Workout shoes for someone used to flat insole (vans etc)

Madpanda

I started wearing shoes with flat insoles (vans, zoo york, skate shoes etc) about 6 years ago as I found them more comfortable. I have recently upped the intensity on my cardio workouts and the main thing that holds me back is foot pain.

So I should probably look into a more athletic shoe now?

The problem is, I have tried wearing non flat insole shoes a few times, some doc martins, new balance, and I cannot for the live of me even walk in them properly. I eventually end up coming down on the out sides of the shoe and bending my ankle. The 3rd or 4th time I worked out with the new balance shoes I actually ended up spraining my ankle when doing jumping jacks or something.

I mainly do indoor exercises now, jumping jacks,squat jacks, jogging in place etc.

Any suggestions?

IronKnuckle's Ghost

It sounds mainly that you're just not used to how shoes with arch support feel, and it's causing you to distribute your weight and effecting your stride differently. I went through this in the opposite fashion, throughout school I wore athletic shoes daily. When I finished and got a job I found the flatness of dress shoes to be very off-putting. Eventually I learned to cope.

Alternatively it's possible that the arches of your feet have collapsed partially due to prolonged lack of support. Stand barefoot on something flat like linoleum. Males typically have right about one inch of arch when standing normally.

Finally, you may just have the wrong shoes for your foot type. My feet pronate (ankles roll towards the center when standing), and I need shoes with extra arch support when I'm doing strenuous exercise. I found my current exercise shoes, a pair of Under Armour Illusions, to feel the best. To this day it's the only shoe I've ever worn that felt like I wasn't wearing shoes at all. The foot pain I had been experiencing after a bicycle ride or running cleared up very quickly.

MegaMan001

This is something that you should take the time and the money to go into a running shoe store or a business that specializes in properly fitting athletic shoes (read: not footlocker, etc.) and get a pair of shoes that are particularly fit to your gait.

Scalfin

MegaMan001 wrote: »

This is something that you should take the time and the money to go into a running shoe store or a business that specializes in properly fitting athletic shoes (read: not footlocker, etc.) and get a pair of shoes that are particularly fit to your gait.

I have very low arches and usually go to the New Balance factory store, but I don't think there are any outside the Boston area. Each of their shoes has a slightly different fit, so simply trying shoes on until I hit gold usually works. My current shoes are 768's, which a lot of wearers complain about having insufficient arch support.

For resources, here's a shopping search site that organizes shoes by arch size. For the NB shoes, the first letter is the gender, the second letter is most likely the type of shoe (R for running?), and the number after is the model (I wear MR768NY), so just search for the number if the site has a shoe you like in the wrong gender. New Balance also has an arch size guide, so you could just try following the links from the low and flat arch sections.

EggyToast

You should go to an actual running shoe store, where they'll see whether your feet are neutral, or "suffer" from pronation or supenation. That's just the turn of your feet, and it sounds like it's where the problem lay with shoes you pick up. You can get running shoes that will match how your feet naturally fall.

My amateur take is that it sounds like your feet are supine and having an arch that's neutral just emphasizes the fact.

Saaruto

I have been wearing soccer shoes and flat shoes my entire life, so my feet are ridiculously unsupported/flat. I started wearing a nice pair of running shoes and it really makes a world of difference. Get out to the specialty running store in your area and buy some shoes with a decent amount of support, it's totally worth dishing out the money.

Forkes

You can try some insoles, I used to wear them in some Etnies that I had.

But if you are working out at a gym, trying hitting the eliptical. I use it with some skate shoes, and my feet feel fine afterwards. Super low impact, good work out.

BEAST!

IronKnuckle's Ghost wrote: »

Alternatively it's possible that the arches of your feet have collapsed partially due to prolonged lack of support. Stand barefoot on something flat like linoleum. Males typically have right about one inch of arch when standing normally.

this is not how the foot works....the arch doesn't just collapse
some people are flat footed, others are not

if you go with shoes, don't get running shoes, get cross training shoes....the things you're doing require different ranges of motion than running shoes provide

but seriously....for what it sounds like you do and what it sounds like your foot condition is (that is to say, probably pretty healthy if you haven't had arch support)...Vibram Five Fingers sound like the perfect choice....

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com

Avicus

BEAST! wrote: »

IronKnuckle's Ghost wrote: »

Alternatively it's possible that the arches of your feet have collapsed partially due to prolonged lack of support. Stand barefoot on something flat like linoleum. Males typically have right about one inch of arch when standing normally.

this is not how the foot works....the arch doesn't just collapse
some people are flat footed, others are not

if you go with shoes, don't get running shoes, get cross training shoes....the things you're doing require different ranges of motion than running shoes provide

but seriously....for what it sounds like you do and what it sounds like your foot condition is (that is to say, probably pretty healthy if you haven't had arch support)...Vibram Five Fingers sound like the perfect choice....

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com

Vibrams are like anal sex for chicks.It fucking hurts the first couple times but then they get use to it and its super awesome.

Karrmer

Avicus wrote: »

BEAST! wrote: »

IronKnuckle's Ghost wrote: »

Alternatively it's possible that the arches of your feet have collapsed partially due to prolonged lack of support. Stand barefoot on something flat like linoleum. Males typically have right about one inch of arch when standing normally.

this is not how the foot works....the arch doesn't just collapse
some people are flat footed, others are not

if you go with shoes, don't get running shoes, get cross training shoes....the things you're doing require different ranges of motion than running shoes provide

but seriously....for what it sounds like you do and what it sounds like your foot condition is (that is to say, probably pretty healthy if you haven't had arch support)...Vibram Five Fingers sound like the perfect choice....

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com

Vibrams are like anal sex for chicks.It fucking hurts the first couple times but then they get use to it and its super awesome.

Best "shoes" in the world. Seriously. Find a store that has them, try them on, and be amazed. Buy them. Now. They completely change the way you walk and run and fix so many issues... just do it. All of my knee pain vanished, zero shin splint issues now, pretty much all pain is gone other than minor muscle aches if I run or climb too hard.

BEAST!

Avicus wrote: »

BEAST! wrote: »

IronKnuckle's Ghost wrote: »

Alternatively it's possible that the arches of your feet have collapsed partially due to prolonged lack of support. Stand barefoot on something flat like linoleum. Males typically have right about one inch of arch when standing normally.

this is not how the foot works....the arch doesn't just collapse
some people are flat footed, others are not

if you go with shoes, don't get running shoes, get cross training shoes....the things you're doing require different ranges of motion than running shoes provide

but seriously....for what it sounds like you do and what it sounds like your foot condition is (that is to say, probably pretty healthy if you haven't had arch support)...Vibram Five Fingers sound like the perfect choice....

http://www.vibramfivefingers.com

Vibrams are like anal sex for chicks.It fucking hurts the first couple times but then they get use to it and its super awesome.

if he's not really running in them (running in place probably doesn't count as running since it's really the pushing off with the forefoot that causes initial calf pain) and he's been using flat shoes, i really don't see him having any problems at all starting out with them...

Mortal Sky

Yeah, I run barefoot/fivefingers and walk around in skate shoes. Building the foot muscles and gait necessary for barefooting is a long process (about three weeks of buildup) but completely worth it.