7 Best Men's Gym Shoes

How we test training shoes

To ensure the objectivity of our review and assessment, we do the following:

• We buy shoes using our own money. No free pairs or sponsorships.
• We hit the gym with every tested gym shoe and we maximize their use by doing all sorts of workouts, including cardio, lifting, and others.
• We dissect, test, and measure each trainer in our lab using calipers, durometers, Dremels, a smoke-pumping machine, a liquid gel, and many more tools. In the end, you get a cear and objective picture of each gym shoe's cushioning, stability, durability, flexibility, and many other characteristics. 

Why men should invest in a proper gym shoe

The gym industry, which hardly existed 60 years ago, has evolved into a multi-billion dollar business. One outgrowth of this is that gymgoers are faced with a lot of so-called essential gym wear to enable them to step onto the gym floor safely and confidently. Many of them, like compression clothing and weightlifting gloves, are not essential at all.

Gym shoes, however, are!

If you’re a guy who takes his training seriously, you need to get serious about your footwear. Too many people become frustrated with their workouts (or even get injured) just because they turned up wearing casual sneakers, running shoes, or, believe it or not, flip-flops to the gym.

As this study confirms, training in shoes specifically designed for aerobics or cross-training can prevent some lower limb injuries.

A pair of running shoes won’t cut it

As comfortable as you might feel in a favorite pair of running shoes, there are quite a few science-backed reasons why they don’t make the best companion at the gym:

• Lack of multi-directional support: Designed with forward motion in mind, running shoes provide little-to-no lateral support during explosive side-to-side movements. This puts your feet and ankles at risk of rolling over the edge of the shoe.

Lateral support in a cross-trainer

Lateral support in a running shoe

• Awful stability for weightlifting: Cushioned running shoes easily compress under heavy loads resulting in loss of stability, force generation, and blunt proprioception of the feet.

• Curved soles: Heel bevels and toe rockers of running shoes prevent your feet from sitting flat on the ground. This interferes with the biomechanics your body uses to balance and stabilize itself during jumps, squats, and other exercises.

The bottom line is that investing in a dedicated men’s gym shoe is not a luxury—it is an essential requirement for any guy who trains regularly at the gym.

Now let’s help you get the right pair of trainers.

Types of men’s gym shoes

‘Gym shoes’ is a broad term which includes the following types of training/workout shoes:

• Cross-training shoes (also Crossfit and HIIT shoes): versatile enough for both lifting and plyometrics
• Weightlifting shoes: sturdy shoes with high heel wedges meant for heavy lifting

Do you need a different pair of gym shoes for different kinds of workouts?

Most training shoes for men are versatile enough to handle a little bit of everything at the gym but some are better geared toward specific exercises, i.e. runs and jumps or heavy lifting.

Thus, knowing what your regular training regimen looks like helps you find the best matching gym shoe and avoid buying multiple pairs.

Even though there are a few scenarios in which you may need more than one pair after all:

• if you run more than 1-2 miles on a treadmill regularly (get a proper running shoe)
• if you lift heavy and want to work on a proper squat form, have ankle mobility issues, or plan to compete (get a proper lifting shoe)
• if you want to incorporate more natural foot movement, strengthen your foot muscles, and improve ankle flexibility (get a minimalist training shoe)

1. Versatile cross-training shoes for men

A cross-training shoe will get you through a WOD or anything your gym coach throws at you. From plyometrics and agility training to lifting and stretching, these shoes provide a perfect balance of stability, support, and cushioning to tackle it all.

But because it is such a broad category, it comes with a spectrum. To help you narrow down your choices, all cross-trainers can be roughly divided into three categories:

• cushioned shoes for high-impact cardio
• stable shoes for strength training/lifting
• minimalist shoes for foot strengthening

Cushioned cross-trainers for high-impact cardio

If you primarily focus on cardio or aerobic/anaerobic conditioning, you will benefit from a more cushioned trainer to perform lots of jumping, short runs, and agility training.

Here are the primary characteristics of these shoes:

• sufficient midsole thickness for impact protection
• softer, more forgiving cushioning foam
• decent forefoot flexibility
• lighter than average or average weight (and no bulky heels to drag the foot down)

These features also make these trainers comfortable enough for day-to-day wear outside the gym.

To give you a better idea of what each cross-trainer feels like, we used a caliper, a Shore A durometer, a force gauge, and a scale to measure each of these parameters precisely. As a result, you get an overview of the best cushioned gym shoes for men:

Stable cross-trainers for strength training/lifting

Guys getting serious about Crossfit and weightlifting must consider more stable cross-trainers to match their fitness needs. These shoes are designed with strength training in mind and are better geared for squats, deadlifts, cleans, jerks, etc. But unlike wedged lifting shoes, these trainers are still ready to tackle the plyometric bits of your WODs.

Here is what you can expect from these cross-trainers:

• high level of torsional rigidity keeps the foot stable
• stiff and supportive heel counters prevent wobbling
• wide and flat midsole creates a stable platform

We twist, push, and squeeze each training shoe in our manual tests to determine their rigidity on a 1-5 scale (5 being the stiffest). After that, we grab a caliper to measure the widest areas of its midsole both in the forefoot and in the heel.

That way, you know exactly which cross-trainers can make you feel most planted and surefooted:

Minimalist cross-trainers for foot strengthening

If you are a beginner gym goer, we don’t recommend getting minimalist shoes straight away. Your feet and body are used to receiving support and cushioning from shoes so jumping into a barefoot-style shoe unprepared can really mess up your biomechanics.

But if you take it slow and are mindful of the process, you can reap a lot of benefits from occasionally training in a minimalist shoe:

• better engagement of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your feet
• better proprioception (awareness of position and movement in space) improves coordination, posture, and balance
• more natural biomechanics and body alignment (better posture)

Here is what sets a minimalist shoe apart from a typical gym shoe:

• ultra-thin sole (10-15 mm)
• highly flexible, bends along with the foot
• lightweight, barely-there feel
• often comes with a rounded accommodating toebox

2. Weightlifting shoes for men

This footwear category is built exclusively for lifting weights.

A lifting shoe is easy to tell apart from other trainers thanks to its stout incompressible wedge under the heel and a pancake-flat sole. This setup is most optimal for Olympic weightlifting movements like squats.

Here is a closer look at the pros and cons of this gym shoe type.

But even this niche shoe category has some variability, and the most important variable is the heel-to-toe drop (aka heel elevation). Ranging from 15 mm (0.6 in) to 21 mm (0.8 in), every heel height has its target audience:

• 15-16 mm: appropriate for beginners as the heel elevation is not so steep and the shoe can still be used for some exercises outside of lifting
• 20-21 mm: best for seasoned athletes who perform high-skill Olympic lifts and go deeper into squats

Zero-drop (0 mm) shoes like Adidas The Total also become more common in response to the demand for flat and grounded platforms for deadlifting.

Lifting weight in front of your body requires different biomechanics than squats (when the weight is on your shoulders) and some athletes preferred wearing Converse Chucks for deadlifts in the past as these flat kicks help to achieve a more neutral body position, maintain a more natural back angle and reduce the risk of rounding your spine.

Finding the right size and fit in men’s gym shoes

Getting the right fit is essential when choosing men's gym shoes for comfort and performance. That’s why you should consider both size and width in your future pair.

If you are buying a new shoe online, we recommend measuring your foot length and checking with the corresponding brand size chart. If a retailer offers free shipping, get 2-3 pairs in different sizes and send the ones that didn't fit back.

Training shoes typically have wider toeboxes than running shoes or sneakers. That’s because they are meant to accommodate a natural toe splay which occurs during exercise when you try to find balance and stabilize yourself.

TIP: It is best to try on gym shoes later in the day when the feet are naturally a little larger. Be sure to wear the same kind of socks that are planning to use with the new shoes.

Consider durability of your gym shoes

A quality pair of gym shoes should be able to resist both normal wear and tear and the unique requirements of your training regimen.

If you don’t want to replace a gym shoe every month, it’s better to check for the following longevity signs in its upper and sole:

Upper:

• wear-resistant upper fabric
• wear-resistant inner lining (especially in the heel area)
• protective rubber or TPU elements (espeically if you do rope climbs)

Sole:

• Thick full-length rubber outsole
• Abraison-resistant rubber (espeically if you occasionally train on concrete)

In our lab, we perform several demanding durability tests on various shoe parts using sandpaper and a Dremel. We keep the Dremel speed, pressure, and exposure time consistent across all tested gym shoes for comparable results.

Here is the overview of most durable men’s gym shoes based on our findings. We included their retail price as well to show that more affordable trainers can be durable as well:

Don’t forget to check breathability

Who doesn’t love a nice and sweaty workout?

Someone who’s wearing stuffy gym shoes! That's why it is important to choose trainers with well-ventilated mesh uppers which allow air to circulate, dissipating the heat and keeping your feet cool and dry.

It’s tricky to tell how breathable a gym shoe is by simply looking at its photos online. That’s why we equipped our lab with a smoke-pumping machine, a LED light, and a microscope to test the ventilation capacity of each shoe and demonstrate it to you.

Some brands go as far as perforating the sole to increase airflow

The overview below features the most breathable gym shoes for men on a 1-5 scale (5 stands for most breathable):