When you think about making progress with your workouts, you think about increasing your reps or building muscle mass. While that is a great measure of success, you won’t be able to achieve your full potential without the best athletic shoes. Fashion be darned; it’s substance over style here.
Choosing Athletic Shoes
It doesn’t matter whether you’re into weight lifting, spin classes or pounding away the miles on the treadmill. High-quality workout shoes are an essential piece of kit. They help to keep you comfortable while you sweat and also provide foot and ankle support. These two factors are key in helping you avoid injuries.
Although there is no quick answer to choosing the best athletic shoes, there are a few things you should look for. Breathability, durability, stability and flexibility are all factors. However, the most important consideration should be the fit.
Athletic shoes should support your feet, while still allowing them to move. You will need to make sure that they are capable of absorbing shock from the ground up as this is a major factor that comes with working out. It’s also important your shoes fit your feet well. If you’re not sure how to check, read articles on how workout and/or running shoes should fit.
3 Best Athletic Shoes
1. Reebok Nano X
These training shoes are both comfortable and versatile. This makes them ideal for a number of different kinds of workouts. They particularly excel when it comes to weightlifting and CrossFit, providing a stable and supportive shoe.
The toe box is wide enough to allow your toes to splay, helping you to maintain good posture when lifting. This also helps to aid balance during workouts. The Nano X is incredibly comfortable and fits snugly to the feet, while still allowing movement.
The upper is ideal for more fast-paced workouts. This is because it allows your feet to breathe. Keeping your feet cool and dry during a gym session is vital to overall foot health as it helps to prevent blisters.
The insole is cushioned, providing a good level of shock absorption when doing HIIT and other impact workouts. The Nano X also has a high-density ankle collar to prevent rolling. This is a particularly useful feature if you suffer from weak joints.
Although there is no denying that the Nano X is a stylish workout shoe, it does come with its downsides. It is heavier than the average athletic shoe, which can make running for long periods more challenging.
Although not perfect, the Reebok Nano X is still one of the best athletic shoes on the market. It does pretty much everything to an acceptable standard and shines in a few areas.
2. Nike Metcon 7
The Metcon 7 has been touted as Nike’s best ever training shoe. A serious upgrade on previous models, the Metcon 7 has been designed to do it all.
Previously reserved for Nike’s running shoes, the React Foam cushioning is a very welcome addition to the Metcon 7. It provides extra cushioned support which is comfortable and lightweight. This means that it largely succeeds where the Reebok Nano X fails and doubles up as a good shoe for sprinting.
If weightlifting is your thing, these workout shoes will keep you grounded. This is because they have a flat heel and stable sole which works to evenly distribute your weight from edge to edge.
The mid-foot rope guard is also raved about by users as it provides more traction on rope climbs. Another useful feature of the Metcon 7 is its tongue lock tab. This allows you to hide the laces if you need them out of the way. So, you can jump, run and lift without needing to worry.
The Nike Metcon 7 comes in a variety of colours as standard or you can hop on their website and custom make your own. Although they aren’t the cheapest athletic shoes on the market, they are undoubtedly one of the best.
3. Ryka Influence
Women who are looking for athletic shoes should definitely consider the Ryka Influence. Specially made with the female body in mind, these workout shoes offer high levels of support and shock absorption. This makes them ideal for activities such as HIIT, Zumba and cross training.
The soles are grippy and the shoes themselves are lightweight. This allows users to twist and pivot quickly, without putting unnecessary strain on the joints.
Although you can run wearing the Ryka Influence, this should be done in a gym setting to elongate the life of the shoes. These athletic shoes have not been designed with an outdoors setting in mind.
These training shoes provide a high level of lateral support, helping to keep the foot stable and the arches supported. The Ryka Influence are a good choice for women that suffer from both pronation and supination.
Helpfully, the Ryka Influence is available in half sizes. This means that you should be able to achieve a snug yet comfortable fit easily. Bear in mind that while the toe box is quite wide, the heel runs narrow so make sure you try these shoes on before buying.
Final Thoughts on Athletic Shoes
Choosing versatile athletic shoes for your workouts can be hard but the above recommendations will help. By choosing something supportive and comfortable, you’ll be able to push yourself further. In turn, this will help you to be the best athlete that you can be.
