How to buy the right Athletic shoes for you
We know how difficult it is to find the perfect walking/running shoe and have put together this guide to help you. If you are near one of our stores, our Rockstar salespeople can also guide you through this process.
All Athletic shoes are built for different foot types. Do you know what kind of an arch you have?
Low arch (flat feet)
Medium arch
High arch (walk on the outsides of your feet. Also know as Supinating).
No matter what shoe you choose, we want all our customers to know that it should immediately feel comfortable on your feet! Athletic shoes are there to offer stability and cushion, so it's important that they feel good right away. They aren't like sheepskin and cork footbeds that will eventually mold to your feet. You should feel supported and comfortable right away.
Getting the proper-fitting shoe matched with an over the counter arch support can help heal many common foot aliments, including Plantar fasciitis.
If you are FLAT FOOTED with LOW ARCHES, you can benefit from a "Motion Control" shoe. These shoes are designed to support feet that over pronate (roll in at the ankle). Along with a rigid sole for maximum stability, motion control shoes have built-in arch support, guide rails in the midsole, and a deeper heel cup to control your foot from pronating as you walk or run,
Shoes with these features are:
Brooks Ariel (Women's) & Brooks Beast (Men's)
Plus, if you want to add an extra layer of support and cushion, these shoes can benefit from a over the counter insole.
Cadence insoles designed for Low arches (available in store only) or Superfeet Green are great choices. Motion control shoes also work well with your custom orthotics.
If you have MEDIUM ARCH FEET, you need a "Stability" shoe. A stability shoe has a mild arch support and guide rails in the midsole. In comparison to a motion control shoe, it is lighter and more cushioned. And, when compared to a neutral shoe, it has more rigidity.
Shoes with these features are:
Stability shoes can also benefit from a custom or over the counter insole for an extra layer of support.
Try a Cadence Orange insole, designed for medium arches. Superfeet Berry (Women's) or Superfeet Orange (Men's) are also great choices. Aetrex 2400 is another great choice. And, of course, if you have custom orthotics, those will work well with stability shoes too!
Each insole brand will offer its own cushion and support. You will have to try them to see which feels most comfortable to you. As a rule of thumb, though, Superfeet offer the most rigid support, but are less cushioned. Aetrex are the most cushioned which feels great, but may fill up the shoe more (sometimes pushing your heel too high out of the shoe). And Cadence is the happy medium. It has a little bit of cushion and is also a bit rigid.
HIGH ARCH FEET work well in a "Neutral" shoe.
These shoes offer maximum cushion with no added arch built in the shoe. A Neutral shoe won't control your foot. Rather, it let's you have a free and natural foot strike. Since it doesn't have the guide rails like stability and motion control shoes, it is lightweight and very flexible.
Some high arch feet can benefit from extra padding and more stability that a neutral shoe offers. Two great over the counter insoles are the Aetrex 2200 with Memory Foam (available in stores only) and the Cadence EX+MP (available in stores only).
The best shoes for high arches are:
For more help understanding which Athletic Shoe to buy, please visit one of our retail locations or call Customer Service at 800-720-0572.
And remember, You don't need to be athletic to be an athlete! Just stay moving!