How to choose workout shoes?

Few years back when I joined aerobics, I neither had idea about aerobics nor proper shoes to use. I used my running shoes for the initial few classes and the result was shin pain. There were other pains as well. I use to keep bumping into the people in the initial few days :D . I started by standing in the front row to move to the last row, to again stand up in the front row after a month.

Aerobics has two parts, floor aerobics and step aerobics. Floor aerobics is a low impact activity as compared to step aerobics. Step aerobics can be used to do amazing plyometric workout. The correct shoes make sure that there is no injury while doing either of these.

A good pair of shoes also support plyometrics or any other workout.

The choice of shoes for any workout depends on two things

1. The shape of your feet2. The requirement of the workout

By shape of the feet I mean people with flat or flexible feet may want to avoid a shoe with too much cushioning. People with high arches or inflexible feet may need a shoe with more cushioning. If you have a foot or joint problem that requires arch supports, then you choose a shoe accordingly.

Now how to decide your shoe as per your workout? I have briefed a few tips based on my experience

1. Pylometrics or aerobics

Need a good grip on the sole. Go for rugged sole. Not very tightly fit on the mid sole. This I can say from my recent experiences with jumping rope practice. If the mid sole is tight then after sometimes, the feet start hurting.

The best way to feel light while doing any rythmic movement is to do it on the toes. Got this advice from a dancer. Have tried it and bow down to it. For this to happen, the shoes should have amazing flexibility and good cushioning in the front sole.

2. Running

Full length of the sole should be cushioned well. The mid sole fitting should be good. It should be soft and comfortable otherwise after few kms, you will get bruises due to friction between your feet and shoes. They should be light so that you do not have to put much effort to lift the shoes.

3. Weight training

I always end up removing my shoes or wearing vibram while weight training. Cushioning make me lose balance. I want a stiff, not very thick cushioning. Just like a canvas. Imagine yourself doing a squat. When you go down, all your load is on the heels. You will feel unstable if the heel cushioning is not stiff and rugged. Similar thing applies to deadlift.

One more point came to my mind. Type of shoes also depend on the flooring. This is the reason, all sports have different shoes requirement. The Squash court has wooden flooring, which is slightly shiny(low friction) so squash shoes need an amazing grip on the sole. Likewise, different shoes for TT and LT, Badminton, basketball etc. The same applies for aerobics also. Some studios have hard wood flooring. Some have linoleum flooring.

I would say, ask your body while you do any workout. Observe your biomechanics while doing a workout, write down what you feel, you should be wearing to protect your feet and support your workout. Accordingly, try different shoes and decide your shoe. No particular brand of shoes is once and for all for everyone, price wise as well as requirement wise.

Please share in comments, for the type of shoes you wear, for the workout you do. We can discuss more on shoes, based on our experiences

That said, barefoot is the best :)