Need New High Impact Aerobic Shoes!

V

veghead

Member
Hey Cathe Nation!

I am in desperate need of new shoes for my Cathe cardio and weight dvds! I'm a huge fan of Ryka (past 4 pairs or so have been Ryka) and was looking at several models (Transition, Assist XT2, Studio Flex Mid, Synergy) but also read a few raves about the Vibram Five Fingers and a few other lines.

I have had knee issues in the past (patella femoral syndrome) and usually get shoes with arch support. Right now they hurt a little bit with lunges and are a little sore after runs (I wear running shoes for that - not my Rykas) and high impact (HIIT, Intensity, etc).

I'm open to suggestions. What do you have and do you love/hate them?

Thanks!!!
 
LOVE K-SWISS!

I've never owned a pair of Ryka's (yet ;)), so I can't comment on them, but I do LOVE my K-Swiss!! I'm a high impact junkie with temperamental knee's and pretty large bunions, and ever since I got a pair, my knee's thanked me :). They fit comfortably (good for people with wide feet) and absorb high impact very well. Jillian Michaels endorses them, and now I know why. They are pretty awesome :D. Here is what mine look like:
K (wow that's a small link. It still works though)

Before then I was a Nike girl :D. These blew my Nike's away!

Good luck & happy shoe shopping!

Natasha
 
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I have the Transitions. They are super-comfortable, lightweight, and flexible but do not offer much support. I got them for the low impact series because the flexible sole works perfectly with the disks and the low-impact exercises. There is a thread on them in the "Ask Cathe" forum. I don't use them for high-impact. However, the Transpires are very cushy and great for high impact. If you have a high arch, they would be very comfortable from the get-go. I do not, and the arch felt too high the first few times I wore them; but they are comfortable now. There are some threads on the Transpires in this forum.

I love my Vibrams, but they have NO support or cushioning whatsoever. They are designed to be just like going barefoot. You have to build up to them gradually to allow your feet to strengthen and get used to no support. If you have foot issues, these might not be what you're looking for.
 
Natasha,
Do these shoes run true to size?



mini-natty said:
I've never owned a pair or Ryka's (yet ;)), so I can't comment on them, but I do LOVE my K-Swiss!! I'm a high impact junkie with temperamental knee's and pretty large bunions, and ever since I got a pair, my knee's thanked me :). They fit comfortably (good for people with wide feet) and absorb high impact very well. Jillian Michaels endorses them, and now I know why. They are pretty awesome :D. Here is what mine look like:
K (wow that's a small link. It still works though)

Before then I was a Nike girl :D. These blew my Nike's away!

Good luck & happy shoe shopping!

Natasha
Click to expand...
 
I also wore the Ryka's for years and really liked them but the lateral support would wear out in 2-3 weeks. I have the vibram now and they have really helped strengthen my ankles, I didn't realize how weak they were until I tried balancing moves with them. It does take time to build up to wearing them, I made a mistake and jumped right in and used them for the entire w/o the first day. I have bunions and they feel great, in sneakers I had to have bunion cushions. The great things about these shoes for me is that I can jump higher, and the moves seem easier since you don't have the added weight of shoes on your feet. The only down side for me is after a year my heels will sometimes hurt, i probably need new ones. I wish they had a little padding in the heel area. if you get them be careful you jump softly or you will feel it!! I am thinking about getting sneakers again to try them but I can't imagine I will like them, there is so much freedom with these shoes.
HTH,
Katie
 
mini-natty said:
I've never owned a pair of Ryka's (yet ;)), so I can't comment on them, but I do LOVE my K-Swiss!! I'm a high impact junkie with temperamental knee's and pretty large bunions, and ever since I got a pair, my knee's thanked me :). They fit comfortably (good for people with wide feet) and absorb high impact very well. Jillian Michaels endorses them, and now I know why. They are pretty awesome :D. Here is what mine look like:
K (wow that's a small link. It still works though)

Before then I was a Nike girl :D. These blew my Nike's away!

Good luck & happy shoe shopping!

Natasha
Click to expand...

Hi I was thinking of buying kswiss at my local acedamy sports store. I could not find a croas trainer. I saw shoes for " tennis " and wondered if it would work.
I have brooks for running.. and asics for step and high impact but the cushion seems to go fast. Or the lateral support isn't there.
I looked up the link u gave, I love the look! but they are running shoes. With the bottom ridged like that do u do step aerobics wiith them?
I'm afraid it would torch my knees but I may get them for running. So do k-swiss have shoes u can use for step n high impact? I don't see any. Thanks...
 
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I used to love Ryka but their past several models have been cheaply constructed with little support for hi impact, IMO.

I've been wearing Asics gel uptempo for the past year and love them!!! They're great for plyo and hi impact.

I'm gonna look at the K-Swiss... Didn't realize they made a good hi impact shoe...
 
@ Natasha

mini-natty said:
I've never owned a pair of Ryka's (yet ;)), so I can't comment on them, but I do LOVE my K-Swiss!! I'm a high impact junkie with temperamental knee's and pretty large bunions, and ever since I got a pair, my knee's thanked me :). They fit comfortably (good for people with wide feet) and absorb high impact very well. Jillian Michaels endorses them, and now I know why. They are pretty awesome :D. Here is what mine look like:
K (wow that's a small link. It still works though)

Before then I was a Nike girl :D. These blew my Nike's away!

Good luck & happy shoe shopping!

Natasha
Click to expand...

Hi,
I love the look of the K-swiss shoes, ever since my new balance shoes where discontinued I havent been able to find a shoe that gives me the sopport I need to jump and land. The K-swiss look like they might do the job, I'm a bit confused though the one you use says it's a running shoe...does K-swiss have crosstrainers and can you use a running shoe for high impact aurobics and still get the lateral support that comes with aurobics? Thanks!
 
K-Swiss and high impact cross trainers

Hello everyone,

For those who are questioning if K-Swiss makes cross trainers suitable for high impact, check out this link from their website and Jillian Michaels website:

K
http://jillianmichaels.shop.sportstoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=14308_47112_39391

Also, look at the various models of shoes they make in the specific category. A lot of descriptions say "absorb impact".

Ok, so I'm not a shoe expert here (obviously :rolleyes:), so please forgive and correct me if I'm wrong, but is running not considered pretty high impact in itself? I've never owned a specific of of shoes solely for the purpose of High Impact Aerobics. Now I do a lot of high impact exercises (floor & step) and I replace my shoes whenever I feel as though the "mileage" is done on them. With my K-Swiss, my knee's, feet, and back rarely give me a problem when I am doing any of Cathe's hardest high impact cardio. Of course, everyone is different and this might not be the case for you. All I know from experience with the K-Swiss Tubes Run 100 is that they fit extremely well, absorb shock well, are breathable and lightweight, and have exceeded my expectations of what I wanted/needed in a shoe. Even if they are considered a "running shoe" I really don't give a hoot! I love em'!!!

HTH! :)
 
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I am by no means a runner, but I would think running would be considered high impact.

My issue with wearing running shoes for high impact work is that there is not enough lateral support. I purchased the Reebox crossfit sneakers and while there is a lot of support in the tow box area, there is next to none anywhere else.

I am still on the hunt for a pair with good lateral support-maybe the Kswiss will work?
 
I like the Ryka Transpires rather than the Transitions. I have both, and the Transpires have much much more cushioning than the Transitions. I think there has been some confusion between these two shoes---the Transpires are the ones that Cathe wears in one of her latest (I can't recall offhand if it's To The Max or Crossfire). They are the blue ones.
 
I think it is also the tread... I understand high impact n run are all high impact lol. However the bottom of foot soles of the on running shoe grips the road more therefore it would not be a good shoe for like say step aerobics where u are turning a lot. Foot gripss step to much will touch the knees. That is my understanding and I find it is true that a smoother tread really is better for step with the turns and over the top.. stuff like that. As far as cushion goes I wish that is all I had to worry about. That way one Shoe would be great. But I have a lot of problems with feet so imm just now learning what avoid.
 
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I recently ordered 3 different types of Rykas and I must say the Synergy is wonderful! It's not the cutest shoe in the world (with that weird velcro strap thingy on top), but it is so cushy up front where I find I need it most for the high impact step and kickbox workouts. It also is not bulky like Rykas of days past with the nitracel stuff in front (like the Ngage and its precedessors).

Lots of room in the toe box too which is great for all the lateral movements, for me it helps prevent that friction that gets uncomfortable.

Happy shopping :)
 
My high impact shoe of choice is the Nike Air Pegasus. I love those shoes! I mostly have version 28 since they are onsale a lot at Sports Authority since version 29 came out and you can use coupons to buy them. I tried on a pair of Brooks once (which one of my best friends swears by) and they were super comfortable as well. Unfortunately, they were super expensive too or I would have bought them! If money isn't an issue for you, you might want to look at the Brooks brand. Btw, I could see myself trying out the Ryka Transpire for some high impact activties -- definitely not the Ryka Transitions though. I have both and the Transpires have a lot more cushion and support than then Transitions.
 
I always appreciate whenever anyone brings this topic as I am still seeking my holy grail workout shoe.

I have very fussy feet, with some problem that I cannot even remember, but the basic problem is that my feet get very sore when I do a lot of walking or high impact, which stinks, because I really enjoy doing both. My podiatrist had recommended new balance sneakers to me, and I have bought two pairs of those. They have been fine, especially when I purchase an additional insert for them, but I am in need of a new pair and I wanted to see if I could find something even cushier.If you could strap a cloud to your feet and workout, that's what I'm looking to experience. :)

I emailed K-Swiss to ask them what shoe they would recommend for plyometrics and step aerobics. I'll share their response, if/when I receive it.

Eva
 
deineira said:
I always appreciate whenever anyone brings this topic as I am still seeking my holy grail workout shoe.

I have very fussy feet, with some problem that I cannot even remember, but the basic problem is that my feet get very sore when I do a lot of walking or high impact, which stinks, because I really enjoy doing both. My podiatrist had recommended new balance sneakers to me, and I have bought two pairs of those. They have been fine, especially when I purchase an additional insert for them, but I am in need of a new pair and I wanted to see if I could find something even cushier.If you could strap a cloud to your feet and workout, that's what I'm looking to experience. :)

I emailed K-Swiss to ask them what shoe they would recommend for plyometrics and step aerobics. I'll share their response, if/when I receive it.

Eva
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I think somebody already mentioned Brooks. They are the "cloudiest" shoes I've ever worn.
 
Trixo what brooks have u tried I had defiance 5 they are great but cushion went away toooooo fast
And I feel if I pay that much it should last longer then two months and that's switching shoes with asics. I try not uae same ones over and over to avoid that.
 
ReneePruitt said:
Trixo what brooks have u tried I had defiance 5 they are great but cushion went away toooooo fast
And I feel if I pay that much it should last longer then two months and that's switching shoes with asics. I try not uae same ones over and over to avoid that.
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I'm sorry Renee, but I can't remember. I knew somebody would ask! They were not cheap, but did last. I'm using asics gel strike (cheap, but great for me for plyo) and gel upshot (weighs, low impact) right now.
 
I wear my Vibram 5 fingers for all my workouts - STS, step, crazy HiiT stuff...you name it.

I love them and don't see myself ever returning to traditional shoes.

Of course, every body is different and YMMV. But....I like them because they do encourage the use and strengthening of all the little tiny balancing muscles in the lower legs and feet.

And..I have wonky knees (kneecaps don't track correctly due to tight ITBs). Traditional shoes make my knees crack really loudly...and it doesn't feel right.

These shoes surely will help you with your form! As mentioned previously...when you're not relying on cushioning you really think about how hard you're gonna land and adjust accordingly.

I think the cushioning (to me and my body) throws off my alignment.

HTH.
 
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