They are the original minimalist athletic shoe. Zero drop and solid, stable sole for lifting. That said, I have tried CrossFit in Chucks and hated it. They are heavy and throw me off on running, box jumps, jumping rope. I prefer a lightweight shoe. If you are on a budget of $40 (which is questionable if you are paying out the booty for a CrossFit membership) it is a good place to start.

Nahhh I'm just a shoe junky, I have way way too many as it is including 3-4 pairs of chucks...

I've been thinking about getting CrossFit shoes....

Now the great question....which ones are the best?

The Reebok Lifters are awesome. The U-Form makes them shape to your feet so there is ZERO sliding around inside. For a great WOD lifter try the Reeboks. I saw instant results in my form and lift strength when wearing them. Now if you are going strict Oly then you may want to consider more high end lifters.

As for WOD shoes there are a ton of options out there. You need to try on each brand (if possible) and judge for yourself. However, if you want a bulletproof shoe, the Nano 3's are built to last. I've seen Minimus and Innov-8's rip apart on rope climbs where the Nano 3's are barely scuffed. Also for wider feet the Nano's are great. The fact that actual CrossFitters were involved in the engineering really shows.

My coach has worn his Innov-8's literally to the ground and just got a pair of 3's last week. he was skeptical about them till he did his first box jumps and rope ascents with them. He's a huge fan now. He doesn't like them for running long distances in WODs but for sprinting and 400's he likes them fine.

If you are buying your CrossFit shoes for 'style' then you need to rethink your priorities LOL. At $100-$150 a pair get what you need for the work, not what matches your socks. ;-) That being said, if you have the extra $$$ and don't like the stock Nano 3 styles you can always design your own custom Nano 3's on Reebok's web site and they will build them to your design and ship to you.

Wswwillams67 is right in that rope climbs can tear up a pair of shoes. I was fortunate enough to get over a year out of my first pair of Inov-8 195's. The new Inov-8's have a rope guard on them and should hold up for rope climbs. A brand that Reebok or Inov-8 that designs their shoes specifically with the rigors of CrossFit in mind is a good idea.

I switched from VFFs to Inov-8 195's early this year and I have to say the rope protect is pretty good (although the sole could use a little bit of reinforcement because I've managed to do enough rope climbs that you can tell which shoe usually is on top of the rope...but I also have used them for A LOT of rope climbs....). Also since we're talking Inov-8 I figured I'd share a link for the Clymb (http://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/MaxwellSissman). Every few weeks (probably once a month or every other) they'll have Inov-8s among the deals on the site. They also do a lot of fitness related gear on the cheap (or at least cheaper/discounted).

I also have a discount code (20% off from what I understand) for Hylete apparel which is CPTG4DFST. They have excellent workout shorts and I've heard great things about their jackets/hoodies (at some point I'll need to get around to one). Hylete also does deals pretty often for their stuff.

I hope folks don't mind me sharing these, but seemed pretty on topic and could help folks out!

Oh and since jump ropes were mentioned I'll go ahead and say I went with Rx Jump Rope. They are definitely worth the money since you size it for you, you pick a cable that is right for your level (or cables for where you are and where you want to be), and comfortable handles. There are other companies out that put out good jump ropes and have folks that really know their stuff, but even just the comfort of the handles is worth it.

I'm having issues with minimalist shoes and my ankle. Basically it feels like there isn't enough ankle support when I do anything with any impact. Can you do CF in regular crosstrainers??

You could see about more supportive shoes for run heavy workouts...for lifting you want to have something solid to stand on.

Great tips!