Gym Shoes

Martín Lozano brings a wealth of experience in fitness journalism…

Types Of Gym Shoes & How To Choose?

When creating your gym kit, you need one thing to be perfectly fit with on compromise—shoes. Gym shoes come in different varieties, depending on the activity you perform the most during the workout. You have all-rounder cross trainers, cross-trainers with cushioning and grip, running shoes, weightlifting shoes, and more. If you’re unsure about how to choose the right gym shoes for you, go by your move.

1. Mixed Workouts

If you plan on doing a bit of everything during your work, which means a good mix of HIIT, weightlifting, strength, and cardio, you need an all-rounder cross-trainer. These shoes must also have shock absorption properties to avoid injuries. Whichever brand you use, make sure these are non-marking shoes, if you don’t want to leave marks indoors.

2. Mostly HIIT

For fitness enthusiasts who focus more on HIIT workouts, shoes need to be stable, agile, and above all, shock-absorbing. Therefore, you need cross trainers with features including cushioning for shock absorption, lateral support for stability, and flexible forefoot. Being lightweight is also a desirable property for shoes for HIIT workouts.

3. HIIT+Weight Lifting

If you add weights to your HIIT training, you need hybrid shoes with firmer heels for lifting weights and shock absorption cushioning for HIIT. Such shoes give you enough flexibility to perform-fast paced drills and exercise without injuring your ankle. Furthermore, the stable heel allows for a fruitful weightlifting practice with little strain. These properties make hybrid shoes a perfect choice for Crossfit workouts, as well.

4. Weight Lifting & Strength

Weightlifting shoes are the need of the hour for those in love with lifting weights and strength training. When lifting weights, you need stability and grip, especially if you prefer doing it with shoes on. Therefore, you should look for the following features in your weightlifting shoes:

High-density raised heels
Soles that are dense, hard, and non-compressive
Supportive uppers
Wide forefoot

It’s worthy to note here that weightlifting shoes don’t offer agility and shock absorption, which means they cannot be used for other gym activities.

5. Treadmill

Runners need specific running shoes. However, the exact type can depend on the gait and the body’s natural way to absorb shock (pronation). As such, figure out if you are an under pronator, neutral runner, or overpronator—it will help you choose the right cushioning to avoid injuries. That said, if you are not a serious runner, your cross trainers are more than enough.