One question we get very often is what shoes to wear when you begin your CrossFit journey. There are quite a few different options to choose from but I’ll lay out some great ones that you can try out and some pros and cons of each.
No matter which one you choose, the main thing we try to pull people away from is the thick cushion on the bottom. This may be super comfortable and you may find you want these for your long distance runs, but the closer you can get your foot to the ground the better. Meaning eventually (not straight away) we want to get you into more of a minimalist shoe and get you even running at a long distance in those shoes. This takes time and should NOT be done straight away as you will most likely cause injury to either the calf, achilles or the foot. I can promise you, you will be rolling your ankles less and that will go away once you get your feet STRONG in flat shoes with no support.
Things like orthopedics where they place inserts in your shoes will only mask the problem that needs to be corrected. They are a great tool for pain relief but they should NOT be a reliance that you need every day for the rest of your life. We will get you strong enough that you don’t need that reliance anymore.
Anyways, here are our top shoes that we recommend as CrossFit shoes!
At the top of the list in the number 1 spot are Inov-8’s.
I debated on vivo’s being the number 1 but I love that Inov-8 offers a gradual drop of the heel and not just a straight jump from a thick sole to a flat shoe which we’ve seen in the past does seem to have some injury risk. Inov-8’s are great for running short or long distance, weightlifting, and just wearing around all day.
I usually recommend the 235’s when you’re first purchasing shoes as they’re a heel drop from the regular shoes you would buy but a gradual drop and not completely flat. I would still recommend not going straight into a 5k run as soon as you get these shoes. Be slow about adding in volume of running and jumping as it takes a couple of months to build your strength in your feet. Then once you have them on for a few months and they’re feeling good you can start to increase your running distance.
Once you have these shoes for about 6-12 months then you’re most likely ready to jump into the Bare-XF’s which are a full heel drop. Once you’re in these shoes you can start to SLOWLY increase the distance of running and volume of jumping. Then after a while and you’re feeling strong you can take out the inserts of the shoe to have even less padding on the foot.
Inov-8 235’s – Men’s – https://www.inov-8.com/f-lite-235-v3-mens-training-shoe?colours=1927
Women’s – https://www.inov-8.com/f-lite-235-v3-womens-training-shoe?colours=1927
Inov-8 Bare XF – Men’s – https://www.inov-8.com/bare-xf-210-v3-mens-natural-training-shoe
Women’s – https://www.inov-8.com/bare-xf-210-v3-womens-natural-training-shoe?colours=642
Number 2 spot goes to Vivo Barefoot shoes.
I think these shoes should be the end goal for all of us to be training and living in day to day. I just believe that it should be a gradual approach for the majority of people rather than going from a normal cushioned shoe directly into vivo barefoot shoes. It is possible to do yes, but we have seen a lot of injuries come with it and don’t normally recommend it unless you have been in some type of minimalist shoe before and are acclimated to it.
Being as close to the ground as we can helps not only make our feet and ankles stronger but even helps strengthen up muscles in our legs that we may not have been using before!
Getting as close to the ground as possible should be the end goal for all of us but doing it without pain and injury along the way is what we need to remember. There’s no rush and we’re looking to play the long game. If you’ve worn normal (cushioned and soft) shoes your whole life then give it 1-2 years worth of working down towards a minimalist shoe.
Vivo Primus Lite – https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/primus-lite-iii-mens-ss22?colour=Obsidian
3rd place on the list would be Reebok Nano’s.
These shoes are a great all around shoe for running and weightlifting. They don’t have the same drop like the minimalist shoe and a bit more of a narrow toe box compared to the shoes above but again they could be used as a shoe to get you used to being a bit closer to the ground than you’re used to and not as cushioned. Although I personally have a bias towards the Inov-8’s for this purpose as you can see how much of a heel drop you have and gradually go down from there but the Nano’s are still a great shoe.
Again, overall I would start with the Inov’8 235’s, get used to those for a few months while you slowly increase the distance of running and jumping volume. From there you can move into the Inov-8 Bare-XF shoes and again slowly increase running distance and jumping volume. Once you’ve been in the Inov-8’s for about a year or so then you could try out the Vivo Barefoot shoes and again just be slow about increasing the volume of running and jumping.
The end goal is to get as close to the ground as we can, lift heavy, and run long distances all in the same footwear. I believe the Vivo’s can do that very well as long as you’ve adjusted to the drop and built up the strength. I hope this helps and as always feel free to ask any questions you may have when you see us in the gym!
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Aaron Scott
CrossFit Level 3 Trainer
CrossFit Structure Owner