🔥WORKOUT SHOES

💥 Choosing the right workout shoes for resistance training can have an impact on training outcomes and performance over time. When it comes to considering what shoes you should wear to the gym it comes down to what activity you’re doing. Cardio obviously some sort of running shoe or minimalist shoe if you prefer. Upper body doesn’t really matter as long as it’s gym appropriate. Where you’ll have to choose most likely is on your leg day. This is when the right shoe can potentially help you perform better or worse.

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✅There are 3 things to look for when choosing a shoe for weightlifting (IMO) the sole height, sole rigidity and the sole incline. Sole height will dictate the center of gravity of the sole and how stable it feels, thicker soles less stable greater possibility of tipping. Sole rigidity how much cushion does your foot need to compress before transferring energy to the ground. Lastly the shoes incline; how much extra ankle ROM does the shoe allow for.
A stiffer shoe will generally be better for leg exercise as it should allow a better transfer of energy to the ground. This is actually is slightly contradicted as studies have shown more deviation in center of pressure (COP) compared to running shoes (Whitting J et al 2016). However the author discuss that the lifters felt more stable in the stiffer shoes, which allowed them to shift pressure more to control the weight in their base of support.

Performing leg exercise in more cushioned shoes may actually constrain natural adjustments of the center of gravity for a more stable squat. Meaning it may not be best to squat in your running shoes, as well as you may ruin your cushioning. Weightlifting shoes are great but their use is limited and can be annoying to carry more than one pair of shoes read the previous post for benefits of squat shoes.
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💪🏻 Converse/vans are a great because of the ridged flat soles; one down side I see with converse is the thick sole which can make them feel slightly unstable. Cross fit style shoes are a great as they combine many aspects of a versatile shoe (ridged & thin sole) and can be used for other days. What shoes do you wear?