From training to running: How to pick the right shoes for your workout
From training to running: How to pick the right shoes for your workout
Our in-house exercise scientist, Brooke MacDonald, shares her faves!
By Team Stylerunner • 3 years ago • SHOP, HEALTH & FITNESS, SNEAKERS, STYLE
Remember Goldilocks? That kooky fictional blonde girl with a penchant for inviting herself into a house belonging to a family of three bears while they weren’t home? Testing all their beds and porridges until she found the ones with a feel that was “just right”? Well, breaking, entering and bad manners aside – Goldilocks was onto something. Her philosophy of making sure things felt “just right” when overwhelmed by choice is surprisingly applicable when it comes to workout shoes.
In the world of workout shoes, there is a lot of choice. There are trainers for running (and then types of running!), gym (types of gym!) and everywhere in between (helloooo circuits!). Shoe construction and technologies vary from style to style, all claiming to provide the ideal fit and experience according to your training needs. The trouble with that? Deciphering it all! Luckily for us, our very own in-house exercise scientist, Brooke MacDonald, has broken it down and picked her fave workout shoes so you’re sure to find one that is, “just right”:
THE WORKOUT: Weight training, CrossFit & gym circuits
THE SHOE: Nike Metcon 3 in Black and White
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Why are these shoes good for training?
These shoes have been specifically designed for weight lifting and gym workouts. Think things like dead-lifts and squats, all the way to CrossFit. Nike has made these shoes on a flat heel-to-toe pitch, meaning the shoes sit really flat, allowing you to work through a full range of motion through your hips, knees and ankles during lifts.
They also have a very sturdy rubber heel counter that wraps around the back of the foot, increasing stability during movement. This is a huge help when it comes to our knees, as it keeps everything from the feet and ankles straight and stable so that the pressure through the knee is minimised (phew!).
How does this directly assist us with the exercise?
All these features help improve explosiveness through our heavy lifts. In addition to providing both lateral and medial support around the foot for static movements, the shoes’ soles are lined with sticky rubber and flex grooves through the forefoot, which makes them perfect for sprints, box jumps and skipping! The main reason these shoes are classed as training is because they are quite stiff but also do not provide the same cushioning and shock absorbing features that you would find in a running shoe.
Is it ok to run in these?
I would not recommend doing a high volume of running in a training shoe. When we land during running, the amount of force going through our feet can be almost three times our body weight! This means it is imperative to have some form of cushioning under our feet, especially for those runs on concrete or tough surfaces!
THE WORKOUT: Running & sprinting
THE SHOES: adidas Ultra Boost & adidas Pure Boost Xpose shoes
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Why are these shoes good for running?
If you want to feel like you are running on clouds – these are it! When you slip these shoes on, your feet instantly smile. This is all because of the technology that adidas has created called, ‘Boost’. Both of these shoes have been designed specifically for running, thanks to their full-length Boost soles. Adidas have blown up TPU (a plastic material) into thousands of small energy capsules, and then used these capsules to store and unleash energy more efficiently in every stride.
How does this directly assist us with the exercise?
With the day and age we that live in, we are constantly doing our runs on very hard surfaces, so we need all the cushioning we can get to support the joints, not only in our feet, but in our knees and hips as well. Especially great for females, the shoes in the Boost range have a wraparound sock-like construction through the mid-foot, which also provides support through the floating arch while allowing it to flex naturally during landing and take-off.
Is it ok to do weights in these?
Running shoes like these Boosts are designed to provide maximum cushioning and do majority of this under the heel. This means they are on a heightened heel pitch, which can cause issues during a circuit or weight lifting style workout. Running shoes can create an unstable platform for the foot to work off of, especially if you are performing agility moves and working from side to side quickly, or need a stable base for heavy lifts.
Main image: Agent Athletica
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inspirationexercisetrainersexpert advicetrainerpersonal traineractivewearrunningtrainingstylerunnerworkoutfitnessgymkicksadidasnikehealthSneakersStyle
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