“Appropriate gym footwear”. The do’s and do not’s
When you first entered the gym and signed your contract to abide by the gym’s rules, pay your monthly fee and sanitise your very soul before you entered and exited, you also promised to wear “appropriate footwear”. Now, I know we were never very specific on what we meant by ‘appropriate’, so allow me to clarify the term ‘appropriate footwear’ in relation to the gym.
Appropriate Footwear
‘Appropriate footwear’ is footwear that is appropriate to the actions you are performing in the gym. Squatting, hinging, jumping, propelling? Sound simple, right? Apparently not. The next time you are in the gym, have a look at your fellow gym go-ers chosen forms of footwear. You will see a strange mix of battered, off-white Converse, neon Asics that would blind a bat, rejected Reeboks discovered at the bottom of a TK Maxx sale and even the odd pair of punk Vans. You would be forgiven for feeling unsure of what actually is the most appropriate type of footwear for the gym and your physicality. Under the presumption that everyone that is reading this is not a sport specific trainer, high end athlete and is simply attempting to improve their general health and fitness, the most appropriate type of footwear for you is the most minimal. Ideally your bare feet, however, as I do not want to be accused of foot fetishism, I will make a case for barefoot shoes, not barefootism itself. Also, I do not want a lawsuit when you drop a dumbbell on your uncovered toes and blame me and this blog.
An appropriate type of footwear for training is one with a minimal height heel. The closer your heel is to the ground, the more centered your weight is and therefore the more force production you can create in high calibre exercises such as squatting, deadlifting and lunging. Also, the closer your heel is to the ground, the more work you demand of your hips, which is never a bad thing. Strong and stable hips is one of the most important physical factors when it comes to longevity and future physical health, so keeping them challenged as often as possible will stand to you in the long run.
A thin sole is also more advantageous. The more bend in the sole, the more work you can request of your big toe, arguably one of the most important, yet underrated joints in the human body for effective, and successful training. Don’t believe me? Check out Dr. John Rusin’s insight on the big toe’s importance in his article “Advanced Strength Training for the Feet”. As Dr. Rusin states:
“If the big toe does not allow the activation of the Windlass Mechanism which assists propulsion, you can imagine the gross, chronic compensations and equally frustrating consequences that may then take place. Tight hip flexors will result as the iliacus, quads, and tfl must fire earlier and more frequently to get the foot/leg off of the floor. The foot itself will over-pronate to get as much big toe “propulsion” as possible by rolling off the inside of the foot. Pronated feet lead to valgus knees, to bunions, and to the worst of them all, an awkwardly loaded Achilles.”
In simple terms, if your big toe is poorly functioning, your body will be forced to compensate in other areas to make up for the lack of function and mobility in your primary joint, the toe, which is designed to maintain contact with the physical environment around you.
Additionally, it must be remembered that the yogi’s do have a point when they say you should be grounded. Your feet are packed with nerve endings that create a vital sensory feedback loop connecting your brain to your feet and the rest of the body in between. Maintaining this vital connection is the difference between intelligent training, that encompasses joint stability, proprioception and balance, and training that neglects these vital components. Padded, cushioned shoes (I am looking at you Nike) dull our sensory feedback and reduce our ability to react swiftly and efficiently to the change in angles, weight and other varying factors that naturally take place during training.
If you are someone who has been diagnosed with ‘falling arches’, this may be of interest. Studies have shown that cultures that remain barefoot for longer, or wear minimal style shoes, are less prone to the diagnoses of flat feet and injuries. By relying on the arches of your shoes to support yourself, you are effectively using a crutch for the ankle on a daily basis. Why not be brave like the Tarahumara tribe, famous for their running prowess, and stand on your own two feet, rather than your prescribed orthotics. Self reliance is never a bad thing and that can be applied to the physical body.
Inappropriate footwear
Now that we have identified what is meant by “appropriate footwear’, we can now contrast this to ‘inappropriate footwear’. There are a number of shoes that are a no go. Nike Airmax, Nike Shocks, Alexander McQueens or any other shoe that gives you an additional 2 1/2 inches in height are emphatically not an appropriate form of footwear for the gym. Dr. Martens are in the same category. Ridiculous that I have to spell that out but you would be surprised what you see when you spend 8 hours or more in a gym, 5 days a week. And I do not say this due to opposing fashion tastes, however valid that may be, given the footwear we are discussing.
Thick soles reducing sensory feedback to the brain, heightened heels that reduce the work load of the ankles and hips and a lack of ability for the shoe to move like a foot moves is just some of the issues that these aforementioned footwear exhibit. So let’s examine why these details are issues for you and your success in the gym.
Vivo Geocourts
Minimal heel, minimal soles.
Elevated Heels
It is commonly accepted that shorter people tend to progress swifter in the gym, and dare I say, with strength training specifically. There are a number of reasons behind this, primarily limb length. If your limbs are short, your range of motion for each exercise is short. If your limbs are long, your range of motion is long. Basically, if you are deadlifting a barbell to hip height, it is a lot easier if your hip height is only 3 foot off the floor. Possibly the only benefit of shortness, but I am willing to take it! The closer you are to the ground, the stronger you will be. This isn’t an opinion folks, this is mathematics. Angles, geometry and distances are probably the most important, yet unappreciated aspects of any form of training. Shorten your body to increase your strength! This is why elevated heels are a huge issue regarding successful progression in your gym training.
Nike Metcon 3 AMP
Found in the Gym & Training section of the Nike website. Lack of sole mobility and bend, elevated heel, soles of feet completely disconnected from the ground and terrain.
Thick soles
As mentioned above, the more minimal the sole of the shoe, the more sensory feedback is received by the brain. This increase in feedback helps you to balance, stabilise and react at a faster, more efficient pace. This is exceptionally useful for lower body plyometric or explosive work. Also, a thinner sole allows your foot to utilise it’s many intricate joints within the ankle and foot itself, turning your foot from the limb you simply stand on, into a fantastic tool to help you improve your athleticism
Due to the fact that Nike are the dominant shoe manufacturer when it comes to fitness and recreational sports, I will take Nike as a prime example of inappropriate footwear. As a company, they have bastardised the word ‘trainer’ and ‘runner’ until both words have been left, devoid of any meaning or significance. I have yet to find a Nike shoe that deserves the term ‘trainer’, as there is not one single Nike shoe currently in production that any general fitness aficionado should be wearing.
Nike Shocks
Padded sole, elevated heel, lack of sole mobility
After examining the official Nike website, I am willing to go as far as saying there is not one single pair of shoes in the websites Gym & Training section that actually deserves the term “appropriate footwear” or training shoes. Nike Air Max Vapor 2’s, what a mouthful, look more like shoes Marty McFly wore when he travelled from 1985 to 2015. It seems to me that Nike are only capable of maintaining their sales through the sale of unsuitable shoes to an unfortunately, uneducated public. After reading this article, I hope you will agree with me in saying we should keep these Nike “trainers” in fictitious 2015 and out of the gym altogether!
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