According to the online Collins English dictionary ‘Trainers’ are ‘shoes that people wear, especially for running and other sports’.

Over the years clients have often asked me what apparel they should buy for their workouts and the two items I advise investing in, is firstly a decent sports bra (females only of course!) and the second is the right ‘type’ of trainers. Ultimately both items are for protecting your assets and enhancing performance but I’ll save the sports bra info for another article!

Trainers have become huge high value fashion items, creating a two billion dollar industry for collectors alone in the US and a rapidly growing trend here too, people will spend thousands of pounds for just one pair of Kicks! Aside from the fashionista aspect though, its important to get the right shoes for your activities.

Running shoes are designed to keep you moving forward in a straight line, so the soles spread out as you make contact with the ground, this reduces the possibility of compression injury in the joints by absorbing the impact. However, this type of shoe is a potential ankle nightmare if used for activities involving lateral movement such as aerobics, Zumba and circuit classes. The wide spread of the sole can cause you to topple over and worst case scenario cause ligament damage to the ankle. So if you’re doing any of these activities opt for a slim fit shoe with narrow, flatter soles, you’ll be more nifty and nimble with a better feel for the floor surface. Weight training in the gym doesn’t tend to need impact support, so lightweight cross trainers will usually do just fine, especially if you use the treadmill for warm ups or short interval sessions.

This article is a quick overview to suggest the best footwear styles for the most common types of structured exercise but it is definitely worth getting expert advice and possibly even a full gait analysis when purchasing shoes for *running.

– This article has been published in the December edition of Life Magazines – http://www.lifemagazines.co.uk