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Are You Wearing the Correct Shoes?

To get the best out of our workout, it’s super important that we equip ourselves with the correct attire – mainly the proper footwear. Wearing the correct shoes can make a massive difference to the quality of the workout and the way our body copes with the stress we put on it during exercise. 

If you’re focusing on a particular sport, that’s another kettle of fish. Different sports require different shoes to achieve – that’s correct – different outcomes. 

This blog will look at the best kind of trainer for home workouts and options for those moments of outdoor venture.

Yoga & Pilates

If you’re completing a Yoga or Pilates class, it’s more than likely that you won’t require footwear. Or at most, you’ll don a pair of socks – but even that isn’t necessary. It’s essential to feel the floor with your bare feet during this kind of exercise. It helps you ground your movement and build good stability and strength through the legs, ankles and feet. 

If you have a good quality exercise/yoga mat, that will help to create some friction that’s sometimes required between your feet and the floor.

HIIT & Weights Workouts

Cross Training shoes tend to be the best style of shoe when it comes to general gym training and workouts such as HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) and weight lifting. If you partake in various training styles and prefer to keep only one pair of trainers on the go, these are the ones for you. 

These shoes should have a sturdy feel, with good quality cushioning in the soles for shock absorbance on different surfaces, making them a good all-rounder. They need to fit well to avoid the foot moving around inside, causing chafing. 

Aerobics and cardio workouts 

If you’re working out at home, there’s no reason you can’t exercise on bare feet; however, when you’re putting your body through high-impact movements, wearing trainers can help prevent injury and create relief for your joints. Cross-training shoes are suitable for home cardio workouts, but if you’re looking for something more specific that can cross over to outdoor running, too, then you may want to consider a different pair.

A lightweight, durable trainer is ideal for cardio-based workouts. Be sure that there is sufficient support and cushioning on the bottom of the shoe to help soften impact through the joints with every jump and aerobic move you perform. Ask yourself what surface you are exercising on. If you’re doing your class outdoors, on the patio, for example, you may want to consider shoes with more shock absorption, which are built for harder ground.

If you’re wearing the same trainers for walking or jogging on pavement, it can be beneficial to analyse your stride correctly. There are plenty of expert trainer fitters around if you search for a retailer that offers this service. They use video technology to assess how your foot hits the ground and how much your feet pronate (when the foot rolls inward as you walk or run), and this can be very useful when deciding on the right footwear for you. 

Cross country running

If you’re a keen outdoor enthusiast and enjoy trekking the countryside or running in the hills, you’ll definitely want to consider a shoe that can conquer a variety of terrains. Whether walking or running, a deep tread is always a good idea, and waterproof, robust material gives solid support on uneven surfaces. This type of shoe doesn’t tend to be suitable for pavements, though, as they’re too hard on the sole of your foot when it strikes the ground, so best keep them for trail running only. 

Dance Workouts 

For anything dance-related, you can opt for trainers or bare feet. However, if the sequence includes HIIT style movements, you may feel more supported and comfortable in trainers; in this case, we would opt for cross training shoes. They will form stability around the ankles and help with agility and balance.

Things to consider when choosing shoes

  • What is the activity you plan to complete 
  • How long are you exercising for?
  • If running, how far are you running?
  • What socks are you wearing?
  • What surface are you exercising on?
  • Are you indoors or outdoors?
  • Do you require innersoles?

The main objective when purchasing trainers is to ensure the correct fit and choosing a shoe that suits YOUR body and the activities you undertake. Our knees, ankles and hips are all subject to inevitable wear and tear, and even though exercise can strengthen our bones and joints, we want to protect and prevent future injury as best we can. Wearing the correct shoes can improve posture, support body alignment and protect our joints. 

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