Let’s start out with shoes designed for jogging/running. I will not get into specific brands of shoes here, but TYPES of shoes. For jogging or running on a treadmill both indoor and running or jogging outdoors, I would recommend a high quality running shoe. This type of shoe should be worn if you plan on running long distances.
Now, if you are planning on hiking for cardio over long distances not on smooth surfaces such as on trails, it would be wise to invest in a boot or trail shoe that offers more ankle support. As a police officer I always wore an 8 inch high boot for maximum ankle support as I never knew what terrain I would encounter, but for most trails for the average hiker a 6 inch boot would probably be fine.
Now, let’s talk about the “average” lifter in the gym. This to me is just someone that wants general fitness, and probably comprises the vast majority of gym goers in gyms across the world. In general, these gym goers may do some shorter treadmill or bike work for cardio and weights for general fitness. For these athletes, I would recommend a good cross training shoe. A cross trainer gives some support for lifting and still has enough cushion for cardio fitness such as jogging or jumping.
So far, we have discussed a group of lifters that may only use one type of shoe while training on a particular day. For those that are lifting heavier, and with more specialized exercises such as heavy deadlifts, it may be necessary to have more than one shoe available for different exercises throughout a workout.
For heavy deadlifts, it is important to have as flat as a heel on a shoe as possible while still providing support. In this lift, a half inch in heel height can mean the difference from setting a personal record or missing it. Back when I lifted my heaviest, specific lifting shoes were kind of in their infancy, so I would do the deadlift in a pair of wrestling shoes. Now, however there are many different brands of shoes specifically designed for individual lifts that offer more support.
My point is this. Do NOT overlook the importance of selecting a good shoe to wear based upon the specific type of training you plan on doing on a particular day. If you are working arms on one day and do not plan on doing an advanced lift such as deadlifts, you may get by with simply working out in a pair of cross trainers. However, if a back day comes into your training split where you are doing heavy deadlifts you should probably bring a pair of shoes to change into that are specific to that lift.I could go on and on when it comes to different shoes, but I am sure you get my point here. Once again, if you are looking to get the best out of your time in the gym, don’t fail to consider the importance of proper footware. Thanks for checking out Garan Fitness Consulting, and keep training hard!
Scott
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