Written by Luc Wiesman and Finlay Mead

Looking for the best gym shoes and training shoes to take your workouts up to the next notch? You’ve come to the right place.

Training shoes and gym shoes for men are specifically designed to help you avoid injury when completing big lifts, and to give you a natural feeling and solid footing so that you still engage as many muscles as possible.

Many people rock up to their sessions a little underprepared, normally with a pair of running shoes that aren’t up to the task ahead. Running shoes tend to have highly cushioned soles and bend and flex easily, qualities you really don’t want when you’re trying to squat or deadlift heavy loads.

What we’re looking for

The main difference between training shoes and running shoes is that training shoes are designed for multi-directional movement, whereas running shoes are designed for forward-moving heel-to-toe movement, and will have a higher heel drop to facilitate the extra shock absorption required.

• Purpose – are they specifically made for training and weight lifting?
• Versatility – can you use them for HIIT classes?
• Quality – what are other people saying about them?
• Price – are they within a reasonable budget?
• Brand – is the brand known for making training/gym shoes?

If you lift weights then you’re going to need a pair of training shoes as opposed to a pair of joggers. Training shoes will have a lower heel drop (the distance between your heel and the ground) to give you a more stable base and to better mimic going barefoot.

Why trust us?

To help put this guide together we purchased and tested a number of these shoes. Specifically we’ve been using the Nike Metcon 7 for a number of months. We scooped them in an all green colour which is fresh as hell. We train at our local gym with these and the local F45 studio.

• Every DMARGE employee is a regular at their local gym
• We have over 50 experts who contribute to our content, specifically personal trainers and gym owners.
• We’ve used these products and can vouch for their quality.