This post has been in the making for quite some time. Why would I want to talk about shoes, you may ask? Mostly because I often get asked what kind of shoes I use for lifting, running, walking, looking hot and otherwise living my life. Now, some of you may be thinking, “well, this is an odd shoe post…where are the fancy shoes?” but I’ma tell you right now, that I rarely wear “normal” heels or fancy shoes. Two reasons: they hurt my delicate little feetsies and they are fucking hard to walk in. Am I right?!
This my friends, is the only kind of heel I wear. Wedge heels are a girl’s best friend. Seriously, if you have not let a wedge heel grace your foot, you are seriously missing out girls! For us females who have not been genetically blessed with height, our only hope is wearing lifts (because that’s truly what they are isn’t it…?). These badass shoes came to me all the way from the UK from a wonderful company called JD Sports, they have tons of super awesome exclusive shoes and they ship to over 200 countries worldwide! Yay! Go check out the link and see for yourself, this place knows how to pamper a girl with a shoe fetish…even if it’s not Manolo Blahnik or Jimmy Choo…
Now, let’s talk about these Sky Hi Nike Wedges that I got. First of all, they feature throwbacks to the ’80’s with the Nike Air unit in the midsole (SUPER comfy), plus they are padded in the ankles to give you extra comfort there too. I love the all white design (even though I have to Magic Eraser that shit every week to keep it tidy), and the velcro strap keeps them on my feet.
I took these babies with me to Vegas last month for the ultimate test of comfort. I walked the Strip in them. In 40+°C weather. They didn’t melt. My feet felt awesome, and every thirty people or so, I got asked where I got them or told how awesome they looked. So if you need height, comfort and super cool style, these are the shoes for you.
Next up in our line-up are lifting shoes! The Reebok CrossFit Lifter, as it’s known…or more commonly, Olympic Weightlifting Shoes. These shoes are expensive but well worth your money if you perform any of the Olympic lifts (Snatch, Clean and Jerk) or if you squat on a regular basis. I don’t recommend them for any of the other lifts, although many people seem to wear them for their entire workout. I think everyone should be proficient in the lifts before making the decision to buy these shoes, mostly because I’ve seen numerous people with terrible form thinking these $200 shoes will fix everything for their lifting. And they will…kind of. For sure, if you can’t keep your chest up in a squat, these shoes will help you, but that also shows, that you probably don’t have the mobility in your ankles, hips, shoulders or whatnot to properly perform the lift in the first place. Equipment is great and all, but a lot of people abuse it’s purpose. If you do CrossFit, Olympic Lifting or a lot of squatting though, these shoes are a great investment. These particular shoes feature the UForm sole…which is pretty neat really. You bake them in the oven at a really low temperature when you first get them and then jam your feet in…molding them specifically to your soles. Cool right?
What kind of shoes for regular working out, running, biking etc.? Well, I have a couple of shoes I rotate around for comfort, looks and general performance. I highly recommend the Reebok CrossFit Nano 2s and 3s ( I don’t yet have 4s). The Nano 2s are great for running and lifting as they are very light and have very low profilesoles. But comfort-wise, I think they are terrible. You can’t stand around for hours in these shoes, or your feet will be dead. Seriously, try it. Let me know how it goes for you.
Nano 3s are by far my favourite and I have them in two colours, just for fun…and to match my workout outfits…naturally. These are my favourite shoes for all around fitness. I wear them during every workout, unless I’m squatting, in which case I use my lifters. This is what I wear for running, biking, bodybuilding type exercises and any other active thing I am doing. They are comfy (though not for more then a few hours generally) and come in a rainbow of colours. You can even get custom pairs if you so desire.
Now for my last shoe…and quite possibly the most comfortable shoe ever designed by man. You think I’m kidding, but seriously…I stood for 12 hours in these shoes and my feet didn’t even hurt a little bit. I walked the entire Las Vegas Strip from the MGM Grand, to the Monte Carlo, to Mandalay Bay, then all the way to the Encore and back to the MGM Grand…so that’s about 10 miles that day…and over four hours of walking…and my feet were tired…but not sore. This is the Chill Pill from Str/ke Movement…a local company out of Vancouver, BC. Get them, buy two more pairs. Be happy that you now own a little piece of foot paradise. Own that shit. You’re welcome.
Side note: I am currently not deadlifting at the moment, as I injured my back a couple weeks ago. Things are healing up nicely and I’m mobilizing like an insanely limber person, but for the moment..no deads for me. If I was though, I would be in bare feet for those. Just personal preference, but I much prefer no shoes during any kind of deadlift.