Sneakers! I love sneakers, although I bet you knew that if you’ve been with me for a bit. The best workout day is the first day sneakers come out of the box. Don’t believe me? Watch this.  But finding the elusive pair that will properly support your feet (and by extension, your spine) for the type of workouts you are engaged in can seem daunting. I’m here to tell (and show!) you that it doesn’t have to be.

I’ve talked about the important role our arches have in supporting our feet (and by extension the rest of our bodies) and how gait pattern can influence the type of shoe we should buy. Today, I am going to talk about picking the right type of shoe for your workouts.

What you do when you move should also influence the type of sneaker you are choosing. There is basically a shoe for every single need. But unless you are involved in a very particular sport or training at super high intensity or volume, basic shoes will get you where you need to go. You just need to know the direction you are moving.

Walking and running shoes are designed for, well, walking and running. But really, any activity that involves only forward motion will be supported by these types of shoes. These types of shoes are built to support your arches from heel plant to toe off when your body is moving forward. Meaning, if you ride a bike recreationally or spend a lot of time on a cardio machine, these types of shoes will serve your arches just fine. These shoes are also built with a bit of extra cushion (usually gel or air) to help absorb impact, but more on that later.

Training shoes, or cross training shoes as they used to be called, are shoes that are designed to be worn for many different types of exercise. Or for activity that involves lots of different motion. The structure built into these types of shoes will not only support your arches during forward motion, like a running shoe, but these shoes also contain support structures for lateral (or side to side) motions. That makes these shoes ideal for an exerciser who does a bit of cardio and well as strength trains, someone who plays rec sports, or someone who loves their group classes. These are also good for high intensity activities.

What if your activity of choice is usually strength training? Well, there are specific shoes out there built just for that. These shoes tend to have a flatter, harder sole (unlike our cushiony running shoes). This allows your arch to act like you aren’t wearing shoes. Your foot will be able to deform and disperse extra weight more effectively. This has led to the proliferation of Converse Chucks in the gym or straight up doing squats barefoot.

A couple of things, though. Being barefoot where there are heavy things being lifted up high is never a good idea. Period. And while the Chucks will solve that particular problem, there are other issues. First, your overall form is much more important than the shoes. If your form is terrible, shoes aren’t going to fix it, you have to relearn it. Second, if you have movement pattern issues, shoes won’t fix that either. They might be able to help, but again, you have to relearn. Third, if you are at the point with squats and deadlifts that you are looking to buy specific shoes, then splurge for actual weight lifting shoes. Many of these have a drop from heel to toe that helps keep your spine aligned. Otherwise, a good pair of cross trainers will suit your needs.

So, how do you know if the shoe you are holding is a running shoe or a training shoe? Well, in some instances it’s obvious. Like if you ordered your shoes online. Somewhere on the website (or, let’s be real, Amazon) it probably mentioned what type of shoe you were buying. And sport specific shoes (like basketball sneakers or soccer cleats) are usually pretty easy to tell apart from standard shoes.

But what if you are standing in front of the wall of shoes in your nearest sporting goods store just staring? Lucky for you, friend, I have a handy hack that will help you find the right shoe for your exercise needs!

Until next time, be well friends!

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