Athletic Shoes - Lexington Park,MD

I always wear Asics when working out, but my workouts are mostly jogging and biking. I have the Evolution 6 which has tremendous support (it's a stabilizing shoe designed for over-pronators) but it might not be appropriate for your type of workout. However, I used to do kettle bells/crossfit and most of the people in the class and I just used running shoes.

If you have a good shoe store near you, go in for a fitting. Even if you don't buy there, a fitting should be free. You tell the sales person what you're looking for and what your budget is, and he or she should be able to find something for you that you can try on and walk around in and he or she can analyze your gait when you walk to assess whether or not you're getting the right amount of flexibility and support that you need.

I just had a fitting last year and learned that I was in shoes that were half a size too small for me and needed more support. I've been training for a triathlon in my new shoes and not only are they holding up really well, my foot problems (plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendinitis) have both healed without PT.

As others have said, go somewhere and have them properly fit you then say you are going to have to think about it. Leave with notes and buy online. Famous Footwear online frequently has 20% off or BOGO. Try also Joe's New Balance Outlet, shoes.com, 6pm.com and even Amazon. Just Google the shoe names and you'll see a bunch of online retailers pop up. Check each for their price and google for promo codes. Good luck!

My only recommendation is go try a ton of them on. I dislike athetic shoes. I like how they support and can ease some of the pain I have in my feet (heel pain, and pain from severe scar tissue from 2 foot surgeries in 2006..so it hurts to "roll" on my right foot)..but I feel like I have Barney the Dinosaurs feet when I have them on...big and clunky!

I need lightweight and well fitting for MY feet. My niece got the Kswiss ones Jillian Michaels has her name on (the "tubes" ones") They were too loosy goosy for my feet (I have narrow feet but need a bigger toe box). A runner friend suggested Saucony. So I tried those...several models. One I liked alot. The sales gal (I was at Famous Footwear cuz I had a $10 off, a % off plus it was BOGO 1/2 off the second pair...so I had some deals in play for 2 pairs)...but after she saw me trying on literally all of the mid to higher end air and tube and gel type shoes, we talked and she suggested the Asics (a few models) as they had gel all the way thru them, not just in the heel area. I tried them and really liked them as well.

To make my deal work I had to get 2 pairs and planned to spend no more than $150 TOPS for both pairs combined, including my deals. Many of the shoes I was trying were $100 or more full price. In the end , with my deals, I paid under $100 for 2 pairs of shoes. One was on sale (it was last years model colors)...plus my deals. I was happy. So far I only use the Saucony ones, but have the Asics Gel ones for when I am ready to put those into play (when I ramp up workouts or feel the others are wearing out....my foot Doc said every 3 mos or sooner to replace shoes and that seems to be accurate...but I only wear them to work out in, so I can get more time, depending on what I am doing. Right now its more weight lifting than cardio each week).

Try them on, walk around, even try some of your "moves"...like side to side pivot moves, etc, so you can see if they are too sloppy, how stable they are, etc. Soem of the shoes at Famous Footwear has little graphs sahowing their stablilty, lightweight, and a few other features in a way to compare the different brands. Thsi as just the higher end shoes. It as very helpful to me, in addition to the sales gal (who explained her own work out things she does and why the different kinds benefitted her, etc)

Good luck....now go try on shoes (I tried on about 25-30 different models).

ANY of the big names are going to be good shoes... for certain people, but not others. For example, I have adidas shaped feet. I sprain my ankles repeatedly in Nikes, NewBalance KILLS my knees (as in laid up with ice...CANNOT wear them).

If you have a RoadRunnerSports near you they have a 'walking track' which will tell what kind of foot and stride you have, which will give you a short list of shoes to try (out of the several hundred available). No surprise, when I walked it, Adidas was at the top of the list. NB was on there as well though, and while they might be good for someone with my feet/stride WITHOUT knee problems, they're an absolute no-no for me.

Anyhow, point being; try on TONS. Then write down and watch for sales/ look around online.

I feel claustrophobic in most athletic shoes. They seem big, clunky, heavy, and tight, too constrictive for me. I went with a low profile New Balance. It's so flexible you can bend the shoe in a circle. I went half size up and love that I can wiggle my toes and once I start working out and my feet swell, I still have flexibility and comfort. It's lightweight and comfy. I bought at Shoe Dept. The New Balance store was really really expensive.