Opinions on running shoes vs. court for cardio/Hiit?
 

Dumb question alert....

I'm currently doing P90X3 and Tony keeps saying that we need to be wearing court shoes, not running shoes. He never actually says why(or maybe I haven't paid enough attention?:o)

I like the cushioning and stability of running shoes. Am I doing a disservice to my feet by not wearing court shoes? Or by not wearing court shoes, am I just not making the most of the workout by not being able to jump higher or farther? Is the lateral movement limited by running shoes?

I always wear running shoes for all workouts, including cardio stuff, like Turbo Fire, etc... Am I screwing up my feet by doing this? Or would I just have a better workout experience by trying other types of shoes?

Any thoughts/opinions are appreciated...and if you have any specific shoe recommendations, that would be great, too.:)

I know the issue is lateral stability. I think it's possible to roll your ankle, for example, when moving sideways in running shoes because they just don't provide a lot of support in that direction. One time I "blew out" the side of a pair of fairly new walking shoes (the side stitching just came apart) while doing a workout with lots of lateral movement - that kind of illustrated the problem for me.

I've been using trail-runners for my cardio. I like the support too, and I figure they're built for more lateral stability on uneven ground. I'm not sure whether Tony would approve. ;)

Laura, trail runners sound like a good idea. I'm going to check them out. Thanks for the input! (Shhh...I won't tell Tony...:D)

Good! 'Cause if he doesn't like our shoes, HE'LL COME TO OUR HOUSE. :D

:eek::eek: :D That's scary!!.....but maybe after he'd make us drop and do a bazillion pushups for our bad shoe behavior, he might actually be kinda fun to hang with!:p

I found this article that explains the differences between various types of athletic shoes: http://www.podiatrynetwork.com/docum...ers.cfm?id=266

I switched to a "flatter" type of running shoe (less heel to toe drop) and then switched back to a more traditional running shoe, and I am having a hard time with regular cardio workouts. I find that my balance isn't as good in the traditional running shoes and it's harder to do some of the lateral movements. But, I don't know if I would have ever thought that had I not gotten used to the flatter shoes.

Great article. Thanks so much for posting. Looks like I need some new shoes.;)

ETA: Emily, that's really interesting how you noticed the difference. I always thought one good pair of running shoes was good for everything, but it looks like I need to re-think this approach. Thanks for your input.

Wishing I had a choice. I have to wear prescription orthotics in my running shoes for low-to-moderate-impact cardio dance (will go barefoot for non-to-low impact Oriental dance, however) and, for the most part, I use these, these days for cardio dance. I avoid NIA because of my foot problems. I had to use the running shoes for a World Groove Movement workshop, where practically all others in it were able to go barefoot. This had not happened before.

I'm very careful; at times my ankle give a little zitz, but, again I'm very, very careful.

Same here. I'm in an ankle brace at the moment and then will have to wear orthotics forever. I can't go barefoot at all for any reason.