Shoes for High Impact?

[scouter99]

I am in complete despair! I struggle so much to find shoes for high impact workouts! My feet cramp up so bad that I have to quit almost all the time. I don't know what to do, and refuse to believe that my high impact days are over.

I am on my 7th pair of shoes from Zappos right now. Every shoe I try just can't support me or cushion me well enough (thank GOD for Zappos return policy). I am 39 1/2 years old, and have been working out to Cathe since the 90's. Is this really the end of high impact for me? Say it ain't so! I'm not sure if this can be fixed, but I refuse to give up. Maybe I need to buy some cushioned inserts? I've tried that in the past and didn't feel any difference, but who knows.

Anyway. I did a search on the forums and there have only been 2 shoe posts that I could find in the last 6 months (I only searched for 'shoe' in the title). Since manfacturers change what they produce fairly frequently I thought it was time for another weigh in on this.

What shoe or shoes are you wearing right now to do high impact aerobics and kickboxing?

THANK YOU!!
Denise

 

[story1267]

Denise, I don't know if you have problems with your feet....i.e. wear orthotics or have any kind of foot diagnosis but....

I wear vibram fivefingers for ALL my workouts including step, kickbox, running, and high impact. I have zero cramping, zero pain. I LOVE them.

They aren't for everyone but it might be something to look into if regular shoes with support and padding are making you uncomfortable.

I'm an old lady at 43 and have been working out with Cathe since maybe 2002.

 

[Gobias]

Denise,

I am not sure what your problems are with your feet, but it sounds as though your feet hurt due to lack of cushion? Do the balls and heels hurt after high impact?

I never had ball of foot pain but then a little over a year ago I was in a motorcycle accident and crushed every single bone in my left foot. I was in a wheelchair for 6 months and then moved to crutches and a cane. I then was able to walk but it hurt my left foot so much. I got Skechers SRR shoes ($100) for casual walking around and those made it so I could actually run on a treadmill with NO pain! Amazing since just plain old walking killed my foot but running on a treadmill with these shoes was 100% fine. (they put the weight on your arch, not your ball or heel). However, when I tried to do step aerobics, it was too unstable since those shoes are the "rocker" kind and I was worried I would trip. I was also worried that they wouldn't work for HiiT type of workouts.

I tried a TON of shoes and shoe inserts. The shoes just weren't cushion-y enough and the inserts were either too large (included the arch of my foot which bothered me; included the entire foot which bothered me; or were just the size of the ball of foot but were too thin).

I finally got Reebok Run Tone (I also tried Reebok Simply Tone and Reebok Train Tone but those didn't work). I wear the Run Tone for HiiT type workouts and my left foot is perfectly fine. And it doesn't annoy my right foot (the uninjured foot). It has cushion "pods" in the shoe for the ball and heel and a good size toe box. It ran true to size and I got mine on sale at Famous Footwear for $59 (everywhere else was $100).

However, I then went to use that shoe for step aerobics and rolled my ankle and did some damage. I do have weak ankles (from another injury) and these shoes don't have a lot of lateral support. But for a person with normal ankles, they may work. I had been doing step aerobics with these shoes for a couple of months and was fine, but then one mishap caused me to roll it.

I finally did find an insert that seems to work (have only started using it this week) and I do NOT need it with the Reebok Run Tone. I need it when I wear other shoes. I got it at Sports Authority: SofSole Gel Ball of Foot Comfort Insole ($4). They also had insole for just the heel, just the arch, & entire foot. I have tried a lot of inserts and they were mainly made for high heels so they weren't big enough for a tennis shoe. This insert is nice and thick and wide. It can get annoying to slide your foot into the shoe when the insert is in (the sock doesn't glide over the insert very easily) but I just loosen my shoe as much as possible and it then is easier.

I know what you are going through! I started crying when I was 1st able to start exercising again after my accident and realized I couldn't do my favorite exercise (step/plyos) and thought I would be able to only use the treadmill.

After dozens of shoes, I finally found ones that work. I am now trying to find ones with enough lateral support for my ankle when I do step (I currently have 7 shoes from zappos I am trying). Although during my workouts I will change shoes up to 3 times depending on my exercises.

Weigh Training - any tennis shoe with the SofSole gel insert
HiiT/Plyos/Kickboxing - Reebok Run Tone
Stepper - still deciding but probably Asics Gel Intensity WITH an ankle support on

Hope one of these ideas works for you. PM me if you need pictures of the exact items.

Good Luck.

 

[Tracy Sheehy]

Cathe recently posted information about Rykas on the cathe site newsletter. They sounded oretty good. Thinking of trying them myself.

 

[ebonynicole]

I'm thinking about trying these as well the Ryka assist 2. I actually plan on ordering them from Zappos.

 

[Audryb]

Denise, you said your feet cramp up when doing high-impact, but not specifically where. I have had a problem as long as I can remember with cramping in my feet, mainly in my lateral (outside of the foot) arches and in front of my heel. I only have the problem with shoes on - barefoot I'm fine! (Also, as a side note, more padding in the shoes only makes it worse.) So I usually do high-impact aerobics barefoot. Unfortunately, this limited what I was able to do outside - I like to sprint, jump rope, etc. but the skin on the bottoms of my feet isn't that tough and there are lots of sharp things outside. So I recently bought a pair of Vibram Five Fingers (story1267 mentioned them too) and I LOVE them. My feet don't cramp up, no matter what I do.

Have you tried doing high-impact workouts barefoot to see if the problem might be related to wearing shoes period? People are often quick to try to "fix" foot problems by adding cushions and supports, but feet were designed to work on their own, without help! Most shoes don't let your feet move naturally and that could be what's causing the problem. If you've never tried doing these workouts barefoot, I'd recommend it. If you find, like me, that you don't have a problem when you're not wearing shoes, then I'd definitely recommend the VFFs for times when you want a little more protection for the soles of your feet.