How to Select Footwear for Fitness
Footwear for Fitness
When it comes to exercise, wearing the correct footwear is vital – your feet are your contact with the ground, so it needs to be solid!
Wearing the same footwear for all of your exercising is not a great idea as different activities will place a variety of demands on the feet and will often be on varying surfaces.
Here is a run-through of the footwear I wear and use on a regular basis, with a brief explanation of each and why I like them…
I wear these for general gym use, as I find them light weight, comfortable, supportive and they give me a great feel for the floor when squatting and deadlifting, without having to go barefoot in a public gym! Footwear in the gym is important – you never know what you’ll be standing in on a floor used by thousands of people per day!
When it comes to the fitting of these shoes, my best advice is to go and try them on. You want them to be fairly snug as minimalist shoes are designed with a glove-like fitting for toes.
Whilst these shoes are great for gym use, I certainly wouldn’t advise running in them. The shoes alter your gait when running – some argue for the best, but I think the change is too dramatic and immediate to use them as your primary running footwear.
I love these shoes – they fit perfectly into the gap between hiking boots and trainers. They are ideal for times when you’ll be walking a long distance or on rough terrain, but don’t require a huge amount of ankle support. I used them recently to climb Mount Snowdon and was so impressed with their support and grip despite being so light weight. They are the perfect hybrid walking footwear option.
Fitting wise, bear in mind these shoes are for walking so will often be paired with thicker socks or multiple layers, so a shoe needs be selected whilst wearing the socks you’d be wearing whilst using the shoes.
They aren’t as light as a standard training shoe, so are limited to walking/hiking if I’m being realistic but nonetheless they provide far better grip and support than trainers so certainly worth having if walking and hiking are part of your exercise regime.
Adidas Mens Response Cushion 22
These are the trainers I wear when I’m performing something such as hight intensity interval training (HIIT) or something that involves a lot of high impact, multi-directional movement. It’s a shoe that is able to deal with a variety of demands but remains comfortable and supportive throughout.
My old trusty Adidas Response Cushion 22’s….
I’ve used these shoes to play sport, take part in exercise classes and comfortable for long days whilst I’m working in the gym as a personal trainer. I’m on my second pair and think they are great – comfortable and supportive enough to wear all day without any comfort. (What a great job eh? Footwear for work includes trainers!)
Tips for selecting the correct footwear…
- Remember it’s about function, not fashion. Pick the shoes that are most suitable and comfortable, not necessarily the shoes you most like the look of.
- Try them on. The correct fit is essential, so give them a thorough testing before you buy.
- Replace them as soon as you need to – if shoes have lost their support or grip in the sole, replace them immediately.
- Keep your shoes clean – apart from the smelly feet issue, dirty shoes are likely to wear out quicker than shoes that are looked after!
What kind of footwear do you guys wear for fitness? Leave me a message below!
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