What to look out for when buying that new pair of shoes but first, today's workout-

• KB Cleans (heavy), 60 (try a load you haven't used before)
  

Circuit: (score = aggregate reps)

• Push Press, 3 min.
• Ab Mat Sit Ups, 3 min.
• Front Squats, 3 min.

• Interval Row; 300m/:60 x 3 (score = lowest of the 3 row times)
  
• Pull Ups, 6 min. (score = reps)
  

You may have noticed a fairly new trend in athletic shoes toward bizarre tread patterns on the soles. Style is most likely behind most of this, but the bottom line is that anything more than minimal tread patterning and depth on the sole limits the variety of terrain that these shoes can safely manuevre.

It's clear that variety is a hallmark of functional fitness, yet shoes like this are clearly meant for one surface and one surface only: smooth and hard (as in asphalt or concrete), and therefore not a great choice for maximum versatility. Keep tread patterns shallow and as even as possible.

I advise all who ask to stick to court (as in tennis) or cross-training shoes whenever possible, but even some of those are beginning to bow to this fad. Stay away from most of the new running shoes; even skate shoes are a better choice for our workouts.

I'll talk about weight lifting shoes in a future post.

Labels: kb cleans, push press, shoes