. Yes, you can return them, but you have to know how to use the mail to do that.
So this is the post I wanted to find. How they fit, on me, with photos, and every question I had before I bought them. I now own them in 14 colors, so I have opinions.
The Accelerate links in this post are affiliate links. I earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no cost to you.
The short version
LSKD Accelerate 3” Mid-Rise Running Short. 3 inch inseam, high side split, built-in liner, one hidden back pocket, 93 percent polyester 7 percent elastane, $74, sizes XS to 3XL. I’m 5’5”, 120 pounds, a 24 waist, and I wear a small. They are the best running shorts I own and I don’t think about them once when I’m running, which is the highest compliment a short can get.
How they fit: low rise, even though the label says mid
LSKD calls these mid-rise. On me they wear low. The waistband sits on my hip bones, not on my stomach, and that’s exactly why I like them. There’s nothing touching my midsection. I really don’t like pressure on my stomach when I run, and these feel like there’s nothing there.
Some people size up on purpose to get them to sit even lower. I didn’t need to. Small is true to size for me and sits where I want it.
The high-rise version. LSKD makes an Accelerate 3” High-Rise too. It’s the same short with 5.5 cm added through the front rise, so the waistband comes up over your lower stomach. Same inseam, same fabric, same split. If you like the sports bra and high-waisted shorts look with no skin showing, that’s your version. I don’t wear it, for the stomach reason above and for the tank reason below.
How short is 3 inches
Short. Your legs are out. The side split is high so it opens up when you stride. But no, nothing is hanging out, and I say that as someone who was worried about exactly that before I bought them. The liner is a brief that stays put.
The length is the whole trick. A 3 inch short has nowhere to ride up to. It’s already where it would end up. Longer shorts catch on your thighs and creep. These don’t move. Big quads approved.
Why they feel better than more expensive shorts
The material is much lighter than the Nike shorts or the Lululemon shorts I own. It’s not thick, quality-feeling fabric. What makes them high quality is the design. They fit really, really excellently, and I don’t know what magic they’re doing, but they just work.
My second favorite short is the Nike Aeroswift, also expensive, and even those have so much material and the split isn’t quite right, so I’m pulling them out from between my legs while I run. The Accelerates never get caught between my legs. They don’t chafe. Even in the disgusting part of summer, when they’re completely soaked through with sweat, they’re not heavy.
I’ve raced a couple of New York Road Runners races in them, which I normally wouldn’t do in a flowy short. I usually race in compression. Flowy is way cuter, and I’ve had zero problems in these, so they’ve earned it.
Pockets
One hidden back pocket. It fits a key or a gel. That’s the entire pocket situation.
For me that’s fine, because I carry everything on my back. I don’t like weight on my hips, it hurts my hip flexors, so gels, phone and water all go in a Bandit crop and the shorts carry nothing. If you need shorts pockets for a phone, here’s how I carry everything without them.
Why low rise plus a tank is the move
A lot of people love the sports bra and high-rise shorts combination. I get it. I don’t do it, and it comes down to storage. A Bandit crop or tank holds 5 or 6 gels, a phone and a soft flask. The V-neck is the one. A sports bra holds nothing. So I’m always in a crop, and with a crop on, a high-rise short puts fabric on fabric across your whole middle. A low-rise short with a crop still gives you a strip of midsection, some air, and it looks better. Low rise short, pocketed crop, that’s the uniform.
Sizing, in one place
- Me: 5’5”, 120 lb, 24 waist. Small in the shorts, XS in the Bandit crops. True to size.
- LSKD’s guidance: true to size, size up if between sizes.
- If you want them lower: size up.
- Range: XS to 3XL.
- Returns: LSKD takes them, you just have to actually mail it.
The one honest caveat
The fabric is thin, and it does pill between the thighs. Mine did, and it didn’t take that many washes. Two things about that. It doesn’t change how they run at all, no chafing, no catching, and you can’t see it unless you’re looking for it. And in my case I think I sped it up myself: my hip flexors are kind of fucked up, I wear a lot of KT tape on them, and the tape edges rub the inside of the short every stride. If you’re not taped up it’ll probably take longer. Either way it’s cosmetic. I still bought pair 14.
Colors, and how I choose them
They come in a million colors. My rule was to buy the ones that match a pocketed tank I already own, because I’m never wearing a sports bra plus a tank just to get a color to work. That’s how I ended up at 14 and still don’t own the yellow ones. I don’t have a top to match them that can hold gels. I’m holding out. It’s hard.
My favorites are Scarlet, which is a little more pinky-red than dark red, and Cherry Lacquer, which is a deep red that is going to match the Burgundy iPhone 18 Pro exactly. Slay.
Also in the drawer and not photographed yet: Cherry Lacquer.
On me, from every angle
The navy and white pair, with the navy Bandit crop
The top is the navy Bandit Stamina crop, which is a fantastic basic and gets its own review. Short version: no gel pockets, so it’s a short-run top.
Should you buy them
If you want a short that disappears while you run, sits on your hips instead of your stomach, and never bunches, yes. Get a small if you’re built like me, size up if you’re between sizes or want it lower. If you want your stomach covered, get the High-Rise.
Shop the Accelerate short. Then buy it in every color, like I said.
What I wore
| Brand | Piece | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LSKD | Accelerate 3" Mid-Rise Running Short | S | 5'5", 120 lb, 24 waist. True to size for me. |
| Bandit Running | Zip crop | XS | what I pair them with, because it holds the gels |
All my measurements and every size I wear are on the sizing page.
Questions I get
Are LSKD Accelerate shorts low rise or mid rise?
LSKD calls the standard version mid-rise. On me they sit on the hip bones and wear like a low rise. There is a separate High-Rise Accelerate that adds about 2 inches in the front rise if you want the waistband up at your stomach.
What's the difference between the Accelerate mid-rise and high-rise?
Same short, same 3 inch inseam, same fabric. The high-rise adds 5.5 cm through the front so the waistband sits over your lower stomach instead of on your hips. I wear the mid-rise because I don't want anything pressing on my stomach when I run.
Do LSKD Accelerate shorts run small? Should I size up?
I'm 5'5", 120 lb, a 24 waist, and I wear a small. That's true to size for me. LSKD says to size up if you're between sizes, and some people size up on purpose because it makes the rise sit lower.
How short are the LSKD Accelerate shorts?
3 inch inseam with a high side split. They're short. Your legs are out. They're not so short that anything is hanging out, and because they're short they don't ride up or bunch between your legs, which is the whole point.
Do LSKD Accelerate shorts have pockets?
One hidden back pocket that fits a key or a gel. That's it. I carry everything on my back in a Bandit crop, so this is fine for me. I carry everything in my top, and here's how.
Where can I try LSKD Accelerate shorts on in New York?
You can't. There's no LSKD store in NYC, which is why I googled these for a year before buying them. Order two sizes and return one, or look at the photos below, that's why they're here.
