How To Choose The Best Shoes For Your Workouts

As every runner knows, having the right shoes can make a huge difference to how you feel during and after you’ve clocked up those miles, and the same goes for what you put on your feet for a workout. The shoes you wear to train in can make or break your workout, affecting your form, stability, power, comfort, confidence and progress.

From the heel, sole and cushioning to the toe-box, material, weight and laces - here are a few things to know to help you pick the best shoes for your workouts.

Your training style

To figure out the best shoes for your training, the first thing you want to get clear on is exactly what kind of workouts you plan on doing, as different training shoes are designed with unique movement patterns in mind.

Are you following a low-impact lifting program? Or perhaps cross training is your jam, where you’ve got a mix of strength training and explosive, high-intensity movements. Are you doing movements where your feet remain mostly in one place, such as squats and deadlifts, or do you need to be agile on your feet, even moving side to side with exercises like lateral lunges?

Answering these questions will start to reveal exactly what your ideal training shoe should look like to help you move better and get the most out of every Sweat session.

The heel: Let's start from the back

Whether you’re doing bodyweight training, using moderate weights or lifting heavy, you want every rep to feel strong and stable so you can nail your form and engage the right muscles. The heel of your shoe can make a big difference to your stability and range of motion.

Take squats for example. For many people, achieving a deep squat barefoot is a challenge due to limitations in ankle mobility. By wearing a training shoe that slightly elevates your heel (you may have heard the phrase “heel-to-toe drop”), your body is supported and in prime position to achieve better squat depth. The more support your body needs with ankle flexion, the higher the heel-toe-drop you might want to go for.

The shape of the base of the heel is also important. As you push through your heels in each lift, a flat heel ensures that you can using all your pushing power without wobbling or rocking, or land a jump feeling steady and grounded. In comparison, running shoes are generally designed with a curved and more cushioned heel - ideal for encouraging the rolling heel-to-toe motion of your foot, but not so ideal for gym workouts. Some training shoes are now designed with a wider, flared heel to offer even more stability.

No matter what your fitness level is or what equipment you're using, you want the heel of your shoe to encourage better range of motion and a grounded, steady feeling when you push through the floor. If your shoe has you feeling wobbly or limited in your mobility, it can easily throw your form off or result in you using the wrong muscles to stabilise yourself.

The sole support you need

Heels aside, the entire base of your shoe is also key. Look at the sole of any running shoe and you’ll find significant cushioning and texture, whereas training and lifting shoes have a much flatter sole and less cushioning. That’s because they are designed for completely different movements. Running shoes are made for high-impact and heel-to-toe movement. Training shoes are made with stability, movement variety and support in mind.

The right sole and amount of cushioning best for you comes back to your preferred training style.

• If your workouts involve high-impact exercises such as burpees or box jumps, you’ll want a cross-training shoe that offers a bit more cushioning for support to safely land your jumps, as well as a flat but flexible sole that easily bends with your foot.

• If you’re after the best shoes for lifting weights, flexibility is less important and you may also prefer less cushioning, as too much can make it difficult to feel grounded or can even deform under the weight of regular heavy lifts.

• If you’re doing side-to-side movements such as lateral lunges, skater jumps or crab walks, a proper training shoe can help to reduce injury by offering the right support, whereas running shoes are typically made for  forward and backward movements.

Room in the front

The main thing with the toe area of your training shoes is to make sure your toes have some wiggle room. Given the importance of stability when strength training, you obviously don’t want your foot sliding around in your shoe, but your toes naturally move and spread out as you grip, find your balance and drive into the ground with each rep. If your shoes are too tight around the toe area and the natural movements of your feet are restricted, it can make working out quite uncomfortable or leave you with blisters.

Material matters

Three words - durable, flexible, breathable. The best training shoe for your workouts should ideally tick all three boxes and some are now specifically designed for training styles that lend themselves to more wear and tear (rope-climbers, we're looking at you).

If you’re trying on shoes in a store, don’t feel embarrassed to test out some of your typical workout movements or ask for recommendations best-suited to your workouts. Check that the material allows your foot to move, flex and breathe comfortably (no one wants sweaty, blistered feet), and that it will last the distance.

Weigh it up

For the plyometrics-lovers who are getting plenty of airtime with squat jumps and broad jumps (you’ll love our OG Kayla program), feeling light on your feet is a must. If the weights section of the gym is your happy place and you’re following a low-impact lifting program like Kelsey Wells’ PWR Strength, the overall weight of your training shoe may be less of an issue.

Lace up or strap in

While this is generally at the bottom of the list of things to consider, how much snug lockdown you have over the top of your foot can be the deciding factor between a shoe you love and a shoe you hate. There are plenty of training shoes available with laces, straps or a combination of both. If you are going to try a shoe with a strap, we recommend always trying them on first or making sure you can return them, as they can sometimes create an uncomfortable feeling of pressure over the top of your foot.

It’s time to shoe us what you’ve got

Just like a good sports bra, getting the right pair of workout shoes can be a gamechanger. With the right amount of support, stability, and flexibility, a great shoe can take your fitness routine to another level, no matter how you prefer to train.