How should we be shopping for exercise shoes?

An eye-opening interview with a physical therapist who truly knows feet.

Photo by Linda Xu on Unsplash

In my previous life as a magazine editor, I got a lot of stuff for free. It was very nice tbh! The pay was bad and there was minimal job security, but I never had to buy sunscreen, or cupcakes, or shampoo — or workout shoes. Pretty much every time I wore through a pair of sneakers, another one would magically appear at a press event, in a PR mailer, or on the office free table. I never went sneaker shopping, and life was good.

I’m in a new chapter now, and I’ve often missed the free treats and SPF… and recently, I realized I needed a new pair of workout shoes and had truly zero clue how to go about picking them. I then wondered if you all might be wondering the same!

I asked around, and a professional dancer friend who’s had some painful issues with her feet enthusiastically recommended I speak to Julia Rosenthal, DPT, a pelvic floor physical therapist and the founder of Empower Physical Therapy in Brooklyn, NY. (Yes, a pelvic floor PT can specialize in feet, too!) Check out our interview ahead.

One note: Because I haven’t personally tested a million different kinds of shoes, and Julia and I didn’t go very deep into brand specifics, you won’t find product links below. I know that’s kind of frustrating! It’s much easier to just click and buy a thing. But my goal was to uncover more detailed information about feet, shoes, and exercise so we can go into the trying-on process with more confidence. If you’re looking for recommendations and reviews of the types of shoes Julia likes, she highly recommended Anya’s Reviews, which has a great Instagram and a thorough website.

Okay, here’s me and Julia.

Anna: Can you talk in general about shoes and exercise? Is it important to have the “right” shoe for your workout? Why?

Julia: It depends on the kind of exercise. For strength training, if people can tolerate it and don’t feel grossed out, I like to recommend that people work out with no shoes on. For most shoes, the heels are higher than the toes, and that isn’t how we naturally walk around. It changes how your weight shifts forwards and backwards in space. Your foot is also a big sensory area; it’s how our bodies figure out where they are in space, and a shoe, especially with a lot of cushioning, can get in the way of that. Remember that when you’re doing strength training, you’re also training balance and proprioception, and you get much more out of it barefoot.

Running is different. We’re really not used to walking or running for long periods without shoes on. A minimalist or barefoot shoe can be great, but it’s hard to transition from more cushioned shoes to that without developing achilles problems. So I like a wide enough running shoe that the toes can spread out, and generally something with enough cushion to feel good, because most people are running on concrete. I like a neutral shoe (ed note: I googled this and it is actually a category — you can look up “neutral running shoes” to see a bunch of options), meaning there isn’t a lot of extra stabilizing material especially in the heel and the arch. Our foot is the first place shock is absorbed in the body, and for it to do that, there has to be room for the bottom of the foot to lengthen and flatten slightly with each step, and for the heel to roll slightly forward and out. Your foot acts like a little spring. If you’re wearing something that fills that space and doesn’t allow for that movement, the shock will be absorbed elsewhere.

Back to strength training barefoot: What if you are grossed out, or just don’t feel comfortable without shoes?

Then I’ll recommend a minimalist shoe that is flat and has a wide-enough toe box to allow the toes to spread out for strength training.

Of course, this is all assuming we’re talking about someone who is asymptomatic [not experiencing pain or other symptoms of a foot injury]. There are definitely situations in which someone might need a shoe with arch support in the short term.

Definitely something to speak to a PT about. Okay, let’s look at a reader question. “I’ve gotten really into lifting weights (dumbbells in my basement) and my running shoes feel unstable for leg day. Would love thoughts on shoes for squats, lunges, etc. Do some people wear Converse, is that a thing?” I think I know what you’re going to say — take off the shoes, especially since you’re at home!

Yes! Converse specifically is usually a really narrow shoe. Same with Vans, a lot of people lift in Vans. I don’t like that, because part of what your foot has to do for the arch to drop to absorb shock is your toes have to splay out. I want people to be either in a shoe that allows for that, or barefoot so their foot can splay. As for lifting weights in running shoes: It’s like squatting in a cloud! You’re not training your feet. Your foot needs to be able to respond to the ground, adjust for how your weight is moving in space, and that’s a big part of what you’re training when you train barefoot. That gets back into the sensory response.

Let’s say you’re working out in a gym — maybe you’re jogging for 20 minutes on the treadmill, then doing 20 minutes of weights — and you’d like to just wear one pair of shoes the whole time. Is there a good multi-tasking option?

It depends on the level of lifting we’re talking about. If you’re doing circuits with relatively light weights, a cross-training shoe can be a good option. Of course, it depends on how far you’re going to run, and how comfortable you are in a shoe like that. Nike and Reebok both have cross-training shoes designed for multiple activities. They’re a little clunky for running, but they do work for high variable workouts.

But if I’m doing this kind of workout at the gym, I have often just taken my shoes off and worn socks for the weights.

Can we put that out as a PSA? It’s okay to take off your shoes at the gym?

It’s really common to see. If you’re on a squat rack, most people using a squat rack who know what they’re doing either have their shoes off, or they’re wearing lifters. These are very hard, structured shoes designed for heavy lifting. 

Another reader question: “My movement has been sidelined by life, kids, etc. but most recently by plantar fasciitis which is affecting even my ability to walk, previously my most reliable daily movement. Any tips for finding the right shoe given the limited amount of time one tries it on while in the store?”

I think there are two questions here, really. One is about dealing with shoes and exercise when you have plantar fasciitis, and then the other is about how to try on shoes. So let’s talk about plantar fasciitis first.

Plantar fasciitis can be a misdiagnosis a lot of the time — there are a lot of tendons under the foot that run in a similar pattern to the plantar fascia, and the symptoms you get can often come from irritation in those tendons versus the actual plantar fascia. But plantar fasciitis, frozen shoulder, and other things like this, more and more people are noticing that these things are happening around perimenopause and menopause. There’s some interesting physiology there that’s starting to be talked about. I’m just absolutely guessing that this person may be near this phase of life, but it’s something they might want to get some support on.

With plantar fasciitis, if you see a podiatrist, they’ll often be like, just wear this orthotic! In the immediate term, it feels helpful, because you’re stopping the tissue from moving and it feels better. But what you have to do over time is to start allowing those tissues to move and lengthen again. There’s a lot of continuity between the hamstrings, the calves, and the bottom of the feet — so maybe you’re not ready to move and stretch the feet yet, but you can start to look at the rest of the legs. Eventually you have to load and strengthen under the foot and make sure it gets its range of motion.

Yikes, I am taking furious notes here because I had plantar fasciitis while I was pregnant with my first kid, and I’m still walking around the house in supportive shoes seven years later. I do exercise barefoot at home, but other than that I never go barefoot — I’m just keeping that tissue still all the time. I need to start stretching and strengthening my feet!

But back to the second part of this question — how do you evaluate a shoe in the store? It can be so overwhelming, and you really don’t want to be there for hours testing out every single option.

I’m looking for the widest front of the shoe that I can find, and something relatively flat. I’ll pick the shoe up and try to fold and bend it in multiple spots. If it only folds in one spot, that’s too stiff. I want it to really bend. And then, can the shoe twist? I want to be able to twist the shoe both in the front and in the back. So I’m picking it up, and I’m twisting and bending.

When I put the shoes on, my toes shouldn’t touch the front, and I do not want to feel like my feet are pressing into the seams on the outsides of the shoe. I might even jump up and down a couple of times to see if my toe is hitting the front of the shoe. Of course, there’s a balance between that and, you don’t want to feel like your feet are sliding around. It needs to be wide enough for your foot to spread out, but you don’t want to move around inside the shoe and not have enough support.

Is there a rule for how often you need to replace your shoes?

For running, they say something like every 300 miles. Running shoes are meant to have some spring, and that wears out over time, and the foam can harden. That’s why you’re supposed to swap them out. For other shoes, there aren’t really rules. If the shoe still feels like it’s doing what it’s supposed to do, it’s probably fine. If the shoe can’t sit evenly on the floor because you’ve worn off parts of the soles so much, it might be time to replace it. But as long as it’s still comfortable and doing what it’s meant to do, it should be ok.

I want to ask you like 35 other questions, including about the connection between the pelvic floor and the feet, but I don’t want to keep you all day. Anything else you wish people knew about shoes and exercise?

The structure of our feet is meant to let us do all of this stuff. Our feet are built to allow us to lift stuff, and run, and walk, and for the most part, if we can just make sure they can do that the way the structure allows for, we’ll be better off.

Love it. Let feet be feet. Thank you, Julia!

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I hope this was helpful and not too overwhelming! Let me know what other topics you’d like me to dive deep on with an expert. Thanks for reading. Let’s keep going!

xo
Anna