I’m STILL sore from Friday. Man, that was a rough workout. Going in to plyo today I was concerned whether my hamstrings would hold up or give up on my like last week. There was definitely a lot of tightness starting the workout, but that went away. About 15 minutes in, the tenderness was gone, and replaced with BURNING! I just haven’t recovered from the last leg workout and it shows. I made it through everything, but not without tears. I was not as low as I could have been in a lot of places.
Today was also my first day in my new shoes. I picked up a pair of Nike Trainer 1’s. I had been working out in a pair of Brooks Adrenaline running shoes for a long time now. They’re great shoes!… for running. They fit my feet well and I don’t have much residual foot pain when I wear them … for running.
Get it? Those are running shoes! Running shoes are make for going in a straight line and striking heal-to-toe (unless you’re wearing some of them funky bare-foot style shoes). They’re also very light weight. But that light weight comes with a price. A lack of stability.
What you really need to do plyo is a good Cross Trainer (or just Trainer) shoe. Well, two of them. One for each foot. Luckily they come in pairs. They’re the best. A cross trainer has a wider base and strong walls. Those features give you much better lateral movement. Ever notice in your running shoes when you try to do something like Airborne Heisman, Tires, or Super Skaters that you feel like you could roll your ankle at any moment? No? Well screw you then!! I did. Now I can that I have a lot more confidence going from side to side without having to concentrate on keeping that ankle stable in the landing.
I compared shoes such as the Adidas Endurobounce, Reebok ZigPulse and Nike Trainer SC and came away with the Nike Trainer 1. This is last year’s model, so you can get them at a pretty good price. They’re lightweight, but they don’t breathe as much as my running shoe. My feet got pretty warm while I was wearing them around the house before the workout. When I took that off afterward, however, they weren’t sweaty. They’re a bit stiff and one of the folds in the right shoe digs into my toe a bit, but I’m going to chalk that up to it needing some break in time for now.
Basically, if you’re doing plyo, or Kenpo, or Cardio X, or anything that has you hopping around like that, don’t do it in a running shoe. They’re not designed for that. Treat your feat right and get a good cross trainer.