HIIT is now one of the most popular type of crossing training workouts. As with any workouts, it is important to have the proper gear and that includes finding the best shoes for HIIT training or workouts. They can be hard to find because these are identified as such. When you walk into a store, you can see running shoes, walking shoes etc easily but HIIT shoes, nothing is mentioned at all. To help you solve this problem, here is a comprehensive of HIIT shoes according to the different brands. By the way, here are more reviews on HIIT gear: best exercise bike for HIIT.
Contents
Editor’s chocie
Editor's choice for women
Buy from Amazon
Editor's choice for men
Buy from Amazon
Things to look for in a HIIT shoe
To properly identify a HIIT shoe, here are the criteria you should look out for.
- Strong side or lateral support: One hallmark of HIIT is the intensive lateral or side to side movement you need to do on a continuous basis. Most running shoes don’t handle such lateral support as they are mostly focusing on the sole. This is well cross training shoes are a better selection when it comes to HIIT
- Stable base: Most top HIIT shoes provide strong stability due to their wider base. Running shoes tend to cut a bit narrow to support the running movement.
- Light: During the intense workouts, you want to be as light as possible on our feet as the timing on these exercises can be pretty brutal
- Low heel lift: In HIIT workouts, you need to maintain balance in many of the routines. A minimalist setting is more suited as it keeps your whole feet more firmly planted in the ground. Tradition shoes have higher cushioning on the heel, thus lifting your feet higher off the ground than what is needed.
Nike HIIT shoes review
Nike is hitting the cross training shoes market hard these few years with lots of new releases. Below is what crosstrainingpro.com picked up as the most suitable for HIIT training.
- Editor’s Choce – Flex Trainer 5 (Women): A well design shoe that comes in many colors. It is very light weight and supports a whole range of cross training activities from weights to sprints to intensive movements. Their grip is particular solid and wouldn’t slip when you are doing your lateral movements. The shoe is also very breathable and wouldn’t cause stinky feet. Has good arch support as well. (Top left)
- Free 5.0 Tr Fit 5 (Men and Women): A durable women HIIT shoe built from the ground up to be used in intense workouts. Solid support and comfortable to move in. Has some arch support so it is good if you are looking for hiit shoes for for flat feet. Pricing is higher than the Flex supreme what you can more quality. Available for both Men and Women. (Top right)
- Free lite trainer 2 (Men): Light weight and flexible. Can be used in HIIT as well as kickboxing and BOSU classes. It also has a bit of arch support so flat feet folks can give this a try. Sizing runs a bit bigger so you need to order slightly smaller when purchasing. (Bottom left)
- Flex supreme (Women): A great gum shoe that is comfortable and flexible. Has strong support for HIIT movement as you can move in them pretty easily, especially for the side to side actions. Price is very cheap but trades off against durability. If used intensely daily, it will last probably 6 months or so. Cannot be used for long distance running. (Bottom right)
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Reebok HIIT shoes review
Another popular brand of HIIT shoes is Reebok. It is also well known for producing solid performance driven shoes. What we have picked out here is no exception. If you are a fan of Reebok, here are their best HIIT training shoe.
- Editor’s Choice – Crossfit sprint 2.0 (Men): A very light weight shoe specifically designed for cross training. It stabilizes the body during jumps and lifting while at at the same allowing to do your laterals easily. Its grip is one of the best and explains the stability. Material is very breathable so your feet will feel cool. Shoe needs a bit of time to break in, especially at the tow area. Sizing runs slightly larger so order half a size smaller. Has great design and plenty of colors to choose from. Not meant for running at all. (Top left)
- Crossfit Nano 3.0 (Women): A shoe that you wouldn’t feel like you are wearing anything. It also has great width for stability and an incredible flexibility to allow your feet to adjust instantaneously to the different workout routines. The soles are thick enough for jumping continuously without feeling the impact on your feet. Order half a size smaller for this model as well. (Top right)
- Zquick TR 3.0 (Women): Another women cross training shoe from Reebok that hits all the right notes. It is light weight, flexible but still gives sufficient support for all the cross training activities that HIIT demands. You can sprint in them, do lights , burpee jumps etc and have no problems. It has a larger toe box so it is suitable for big toe women. (Bottom right)
- ZRX XR (Women): A comfortable shoe with nice bright colors that you can choose from. Has a stable heel and solid grip for stability. One special feature of the shoe is that the tongue is fixed so it wouldn’t move around as you exercise. One reviewer felt the support for insufficient was programs such as Insanity but other reviewers found it ok for HIIT. (Bottom right) (updated: this model has been discontinued and replaced by Zcut TR cross training shoe)
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Adidas HIIT shoes
Adidas, a brand for its stylish street design and functional shoes have a whole range of cross trainers for you to pick from. After intense studying, these 4 are our top picks for the Adidas brand.
- Editor’s Choice – Adipure 360.2 (Men and Women): A very comfortable cross trainer that offers plenty of support without making the shoe into a heavy footwear. The stability is also there for good support during the HIIT workouts. The material is great as it is allows air to flow freely and cools your feet. Sizing is a bit big so buying a half a size is recommended. The shoe is so comfortable inside you do not need to break them in. (Top left: image shown is for women version but there are men versions as well in different colors) (Top left)
- AT 360.2 (Women): A specially designed shoe for cross training, including HIIT. IT has very solid lateral support as well as good sole grip for stability. Do note that this is a narrow shoe so it will b a good fit for people with wide feet. (Top right)
- Adipure 360.3 (Men and Women): The next version of the Adipure is a worthy successor. It retains all the good things that the 360.2 has including great stability, breathable materials and a tight grip. However, due to the wide base and the fact that the outside sole is higher than the inside, it will make walking in them quite uncomfortable after a few hours. This is a necessary trade off for a better HIIT shoe at the expense of normal walking. This is why we rate the 360.2 a notch higher than 360.3. (Bottom left)
- Speed trainer 2 (Men): A basic cross training shoe that is light and very comfortable to wear. Support isn’t as strong as other but if you are into light gym workout, it is suitable. Prices are also cheaper than other models. The arch support is good for flat foot folks. (Bottom right)
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Best women shoes for HIIT workout for 2019
Update: Time for a 2019
Besides the 3 popular brands above, there are other models that are equally as good but might not be as well sought after. Presented below 4 of the best women HIIT shoes outside of Nike, Reebok and Adidas. If you do not mind other brands, the following recommendations will be suitable.
- New Balance Women’s WX813GR3 Shoe: New Balance shoes are always best for money shoes. They perform really well and is priced much cheaper than other brands. Take the WX813GR3 for example. It is a very good cross training shoe with excellent fit and comfort. It is also very light weight so they feels really good on your feet. However, that doesn’t take away the excellent lateral support it has while still possessing the flexibility for your toes to move with ease. Downside is the sizing doesn’t run true so you need to make adjustments when ordering. (Top left)
- RYKA Women’s Flextra Training Shoe: Ryka is well known for its female shoes and it shows in this design. It is incredibly light weight and yet provide very stable support for all kinds of HIIT workouts. There is a pivot point in the shoe that makes it an excellent dance shoe in case you are in classes such Jazzercise, Zumba or even hip hop. As a added bonus, the Flextra training shoe has good arch support for flat feet women. (Top right)
- New Balance Women’s WX20v4 Minimus Shoe: Another excellent New Balance cross training shoe witht one key different: it is a minimalist shoe. This means the heel drop is lower than most (just 4mm from toe to heel). With minimal arch support, the shoe design is meant to strength your feet naturally as you wear it. People who have not try minimalist shoe before might their first experience awkward but it will get better over time. Due to this low heel drop and a wider base, it is very stable and can support activities like jumping and lateral movement well. The shoe also has a wide front which makes it for women looking for cross training shoe with wide toe box. (Bottom left)
- ASICS Conviction X-2 Shoe: Asics is another under rated brand as it produces great shoes at a lower point. The Gel Exert TR shoe was my previous pick but the conviction X-2 has become my prefer choice. The reason is the firmness of the sole which gives it great stability when doing your HIIT workouts. It is suitable for ladies with slightly feet. There is unfortunately no arch support.
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