How to Dress Your Feet

What shoes should you wear in the gym?

Personal opinion, I don't care what clothes you wear in the gym! You could come in butt naked and yes might take me by surprise but it will not have as much impact into how you train as much as what is on your feet! Whether you come in nikes finest or Primarks best clothing we will not bat an eye. However, in regards your footwear, it does matter, but the answer is pretty simple    

How you train will determine what best suits

Use common sense, when we need balance and stability, a shoe with loads of padding, or a foam base, is not going to be as beneficial as even training bare foot. However, running, jumping, anything that may require a bit more support, you may want a bit more shock absorption there. Some people may do these things bare foot, and power to them but this will not be for everyone

I myself do prefer to train bare foot as often as possible but i do have bad feet. Bad in the sense of shape and smell. So i Purchased these, Vivobarefoot shoes. They are expensive but they do keep my feet out of harms way. 

Vivobarefoot Shoes

These are really good for my general rehab and strength training but when it comes to then performing Olympic Lifts, these are no good. Lifters with a solid base and a heel elevation are what you would be looking for here, only problem being is that really, outside of a snatch, clean & jerk and squats, your not going to wear these anywhere else. In saying that though, if you enjoy Olympic lifting, or take your powerlifting seriously, I would definitely recommend getting a pair! 

Weightlifting Shoes

A cross training shoe such as reebok nanos & nike metcons are a better option than bare foot for olympic lifting if you are wanting to get a shoe that you can also wear outside of the gym. Lifters are known to not be the best of looking shoe out there. 

The cross training shoe is as you would expect, suitable for a number of different aspects in the gym but isn't the best for any in my opinion. I myself do have a few pairs of nanos and really like them but you will not see me train in them as much as my lifters or bare foot, unless I was doing an engine type session (which you won’t see too often)

Metcon vs Nanos

Running Shoes……..

If your gonna wear them, leave them outside of the gym! 

Within reason ofcourse

They're called running shoes for a reason. But no, if your like me, slightly conscious of your feet then yes you may keep your shoes on, but I would recommend looking about a pair that would suit better.

Why no running shoes in the gym?

Running shoes are made withstand high impact and because of this will normally have a lot of foam in them, which in turn creates an unstable surface. When looking at a movement like a Single Leg Squat, we are looking for stability, stability starts from the ground up, if your not stable in the foot, then it is going to be a domino effect up the rest of the body. Its like doing any movement in the gym while standing on a balance board. Running shoes train your feet to not be trained, to become unconscious. Strong stable feet creates the foundations to building a strong body.

They are like the lifters, perfect for their role but outside of that, not ideal.   

So to Summarise, Barefoot is best, and if you bless yourself by walking through our doors here at RAW, I would have no issue seeing someone kick their shoes off as they come in