The Trainers Trainers

Footwear in the gym is really important you need to make sure that you have got a good shoe that you can do everything you need in.

Just as an example there is no point having a hard lifting shoe to do a lot of cardio work and running in. On the flips side to that there is no point having a soft running shoe if your going to be doing a lot of big lifts in. 

Running shoes

It is important to make sure you get the right shoe for what you want to achieve, a good running shoe is going to have a number of benefits but you have got to make sure you have got the right one for you. 

The best thing to do is go to a good sport shop and you will be able to find out what sort of arch you have got in your footing and get the correct trainer according to this.

Running shoes will be light on your foot as you need to be as light as possible when running especially over a distance. 

They offer great protection not only on your feet but on the joints as well, ankles, knees and hips. When running you apply pressure between 2 and 3 times your body weight through your foot and trainers will absorb some of this. 

Another great thing with a good shoe is that it will help to compensate for abnormalities of the foot making the foot more balanced. For example if you have got a raised arch the inside of your shoe is going to have added protection. 

Lifting shoes 

Lifting shoe are specifically made to transfer the most power you can through the floor in the big lifts. They have got a hard sole and lifted heel and strap.

The hard flat bottom is to make sure that when you have got to apply a lot of power through your feet none of the power is lost in a soft sole. 

The raised heel is a benefit because it offers great hip and ankle flexibility making hitting a lower position in your squat easier to hit. 

The strap across the shoe is beneficial because it means you are going to be able to have your foot kept nice and secure with minimal movements.

Crossfit shoe

These are developed for crossfit athletes these are going to have a balance between running and weight lifting, they have got a slightly softer sole then a lifting shoe so you are going to be able to do running and lifting with out damaging your joints and you wont lose too much power on your lifts. 

My choice 

This is a easy choice for me but this is just my opinion.  I use a crossfit trainer as I do a combination of weight lifting and cardio and everything in between. 

I am currently swapping between my Reebok Nano'5's and Nano7's I have found they are a great trainer to be able to do everything in. I do not have any issues running in them and I am not losing to much power on my lift. 

I have tried the Nike metcon's which I found were good for lifting in but not as good for running in, they had a hard bottom and I found that after running 2-3km I was struggling with sore knees.

Be sure to make the correct decision according to your needs.