Planning to compete in a race this summer? Want to take up bike riding? Or maybe you plan to spend more time on the water? You’ll need a shoe for that. But with thousands of sneakers on the market (and summer nearly here!), there’s no time to get stuck with the wrong pair. After weeks of testing on trails, treadmills and training floors, we narrowed our picks down to these 25 shoes that crushed the competition in each of their categories. Here are the best of the best — for every workout or activity that lies ahead this season. Disclosure: All products featured on our site are hand-picked by our editorial team in the hopes of getting you closer to your health and fitness goals. We only recommend products we love and believe that you will, too. In some cases, you might come across an affiliate link on our site, which means we receive a small commission should you decide to make a purchase.It doesn’t matter if you’re a once-in-a-while, around-the-block-guy or a shirt-off racer who logs 50 miles a week and keeps pacing notes.
As many as 79 percent of distance runners have sustained a lower-extremity injury, a Dutch review reveals. “Most injuries are caused by faults in foot and leg strength, imbalances, and movement problems,” says Jonathan Beverly, shoe editor at Runner’s World magazine. “But running in the wrong shoe can also cause problems.” (Here’s how to Prevent 5 Common Running Injuries.) Canadian research indicates that the right shoe can help you run with less effort. People who ran in shoes they deemed comfortable consumed up to 2 percent less oxygen, increasing their running economy as a result. To help you find your perfect pair, we teamed up with the Runner’s World Shoe Lab in Portland, Oregon, which tests more than 1,000 pairs a year. Click ahead and you’ll see both ends of the spectrum: light, flexible, minimalist shoes featuring thin midsoles and a barefoot feel, which are ideal for efficient runners and guys working on form, speed, and foot-strengthening drills;
and plush, stable maximalist cruisers that are best for heavier, injury-prone guys. Pick the shoe that fits. In the lab, each shoe is tested for flexibility, cushioning, stability, height, and weight. Then a loyal crew of 300 road warriors puts the shoes through their real-world paces to make sure they can handle life on the street. Note: The shoes progress in order from minimal to maximal. Do I need a lot of cushioning? What’s the benefit of a woven upper? Am I strong enough for minimal shoes? Should I try “no-drop” shoes? How long has this model existed? Asics Gel-DS Trainer 20 Nike Flyknit Lunar 3 Under Armour Speedform Gemini Hoka One One Constant Keep this field blank Enter your email address You may unsubscribe at any time.In a sea of barefoot-esque styles, this running sneaker debut stands out for helping your body move naturally and efficiently, with as little interference as possible. Rubber lugs under the forefoot encourage you to pick up your cadence, making this a great tool for turning up the speed during intervals.
Breezy mesh keeps your feet cool; new cushioning technology puts a little more spring in your step. The result: Your feet tire less quickly, so you can keep going and going. The roomy, seam-free toe box means no chafing or discomfort, no matter how long you're on the road. See the gray wave just above the outsole? It helps disperse impact forces with each step for a smoother, more cushioned feel. For heel-hitting runners who want to get out of traditional (read: bulky) stability shoes, this is the perfect step toward something more minimal. The outsole of this lightweight kick has been redesigned around the foot's subtalar joint (responsible for your foot's pronation and supination) for a more natural step.5 Biggest Mistakes When Choosing Workout Shoes Why you shouldn't reach for those comfy old sneakers after all. The single most important piece of equipment in virtually any kind of exercise program -- running, aerobics, hiking, tennis, basketball -- is the right pair of shoes.
A good pair of sneakers can make or break your workout. And it’s easy to go wrong. Here are the five biggest shoe mistakes people make. 1. Grabbing Whatever’s Handy "The biggest mistake people make when they start running, jogging, or some other exercise program is just reaching into the closet and pulling out an old pair of sneakers," says Tracie Rogers, PhD, a consultant for the American Council on Exercise. An old pair of shoes may no longer have the support you need. And even more problematic, that pair of shoes might be inappropriate for the activity you choose. 2. Choosing the Right Shoe -- for the Wrong Workout You need to choose the right type of shoe for the kind of workout you’ll be doing. A shoe made for running is very different from a shoe made for basketball or tennis. "Running shoes have no lateral stability built into them because you don’t move your feet laterally when you run. You’re only going forward. A running shoe is built to give you support and stability as you move your foot through the running gait cycle," says Joe Puleo, the author of Running Anatomy.
Puleo says basketball and tennis shoes both need to be stabilized laterally. That's because you move your feet side to side a lot when playing these sports. "You can’t build a running shoe that has lateral stability," he says, "and you can’t build a shoe for basketball or tennis that doesn’t have it." Even walking shoes differ from running shoes. Runners land more on their forefoot, while walkers have a heavier heel strike, says Catherine Cheung, a foot surgeon with the Post Street Surgery Center in San Francisco. "So for running, you want a shoe that has more cushioning on the forefoot, while walking shoes should have stiffer rubber to support the heel." Can’t you just get a good cross-trainer and use it for everything? “There’s no specificity to them -- you can’t do any one thing well,” Puleo says. “They have some lateral stability, so you can play a game of basketball with your kids occasionally. You can run a mile or two. But most of them are not very good shoes for any particular activity."
Then again, some people aren’t heavily into running, hiking, tennis, or any one sport. They go to the gym occasionally, maybe play tennis with a work buddy once in a while, or shoot a few baskets with the kids. For them, a cross-trainer might be the best choice. "A good cross-trainer will allow you to do the treadmill, some walking on asphalt or on a track, and light jogging," says Kathleen Stone, past president of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA). "Not mileage, of course. But I like them for people who are doing a variety of athletic endeavors casually." To choose a good cross-trainer, Stone suggests you look for: Good support (you shouldn’t be able to bend the shoe too easily) Light weight (you don’t want to add a lot of pounds to your feet) But the APMA recommends that if you’re going to participate in a particular sport two to three times a week or more, you should choose a sport-specific shoe. 3. Loving Them Too Much "Your workout shoes should be your workout shoes and not your running-around-town shoes," Rogers says.
"You’ll break down a pair of shoes standing in them or wearing them to the mall and running errands much faster than when you’re running or exercising." So buy yourself a pair of casual tennies for running around town, and stow your good workout shoes in the closet as soon as you get home from your run or your tennis game. 4. Loving Them Too Long Another big mistake many people make with athletic shoes is not replacing them often enough. "They think they should replace their workout shoes when they start looking bad," Rogers says. "But shoes start to break down while they’re still looking good. The support -- the reason you buy the shoe in the first place -- is gone, and you’ll start feeling strange aches and pains in your knees, hip, and back." Most experts recommend that runners replace their shoes every 300 to 500 miles. If you don’t run enough to have a mile count, or running’s not your sport, you should replace your athletic shoes at least once a year.
"If you’re exercising on a casual basis, you can make your shoes last a year," Stone says. "But if you’re working out every day, 6 months is pretty much your limit." You should also have your shoe size rechecked every year, Cheung says. "Foot size doesn’t stay the same; our feet tend to grow bigger as we age." 5. Doing It Yourself Unless you’ve been playing your sport for a long time and have learned exactly what shoe is right for you, it’s a bad idea to just walk into a sporting goods store, try on a few pairs of shoes, and walk out with what you think is best. Instead, go to an athletic shoe specialty store to get an expert insight on the right shoe and the best fit. "The staff there will do a real fitting, evaluate your foot, and take a history of your athletic activities and what shoes may have worked for you before," Puleo says. "They’ll watch you walk or run on a treadmill or outside." They’ll take three measurements -- not just one -- on the metal plate known as a Brannock Device that we’ve all seen in shoe stores.