Why its important to use the right shoes for fitness

Well, most people just go out and buy a general trainer to exercise in or buy one for its aesthetic appearance rather than functionality. I decided to give a little insight to what shoes best suit the type of exercise training you do in your every day life.

There are many brands and styles of trainers out there on the market but that doesn’t alway help when it comes to choosing one, options can sometimes have a negative effect on your choice.

The way I break down what shoes I choose, is by thinking about the style/type of training I am going to be doing.
i.e running, functional training, general weights training, sporting activities (sports).

Generally, this helps making decisions as there is a different level of comfort & support you need for different movements along side durability and general functional purpose.

Take Nike’s Nike Metcon trainer and Reeboks Crossfit nano, these are both shoes I wear for functional training which consists of all different types of exercises such as strength conditioning body weight plyometric and many more. So for this type of training you generally want a firmer/ flatter heal with good ankle support for movements such as squatting, deadlifts overhead press, all movements that need a solid base from the ground with minimal movement through the sole of the shoe.

They also add good mobility to be able to run and also do plyometric jumping movements and body wight exercises, in saying this I generally wouldn’t use them as a sole running shoe, you can run in them but mostly in short bursts were it could be used in a tabata/circuit style workout that changes through various movements.

A good running shoe that I would wear to go for a long run would definitely be shoes such as Nike's new epic react flyknit, Nike air vapormax flyknit, under armour’s Speed form europa runner and also Asic’s Gel kayano 24’s and nimbus 20’s. All of which have great reviews regarding running.

They have a great design that enables the foot to move in a correct

running pattern and provides support and comfort that is needed for long runs.
These shoes generally have a lot more cushion through the heal which is why I generally use them for more plyometric jumping and running exercises.

A good all-around shoe that you could get away with doing both functional training and also running would be a shoe like Under armour’s new Hovr or even the Asic gel nimbus 20’s. Both these shoes are a good foundation in my opinion to get away with all styles of training.

If you are suffering from pain during or post exercising, it could be that you are not wearing the right shoes. I strongly recommend seeking professional advice from a podiatrist, physiotherapist, or even your local GP.

*disclosure: the above is general guide, opinion and recommendation only – it is advisable to seek out further information from a GP or physician if you have any medical/health conditions or concerns that could affect consuming these supplements.

By- Nicholas Katsidis