We love silhouette-sculpting leggings as much as the next person, but they won’t protect us from injury or keep our joints happy and healthy for the long haul. We need a good pair of trainers for that. Here, biomechanics expert Christophe Champs shares everything you need to know before buying your next pair.
Interview: Ellie Smith. Photograph by Anna Shvets
Do we need to wear trainers while exercising?
They’re essential. Your shoes are the best support you can provide your body with. We’re seeing lots of people in clinic who have started exercising at home and don’t think to wear trainers. They have no foot support at all and, without this support, you’re putting a lot more weight on your feet and every joint in the body. You’re asking your muscles to hold this weight up but these muscles are subject to pain, fatigue and injury.
Shoes are particularly important if you’re walking or exercising on hard floors – for example, running on pavement. In these cases, you absolutely must wear trainers and make sure they’re in decent shape. Natural surfaces such as sand, grass or even carpet are less problematic.
What should we look for in a pair of trainers?
Many people end up buying Sketchers, Vans or Converse because these shoes are light and we all like the feeling of light shoes. But they are light because they have no support. Everyone can benefit from support, whether your foot is flat, has high arches or collapses.
The first thing to look for in a supportive pair of trainers is a firm sole. If the sole is too soft and spongy, the foot sinks and pronates, dragging every joint down and creating joint and muscle pain.
Secondly, look for a reinforced heel counter. If you press the back of the shoe between finger and thumb it should feel firm. It shouldn’t immediately collapse and you shouldn’t be able to feel your fingers meet in the middle – this isn’t supportive. The heel counter is important as it holds our ankle in place. The ankle is the most challenging joint in the human body as it connects a small horizontal foot to a tall vertical body. If the ankle is disengaged while we’re exercising we’ll see issues in the foot and body.
Next, look for a padded tongue. The trend for creating lighter shoes often results in a very light tongue to save on weight. This means you can feel the laces pressing into the top of the foot, so people will tend to loosen the laces to make them less snug. We don’t want shoes to be tight but they do need to be snug. With a padded tongue you tend to lace the shoes up properly so your foot is properly supported.
Finally, lo
