*The title of this post is taken from the KC & The Sunshine Band song of the same name*
It was tempting to write a somewhat obligatory post about New Year, New You (yada yada) but I thought I might take a slightly different approach this time.
This is the time of year where, yet again, many will embark on their gym journey to “take better care of their health” “finally lose those stubborn pounds” “work off the holiday weight”, etc.
One thing that I tend to see a lot of starts from the ground up: with the shoes.
Here’s your handy disclaimer: I make no money off of endorsing any shoe brand and have no vested interest in any of them. I am also NOT a podiatrist.
That aside, I see all likes of shoes on the feet of my clients here at RevFit and while they all serve a purpose, they may not be best suited for the work you’ll do on a gym floor.
I thought I would take a few moments to discuss as simply as possible why you may want to put some more thought into your footwear before you begin your 2017 journey towards better health.
If you plan on running/jogging any distance beyond a mile, I would highly encourage you to go to a running specialty store and be evaluated for shoes based on your arch, gait, etc. While you will likely spend $100-150 for a proper pair, you will save yourself a great deal of anguish by wearing shoes suited just for you and designed for distance running. Bear in mind, there are shoes specifically for track running, trail running and street/treadmill running. It would behoove you to mention the type of running you are planning on doing when you speak to your shoe consultant.
If you happen to be a client of RevFit, come see me directly to hear about special pricing available to you at a local specialty shop.
However, what if you have no intention of running?
When you’re lifting weights, or more specifically: squatting, lunging, pulling weight from the floor (deadlifts or traplifts), you may be better served with a very flat pair of shoes.
You may notice that when you look at a running shoe, there can be a considerable amount of cushioning at the heel. This cushioning might be great for impact work (striking the ground when you run) but terrible for squatting, traplifting, etc.
The reason? Your body is trying to find stability in the cushioning and you might be setting yourself up for ankle, knee or hip problems.
If you’ve been following us on social media, I post a lot of pictures of people pulling a trapbar from the ground. Often, they are in their socks so I don’t have to worry about them dealing with the cushioning in their shoes. The general consensus is that most clients feel more stable and more in control of their lower body when they’re not competing with the “support” their shoes are offering.
While we’re okay with the sock approach here at RevFit, you may not have the same luxury if you train somewhere else. In this case, you may want to consider a minimalist shoe or something very flat like you might find with Converse, Vans, Puma or some Adidas shoes.
Ultimately, this post was written to give you some perspective on what you’re wearing so you have fewer instances of pain starting from the ground up. Many people come through our doors with any shoe that might qualify as a “sneaker” or “tennis shoe.” You’d be amazed at the amount of pain you can feel or even where you might feel pain begin simply because you went to the gym with the wrong shoes and tried to do too much with too little (or not enough.)
So, now that you’ve had a short tutorial on what to wear when you’re gym bound, get those boogie shoes on and get your work in.
Happy New Year from the RevFit family to yours!
(My current boogie shoes, the aforementioned Converse in leather as opposed to canvas.)
