Workout/running/gym shoes

I think you need to figure out what works for you. Every one has different feet and ways of walking or running. Some people bend their feet towards the inside, others to the outside, some are heel-strikers, others midfoot or toe strikers when running. Some people have wide or narrow feet. Find shoes that fit for your feet. Good luck.

Depends really on what "workout" means...what exactly you're doing at the gym...how much running you're doing, etc. I personally don't have a single all purpose pair of shoes. I wear Nike Metcons for the gym. They have a solid, flat platform conducive for the weight room and doing squats, deadlifts, leg presses, and things like that for which you'd optimally want a solid, flat surface to push off of. That said, they're not super rigid like a power lifting shoe so I can also do box jumps and other plyometric work without issue. They're also just flexible enough that I can also walk or jog in them for a warm-up or cool down, but only for maybe 1/2 mile or so before it starts to hurt.

For walking actual distance I wear Solomon Outpulse which is a lite hiking sneaker designed to cover a lot of miles walking. I don't run distance anymore, but when I did I wore a running specific shoe that was fitted for my gait at a running store. They're crap in the gym for squatting or anything like that because you sink too deep into the cushioning under load and you can't press as much weight because that cushioning is absorbing a lot of that energy vs a hard, flat surface.

If you're doing any kind of distance running, I'd definitely recommend having a dedicated running shoe strictly for that purpose. For general gym work, a cross-trainer that's to you liking will probably be fine. I wouldn't recommend really doing actual running in a cross-trainer though...like maybe a mile or so warm-up or cool-down but that's about it.

collinsje1 wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Depends really on what "workout" means...what exactly you're doing at the gym...how much running you're doing, etc. I personally don't have a single all purpose pair of shoes. I wear Nike Metcons for the gym. They have a solid, flat platform conducive for the weight room and doing squats, deadlifts, leg presses, and things like that for which you'd optimally want a solid, flat surface to push off of. That said, they're not super rigid like a power lifting shoe so I can also do box jumps and other plyometric work without issue. They're also just flexible enough that I can also walk or jog in them for a warm-up or cool down, but only for maybe 1/2 mile or so before it starts to hurt.

For walking actual distance I wear Solomon Outpulse which is a lite hiking sneaker designed to cover a lot of miles walking. I don't run distance anymore, but when I did I wore a running specific shoe that was fitted for my gait at a running store. They're crap in the gym for squatting or anything like that because you sink too deep into the cushioning under load and you can't press as much weight because that cushioning is absorbing a lot of that energy vs a hard, flat surface.

If you're doing any kind of distance running, I'd definitely recommend having a dedicated running shoe strictly for that purpose. For general gym work, a cross-trainer that's to you liking will probably be fine. I wouldn't recommend really doing actual running in a cross-trainer though...like maybe a mile or so warm-up or cool-down but that's about it.

Thanks everyone for your input. Here's my basic routine. I lift Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Followed by 1-2 miles on the treadmill. And then on Tuesday, and Thursday. I do a core exercise circuit/routine one of the days followed by 3-5 miles on the treadmill or 15-20 miles on the stationary bike. And the other day is just straight up running/jogging on the treadmill 3-5 miles.

For lifting I am following the GreyskullLP program as I am starting over with lifting. (started about 6 weeks ago, used to lift back in college but that was 15 years ago). And then for the running/jogging I am working towards a sub-30-minute 5K time, that's my 1st goal anyway. I do have grand dreams of running a half marathon or spartan race or tough Mudder event but that's a long way off. Actually, this week I ran a 5K in 31:30. Six months ago I couldn't run a mile without stopping so.... progress. I know that all of this running work is on the treadmill and running outside in the real world as I call it is very different. But I figure if I could get to where i could run 5 miles on the treadmill at a 6.5mph pace I should be able to do 3.1 outside under 30 min.

Yeah, if this were me I'd have a dedicated shoe for running and a shoe for lifting. I really like the Nike Metcon for the gym...like I said, it's not as rigid as a power lifting shoe so you can walk around and do other things in the gym, but it's rigid enough (and no heal lift) to provide a good lifting platform. Lifting in a running shoe is going to 1) impede the quality of your lifts, 2) wear out the shoe damn quick being under load.

Really, any flat/dense sole platform shoe will work for lifting. A lot of people wear converse...my 13 yo wears his Vans when we go to the gym. For me, the only issue with those is that I don't feel like they offer the same overall support as my Metcons which has become somewhat of a bigger issue once I got into my mid 40s and beyond.

I have shoes for lifting, shoes for running, shoes for walking (I walk on concreted surface 8 hours minimum a day usually 13K steps or more) and shoes for kickboxing. Because of how my footfall is for all of those, I make sure I have the right footwear to ensure stability and reduce risk of injury.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

for everyday running (jog I guess) I am a huge fan of Brooks Ghost. Started with Ghost 6 and now they are at Ghost 15. I find the neutral fit and open toe box work great for me. I buy the "last year" model online at a huge discount. For anything indoor like Yoga, Tai Chi, or some flex and strength work I use Merrill Barefoot. They are like barely there and feel great.