The Best Workout Shoes Are (You’ll Be Surprised)

I think a lot of people are going to flip when they read this.  There may be some strong opinions from people, I can't wait to see the comments! 

Here is my Top Nine, with the best ones at the end:

The Top 9 Best Workout Shoes Are

Originally I titled this "Top 9 Shoes Shoes for Kettlebell Training and Z-Health Training", but the reality is that these are also the best shoes for strength training, and if you know how to run correctly, the best shoes for running also.

It's already accepted in the kettlebell world that bare feet are best, so really the meat and potatoes of this article is for the people who don't kettlebell train to discover that it's actually best for almost all workouts.

In Descending Order:

9.) Nike Free 7.0
8.) Nike Free 5.0
7.) Nike Free 4.0
6.) Nike Free 3.0
5.) Puma Speed Cat
4.) Converse Chuck Taylor
3.) Puma Saloh
2.) Vibram FiveFingers

And the #1 best workout shoe is:

1.) Bare Feet
(no shoes at all)

So first off, you just get more information from the ground.

Pressure gives your body a lot of information about what's going on.  Having big cushy shoes cuts down on that information, and your body will actually shut off a certain percentage of strength and flexibility just because it isn't getting enough information.

So literally, we want as little shoe as possible.

Incidentally, that's why we don't wear gloves to lift either.

Second, Your Feet Were Designed to Move

That's why your feet have JOINTS.  If your feet weren't supposed to move they would be one SOLID BONE.

I thought this was so well put that I'm just going to quote it – from the Vibram Five Fingers Website:

The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 muscles and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised.

That’s why we recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.

Again, it comes down to wearing as little shoe as possible.

It's not really any surprise that there are world class marathon runners that train barefoot or in really minimal running shoes.

And many the best track athletes in the world train barefoot at least some of the time (that's actually why the Nike Free was created) or in really minimal running shoes.

Strength athletes also lift barefoot, lift with minimal shoes, or in shoes that are totally solid (no cushion).

The whole kettlebell workouts are done barefoot or really minimal shoes.

Mixed Martial arts fighters workout barefoot.

Gymnasts workout barefoot.

Z-Health on the other hand is all about training better movement, more graceful and powerful movement.

Less movement, or worse movement = Weaker Body.

Weaker Body = Fatter Body.

In normal shoes your feet aren't allowed to move.  Binding your feet up eliminates all movement.

Training with less shoe = more foot movement = stronger = leaner.

The highest level athletes (read: the leanest and hottest people) gymnasts, fighters, competitive runners and strength athletes all work out with no shoes or shoes that are flat to the ground.

So Should I Immediately Start Training Barefoot?

Probably not.

You know how when someone is in a coma, all of their muscles atrophy?

That's your feet.

You probably want to start your way down that list slowly.  If you are currently wearing shoes with a "motion control" or "super springs" or "air", then you definitely want to start slow.

After all, if you were in a coma for 10 years, you wouldn't go run a marathon the next day.

The Puma Saloh or the Vibram Five Fingers KSO might allow for more foot mobility than you can handle right off the bat.

Maybe start off with a Nike Free.  Then make your next shoe Converse Chuck Taylor's or Puma Salohs. 

Work your way towards eventually using Vibram Five Fingers or totally bare feet.

Just do it gradually.

Is There Any Way To Train My Feet?

Of course. 

And for some of my clients, training their feet produced seriously magical results – huge strength increases and massive flexibility gains.

I train my client's feet with Z-Health foot drills, which you can find here: Z-Health Quick Start DVD

Not that there is anything magic about training your feet to move again.  Just that if they don't move, or move dis-functionally, your brain will put the brakes on.

Remember – there are two ways to make a car go faster:

1.) Bigger Engine

2.) Take your foot off the brakes

Barefoot training, and training your feet works on both levels, but it really is unique in terms of taking your foot off the brakes for strength and flexibility.

For your body it looks like this:

1.) Bigger Engine = Stronger Muscles

2.) Take your foot off the brakes = Better Quality of Movement

-Josh Hillis