Many of our clients ask about the types of gear or equipment that can help them succeed, and we often get asked..."what shoes should I wear?"
So much goes into making a shoe appropriate for different activities, but in general you want shoes that can let you do most things well.
Sole stiffness - shoes that are super stiff are very good for weightlifting, such as an "olympic lifting shoe", which tends to have an elevated heel and a hard platform-like shoe base that allows for better weightlifting balance. If you are a fiend for olympic weightlifting and powerlifting, and want to maximize your ability to snatch and clean and jerk during strength work, then you may want to look into a dedicated olympic weightlifting shoe. These are poor (and downright painful) for running. Shoes that work well for this might be reebok legacy lifters, adidas powerlift, or nike romaleos. These are for the most hardcore of you who are deeply into weightlifting with us!
Flexible shoes tend to be much better for running as they will flex and provide support for you foot over repeated impact. Some popular brands for running shoes are Hoka, Brooke, Altra, Solomon, etc. There's a whole rabbit hole of running shoes but honestly, we highly recommend avoiding shoes like Hokas, or just shoes with massive cushioning in general for resistance training like we do in the gym. Cushion and padded support has its place, but in functional training you want a shoe that has some stiffness to allow for immediate feedback.
A good flexible, but versatile weightlifting shoe example are Nike metcons, Reebok nanos, or Rad One's. These shoes are okay for short distance running or agility work and also provide fantastic heel support for weightlifting. NoBull also makes some good cross trainers that many of our coaches wear!
The following article lists a bunch of different options for varying points of interest: https://barbend.com/best-weightlifting-shoes/
The main thing you want to think about is whether you want multiple pairs of shoes for different specialties, or if you want a good shoe that will do lots of things. Metcons, nanos, and NoBulls are very common cross trainers.
We are also very partial to minimalist shoes that are zero drop (no "slope" from toe to heel) and wide toe box. This type of shoe allows you to be a little more reactive on the floor, and since you are so much closer to the ground (less material), you have a little more athletic awareness. Plus, wide toe box shoes are just generally good for your feet. One huge downfall of most shoes nowadays is the too-narrow toe box. As a result, people get bunions, reduced ability to flex their toes, etc. I personally wear things like Xero shoes (I wear these every day on the floor) or VivoBarefoots, or even Merrell Vapor Gloves (a previous favorite of mine). Using these in the gym can be beneficial for lots of folks! One major item to consider with minimalist shoes regarding long term use: They can easily cause foot and ankle pain if you are not used to them. If you decide to dive into the world of zero-drop/wide toe box shoes, you must also be prepared to wean off of a padded shoe, which can realistically take months.
Feel free to bring this up to your trainer next time you are in so they can walk you through this!
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