Toning shoes (Avia, Nike, etc)?

Im_NotPerfect
Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
Any opinions on these? I'm thinking of asking for some for my birthday but before I do, I'd like to know if they actually work or which brands are best? Since walking is the majority of my exercise, I'd love the extra toning effect (if they really do work!).

Replies

  • addisondisease2
    addisondisease2 Posts: 348 Member
    They are a gimmick, same with the shake weight, and that stupid thing you stand on and it shakes you around.

    There is no way they provide enough resistance to cause any significant calorie burn.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Don't waste your money. There's a reason Reebok is shelling out $25,000,000 to settle a dispute with customers who bought their "toning" shoes.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    http://www.newsytype.com/12043-reebok-toning-shoes-lawsuit/
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    I have heard a lot of bad things about them...probably all of the stuff people have already mentioned. Regardless I have known a few people that had them and do not recall any of them saying they got any actual results from wearing them! Get yourself a good pair of running shoes instead :)
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    I LOVE MINE!!!!!!! i went back and bought 2 more pairs!
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 691 Member
    As anything, if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. i bought the Reebok ones when they first came out, total waste of money
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    gimmick
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    I have the skechers ones, not because I ever thought they would tone anything, but because they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I can walk all day in them and have no problems. It is like wearing any other shoe that is shaped differently than your normal ones - you will feel it in your legs and sometimes your butt, but only because it is different. It isn't anything magical.
  • sandradaisy
    sandradaisy Posts: 24
    I Love mine, may not specifically tone my B.U.T.T but they are so easy to walk in and run in because of the shape. When you first wear them you def feel it, and a little weird to get used to, I will buy another pair when these wear out, I wear them all the time!!!
  • Shock_Wave
    Shock_Wave Posts: 1,573 Member
    "Reebok, according to the Chicago Tribune, agreed to settle the toning shoe lawsuit for $25 million"

    "In 2009, toning shoes did about $360 million in sales, increasing to $1 billion in 2010"

    Theres a ton of money to be made on false advertising! They must have learned this from the supplement industry :smokin:
  • mrs_schultz2012
    mrs_schultz2012 Posts: 395 Member
    i had a pair of shape-ups....they were ok for a while, but then they started to hurt my knees a LOT....hate them now
  • Brittany3914
    Brittany3914 Posts: 258 Member
    I have narrow feet with high arches. It's hard for me to find a pair of shoes that not only fits well but also are comfortable. I have a pair of Reebok toning shoes. I didn't buy them for any special toning reasons. They're just comfortable and fit my feet well.

    Disclaimer: I'm not a runner, but I've heard people who run in toning shoes tend to get shin splits or other running-related injuries. Could be the shoes or just a coincidence... I have no clue.
  • amymt10
    amymt10 Posts: 271 Member
    I have the Reebok ones, they actually tone anything but they are very comfortable!! I did buy another pair when my first ones had seen better days but that's because they are really comfy.
  • w2bab
    w2bab Posts: 353 Member
    I feel it in the backs of my legs and my butt when I wear them, but more than that, they are SO comfortable. I love walking in them. I have one pair of Champion and one pair of Danskin. Didn't pay much for either pair, but I wear them both a lot.
  • McDougal416
    McDougal416 Posts: 74 Member
    My doctor had bought the sketchers shape ups and loved them and lost weight on them..she said she has heard of complaints from people that they were hurting their back and knees...so use caution when you buy, if you buy. I think if I were to buy any, it would prob be from sketchers....
  • amymoore728
    amymoore728 Posts: 72
    I have heard from orthopedic surgeons that they are really bad for your knees. I got rid of the Reebok ones I had.
  • JaimeBrown5
    JaimeBrown5 Posts: 324
    Those shoes aren't actually made for running in.. they are meant for walking. That said, those shoes throw off your body's natural centre of gravity and make you roll your foot (and body) in a different way than it naturally wants to go - your body trying to right that is the "workout". They don't tone anything.

    (Full disclosure: My significant other works for New Balance, who also sold a version.)
  • saverys_gal
    saverys_gal Posts: 808 Member
    I have a pair of the Reebok toning shoes from when they first came out...actually just replaced them with a pair of New Balance cross-trainers. I really liked my toning shoes...very comfy and in walking and certain moves I could feel my thighs working harder because I was having to balance. That being said, I noticed no results from the shoes, but simply bought them because they were comfy and fit my needs.
  • HWeatherholt
    HWeatherholt Posts: 283 Member
    I work at a shoe store part time and we sell a lot of them.

    More Sckechers (to women) than other brands. Most of our repeat customers say that once they get use to them, their back and knees hurt less especially if they have a job that they are on their feet a lot.

    I have a pair of Reebox running toners and have only ever worn them at work. About a month after buying them I had several people ask if I lost weight, but I had actually gained weight.

    As far as the lawsuit, it was only Reebox and how they advertised. The other brands Sckechers (specifically) has research on file that "proves" they work in the way they advertise.
  • acpgranberg
    acpgranberg Posts: 137 Member
    I bought the Reeboks. They are garbage and a waste of money. They can also throw you out of alignment if you're not careful.
  • HWeatherholt
    HWeatherholt Posts: 283 Member
    Those shoes aren't actually made for running in.. they are meant for walking. That said, those shoes throw off your body's natural centre of gravity and make you roll your foot (and body) in a different way than it naturally wants to go - your body trying to right that is the "workout". They don't tone anything.

    (Full disclosure: My significant other works for New Balance, who also sold a version.)

    Sckechers has a running version as does Reebox.
  • HWeatherholt
    HWeatherholt Posts: 283 Member
    I have heard from orthopedic surgeons that they are really bad for your knees. I got rid of the Reebok ones I had.

    We have at least 1 customer a week that comes in because a doctor had recommended they get a pair.
  • lclark1970
    lclark1970 Posts: 30 Member
    I could definitely feel the muscles worked in the back of my thighs and rear. I bought New Balance.
  • agentscully514
    agentscully514 Posts: 616 Member
    They work by deliberately destabilizing your natural gait, which IMO means you are just asking for injuries.
    Plus, there is zero evidence that they work. I'd save your money.
  • dme1977
    dme1977 Posts: 537 Member
    I happened to find the FILA shape ups on sale at KOHL'S for $39.99 one afternoon and i bought them...
    besides making me taller they have NOT made my legs look anything like the woman in the commercial... :laugh: :laugh:
    ahhhh, such is life... BUT I DO LIKE BEING TALLER than my usual 5'2.....
  • Jeff92se
    Jeff92se Posts: 3,369 Member
    These shoes had the greatest commericals on this planet
  • mandylooo
    mandylooo Posts: 456 Member
    I have the skechers ones, not because I ever thought they would tone anything, but because they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever owned. I can walk all day in them and have no problems. It is like wearing any other shoe that is shaped differently than your normal ones - you will feel it in your legs and sometimes your butt, but only because it is different. It isn't anything magical.

    I feel the same way about my Fitflops - they are the most comfortable flip flop I've ever walked in. Again, not convinced about the "toning up" thing, but they do seem to be a little bit like a wobble board when you walk.
  • jackvf1
    jackvf1 Posts: 7 Member
    had the Sketcher Shape-ups. Absolute waste of $$. i got better results bumping up my cardio intensity or lengthening my runs. There's no magic bullet, despite these companies attempting to offer one.
  • JaimeBrown5
    JaimeBrown5 Posts: 324
    Just because they say they are made for running doesn't mean they are a running shoe. They throw off your natural balance and gait, that's bad enough to be doing while walking, certainly not while running when people can have poor form already.

    Want a toned *kitten*? Do some lunges.
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