TRAINING SHOE GUIDE

Wearing the wrong shoes while you workout is a recipe for disaster and an injury waiting to happen! Here is my 101 on selecting the right training shoes and what you should be looking for in each style.

LIFTING & STRENGTH TRAINING – Straight lifting

*What you want: Stability, stability, stability.

* What to look for: Shoes that have flat, hard(er) soles.

*Styles I like: Converse Chuck Taylors and Nike Metcons. Note on the Metcons, there are different varieties of this style, get the plain METCONS, not the reacts, not the frees, not turbo or sport. Just Metcon Training shoes.

CROSS-TRAINING – Workouts like CrossFit, CrossFit Lite, Group Exercise studios where running isn’t a focal point of the program

*What you want: Agility, agility, agility.

*What to look for: Shoes that have a flexible sole, that is flatter than it is curved, for lateral movements and plyometrics.

*Styles I like: Nike Frees, Reacts, and Zooms.

Running – Including a Group Exercise workout where treadmill running is a focal point of the program like BARRY’S. If you’re on the Double Floor tho, wear a cross-training or a strength training shoe!

Your running shoe is unique, just like you. It amazes me how many people pick out a pair of running shoes blindly. It doesn’t work like that.

YOU should have a thorough understanding of what will make you most comfortable. Find a specialist in your area here who can conduct a gait analysis, which provides an overview of your integrated movement patterns. Running is a unique way of moving, and you need a shoe to cater to your individual needs. Go to Nike, a specialty running store, or even a physical therapist that does GAIT ANALYSIS (pop that into google with your zip code)

Note: I am a Nike Master Trainer, people. All of these shoes are Nike (duh) because I am educated on their product innovation and technology. That being said, footwear is way too important to risk recommending something for the sake of an endorsement. I would NOT be talking about these shoes if I didn’t personally love them, know them, wear them, and trust them.