What are the Benefits of CrossFit Shoes?
Here are some of the reasons why you might consider CrossFit shoes over running, or general training shoes:
- Comfort
- Flexibility
- Balance
- Durability (especially with rope climbing)
- Heel-to-toe drop
- Ankle roles
- Balance
- Shoe weight good value
CrossFit workouts consist of a number of activities ranging from sprints, to heavy weight to rope climbing and box jumps. It’s clear that a running shoe, or cheap workout shoe won’t stand up to this kind of test. That’s why you should consider a specialized Cross Fit shoe instead.
What Should I be Looking for a in CrossFit Shoe?
Not all of us know what we are looking for most of the time, and it actually requires some research when you really need to get the best you can buy so it fits in with your preferences. When talking about CrossFit shoes, it is important first and foremost to know what CrossFit training is so we know what exactly we are looking for.
CrossFit is a training program wherein you can gain principal strength and conditioning for anything. Various professionals in their field of work both choose and are required to learn and train to become competent.
Why Do CrossFit?
For example, police, tactical teams, military members, martial artists, athletes, and other elite professionals all do CrossFit. Some are in it for work but many are in it for optimal fitness. Basically, if you want to get into seriously good shape, CrossFit workouts are where it’s at!
This is where the consumers come in. It isn’t easy to say that any good shoe is fit for cross-training. It has to be a specialized shoe that can do what you need to do and that can carry your strength and durability. This is why you really need to know what you are planning to get. Let’s dig deeper into what the qualities of the best CrossFit shoes are.
Or, head over to Amazon to check out one of our top-rated CrossFit Shoes, the Reebok CrossFit Nano 8.0:
What is a good CrossFit shoe?
Whenever we do exercises and any physical or athletic activities, what do we want? The attire we usually go for is jogging pants or leggings, a loose shirt or a razor back, and sports attire or sports underwear, like a sports bra for women.
Sure, we have to have all these, but what really matters and what do we NEED? The answer is shoes! We need the RIGHT shoe that can sustain what we do when training. It is very important to have balance when working out. This is why we need to know what a good CrossFit shoe is.
Needs to Be Stable and Comfortable
First off, you will need a shoe that is stable enough for all the activities you will do while training for CrossFit. It should be stable enough for weightlifting; light enough for sprints, jogging, and running; and flexible enough for jumping and other movements. It also depends on your own preferences, body type, and needs.
Some shoes are good for only men, others are specifically women, and then there are some that are unisex. These are the basics when knowing what are good CrossFit shoes.
The bottom line is that there are characteristics and features that you have to make sure your shoe has to be able to sustain heavy training. They include comfort, flexibility, durability, and balance to name just a few.
CrossFit Shoes vs. Running Shoes
Comfort
If your shoes don’t feel comfortable on your feet, you’re not going to enjoy your CrossFit workout, no matter what else is happening. A good CrossFit shoe, such as the Reebok CrossFit Sprint, or the Nike Metcon 2 will just feel good on your feet from the first time you put them on.
Just like with any other running, or athletic shoe, there will be a very minimal break-in period required.
Flexibility
The Best CrossFit Shoes are flexible enough to perform well when you throw some serious hurdles at them. They should be able to move with your feet when you’re jumping, sprinting, climbing ropes, or lifting weights. Sounds like a pretty typical CrossFit workout, right?
Compare Reebok CrossFit Shoes
Durability
Durability is on obvious one when choosing the best CrossFit shoe. If you spend $100+ on a top-quality CrossFit shoe, the last thing you want is it to break down in only a couple of months and have to buy a new pair.
The best CrossFit shoes will last for at least 6 months with extremely heavy use. With light use, you should be good for a year. However, be sure to replace your shoes before there are obvious signs of extreme wear and tear in order to prevent injuries.
If you start to have foot, ankle, knee of hip pain, your shoes should be the first thing that you suspect. We recommend changing out your shoes in this case and see if your body recovers easily. If yes, then you have an easy solution to a potentially big problem.
Another thing to consider is rope-climbs. The average running shoe is not durable enough on the side to stand up to this test, and will wear out very quickly. The best Cross-Fit shoes have some extra protection to handle this in style.
Qualities of Good CrossFit Shoes: Nike Metcon
Proper Balance
A good pair of CrossFit shoes will allow you to have proper balance during your workouts. Running shoes are meant to keep you going in a forward motion. They aren’t great for lifting weights, doing a squat, or jumping on boxes.
Heel-to-toe drop
Weightlifting shoes have a minimal heel to toe drop, while runners have quite a high one. Weightlifters need a very stable platform to lift from, which is why they prefer flat shoes. Runners like to have a bit of forward motion to their gate, which is why they need a bigger heel to toe drop.
CrossFit shoes fall somewhere between these two extremes. The best CrossFit shoes are comfortable enough to do some sprinting in, as well as providing a stable enough platform from which to do some serious lifting.
Inov-8 215: One of the Best CrossFit Shoes
Ankle Rolls
Rolling an ankle is a common athletic injury that can easily be prevented with a good pair of CrossFit shoes. They offer support, but are light in weight and comfortable to wear on your feet.
Stay safe with some top-quality CrossFit shoes! After all, nothing sets you back further than time off due to injury. Avoid this it at all possible. Of course, we recommend top-quality CrossFit shoes!
Shoe weight
When you’re jumping on boxes, or climbing ropes, the last thing you want is big, clunky shoes on your feet! CrossFit shoes are light enough that you shouldn’t even notice them.
However, if you’re doing CrossFit workouts that are mostly focused on weightlifting, then you might want to consider a pair of specialized weightlifting shoes. We love the Adidas Powerlift 3, which are kind of a hybrid between the more serious weightlifting shoes, and training shoes.
Good Value
We’re kind of stating the obvious right now, but a box membership isn’t cheap! It only makes sense to get the best value out of your membership by using the proper gear that will get you the results you want.
Improve your Workouts with CrossFit Shoes
Check out our Top-Rated CrossFit Shoe on Amazon
Here at Best CrossFit Shoes, we love the Reebok Men’s R Crossfit Nano Pump Cross-Trainer Shoe Reebok is the leader in the world of CrossFit shoes by a mile and they keep coming out with new, innovative products to satisfy the most demanding customers.
The Reebok CrossFit Nano Pump has some excellent customer reviews online. People commented that they offered some serious stability while still feeling comfortable on the feet.
“I’ve always used cross-trainers for my Cross-Fit workouts and thought they did a decent job. That’s until I bought these specialized CrossFit shoes. Man, what a difference! I’m never going back.”
We love the Reebok Nano Pump because they offer a customized fit. While light, they offer some serious cushioning and protection during a tough workout. Reebok CrossFit Nano Pumps are ideal for sprinting, jumping, climbing and light weightlifting like you’d do during any CrossFit workout.
More Information and Where to Buy the CrossFit Nano Pump
For more details about our top-ranked CrossFit shoe, check out the full review of the Reebok CrossFit Nano Pump.
Benefits of CrossFit Shoes: Have your Say!
Why would you consider buying a pair of CrossFit shoes over running, or general training shoes? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
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I have started training for a Spartan race. I’m looking for a shoe that will work well for 1-3 miles runs plus gym/weight workouts. Do you have a suggestion?
You can check out the Reebok CrossFit sprint.