Shoes: Your most important workout equipment?
As I stashed my gym shoes in my bag this morning and pulled on my boots to head out to the car, the importance of footwear at the gym bubbled up in my mind. Since I’m planning on a boot camp style workout today that mixes weights and cardio, I chose to bring along a pair of flat-soled shoes versus the pair I use for running. Having the right shoe for your workout does make a difference. Depending on the type of workout you’ll tackle, you want to pick a shoe that will provide adequate stabilization and support. Running shoes should fit your foot and running style, not your workout wardrobe. Pull out your favorite running shoes and check out the soles and heels. Notice how your shoe wears to get an idea of how you run - straight or pronate. Check out, too, your arch type and consider injuries that are a result of past running. All of these factors will help you determine the type of support you need from a running shoe so you can make an informed purchase decision. Some specialty stores, like Running Fit, will also help you determine the best shoe for your foot and running style.
You can spend serious cash on weightlifting shoes, but really, any solid, flat-soled shoe will work. These flat-soled shoes can also double for kettlebell workouts. Converse Chuck Taylors are proof that weightlifting shoes don’t have to be expensive - I love these versatile, solid shoes for lifting weights and kettlebell work! Unlike running or cross training shoes that are specifically designed to help you hit the ball of your foot, Chuck Taylors are flat, helping to keep your body weight evenly distributed across the foot and giving you power to drive weight from your heels. Cycling shoes for spinning and group cycling class fans are a luxury, not a true necessity, although there’s no denying that, as with many activities, having the right shoe can improve your workout experience. Cycling shoes that allow you to clip into a bike pedal maximize the effectiveness of each push and pull of the bike pedal. Cycling shoes also make for a more fluid revolution of the pedal as you sprint, climb and jump throughout your workout. Depending on the type and intensity of your cross-training workouts, your flat soled weightlifting shoes or your running shoes can be worn and provide adequate stability. Just take into consideration the type of activity you’ll be doing in your workout and choose the shoe that best fits your cross-training workout that day. Recently, going barefooted during workouts has gotten a lot of buzz. For weightlifting and kettlebells, I’d argue that no shoes are better than running shoes. For running, I’d recommend, despite the hype, you’re better off wearing a pair of supportive shoes. One small pebble or piece of glass can cause an injury to your foot that will sideline your runs. Melissa Gerharter MS, RD is co-owner of Joust Strength and Fitness of Ann Arbor, joustfitness.com. She is also a personal trainer and an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University. She can be reached at Melissa@joustfitness.com
Comments
Mitch Ganian
Mon, Feb 15, 2010 : 1:26 p.m.
Vibram Five Fingers are also at Fourth Ave Birkenstock in downtown Ann Arbor. They are really cool.
Melissa Gerharter MS, RD
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 2:03 p.m.
wolervine3660, as long as the basketball shoes are flat they should be just fine! But yes, I was referring to the shoes that weightlifters use.
Blklight
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 10:13 a.m.
I used to run without shoes all the time...it feels good on your feet especially on hot pavement
AJ
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 9:33 a.m.
Vibram Five Fingers are the only shoes you need to run, walk, weight train, etc. They strengthen you feet, improve balance, and reduce injury. They are available at Bivouac on state street.
Wolverine3660
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 9:28 a.m.
Melissa- when you talk about "weight-lifting shoes", are you talking about the kind of shoes that Olympic Weightlifters wear when they do their competition lifts? I work out in regular basketball shoes. Is that appropriate?
Guinea Pig in a Tophat
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 8:29 a.m.
Regarding running shoes - I've been a minimalist runner since last summer and I'm loving it. My painful knee injury that had been around for a year finally went away after I made the switch! Right now I'm running in cheap $30 shoes with the soles torn out, but once it gets warmer I'm going to switch back over to the Vibram FiveFingers. Running without any support was scary for me after all my cushy stability shoes, but my knee injury going away (something physical therapy could not fix, and they told me to stop running so much) and my speed increasing was worth it! I agree with Melissa on the peddles and glass causing injury. The argument for barefoot running is that you need to look where you're running so you don't land on those bits. I've landed on an acorn when not paying attention and it hurt like the dickens. I do wear a thin sole to protect against the glass and other dangerous pieces. Also, you don't need perfect biomechanics. My mine far from perfect (I overpronate horribly), but it was only after I stopped using shoes that tried to correct this problem that the awful knee pain went away. The current cover of Nature has an article on barefoot running, and there's lots of other good information out there - Author of the Nature paper on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE His Website: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/ Site on Vibram FiveFingers: http://birthdayshoes.com/ So, if you're feeling sassy and wanting to give it a try, go for it! It will make you happy, and squishing through the mud will make you feel like a kid again.
Jenn Cornell
Fri, Feb 5, 2010 : 8:28 a.m.
@snapshot, what do you define as "average" in terms of working out? If you're just doing a circuit and using weight machines, you're probably fine with average shoes. For safety and proper form, though, anything that involves free weights should be done with proper footwear. And believe me, running in proper shoes can prevent a world of injuries down the road. @d, versus barefoot, have you considered Vibram 5's? Same feeling without the risk of impaling yourself on a sharp rock or piece of glass. I'm an RKC kettlebell coach & Vibram's are pretty popular for those of us who love kettlebells & want to be true to its barefoot approach, but not necessarily workout in naked feet.
snapshot
Thu, Feb 4, 2010 : 11:08 p.m.
I can understand that shoes can make a difference in performance but just how much of a difference do they make for the average workout?