9 Greatest Cross-Coaching Footwear of 2025, Based on Consultants

Whereas we love a soft pair of trainers as a lot as the following Hoka queen, they’re not your finest wager for hitting the fitness center. “That cushioning is nice for long-distance runs, nevertheless it’s very unstable and even doubtlessly unsafe relating to transferring heavy weight,” Corey Brueckner, NASM-CPT, a common supervisor at Life Time Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, tells SELF. You possibly can find yourself wobbling round, with out the steadiness you have to really feel grounded. The repair? Lacing up a pair of the perfect cross-training footwear as an alternative.

Whereas they usually appear to be on a regular basis sneakers, cross-training footwear are impressively versatile, Leakna Ung, DPM, a podiatrist at Hartford HealthCare Connecticut Orthopaedics Institute, tells SELF. They’re designed for energy coaching, plyometrics, CrossFit, lateral actions, HIIT, and extra—any exercise the place you wish to really feel nimble at occasions however secure too.

That’s loads to ask for in a single pair of footwear. So we spoke to a handful of consultants concerning the important options to search for in a superb pair of cross-trainers. With their recs in thoughts—and insights from all of our sneaker testing right here at SELF—we discovered the perfect choices so that you can strive, irrespective of your MO on the fitness center.

Our high picks

1. Greatest General: Reebok Nano X5, $140
2. Runner-Up: Nike Metcon 9, $155
3. Most Snug: Lululemon Strongfeel, $128
4. Greatest for Lifting: Puma Fuse 4.0, $120
5. Greatest for HIIT: Nobull Drive Knit, $149
6. Most Versatile: Nike Free Metcon 6, $125
7. Most Breathable: Adidas Dropset 3, $130
8. Greatest Barefoot Shoe: Vivobarefoot Motus Flex, $190
9. Greatest for Exercise Lessons: Lululemon Chargefeel 3, $148

Store the perfect cross-training footwear

Now that we’re warmed up, let’s get to the footwear. Beneath, try the perfect cross-trainers, in accordance with consultants, editors, and SELF Sneaker Awards testers.

Greatest General: Reebok Nano X5

Christa Sgobba, SELF’s director of meals and health, has worn Reebok Nanos for years. They’re dependable fitness center footwear that assist her really feel secure and in contact with the bottom whereas lifting, however don’t really feel overly clunky on the elliptical or train bike.

With its responsive forefoot design, agency heel, and improved match, the Nano X5 may be the Reebok’s finest to date. “One of many adjustments I’ve favored on this model is that the shoe suits nearer to your foot and is a bit more streamlined,” Sgobba says. “In earlier variations, I usually needed to cease throughout a exercise to re-tighten so my foot didn’t slide round, however these stay locked in from the get-go.”

Runner-Up: Nike Metcon 9

Lifting, lunging, or climbing ropes? One of the best-selling Nike Metcon can sustain with all of it. A inflexible, stabilizing plate contained in the shoe feels sturdy underfoot, whereas a layer of sentimental foam within the midsole buoys your toes while you choose up the tempo. And rubber panels alongside the perimeters of the shoe improve its traction to make climbs simpler.

“They have a flat, secure base,” Brueckner says. “They are a actually good weightlifting shoe and good for useful actions, like CrossFit or a HIIT cardio class.” Though she admits her toes can get fairly toasty inside at occasions, she appreciates that the thick higher retains her toes proper in place with none sliding round. “Your foot feels supported while you lace them up tight,” she says.

Senior commerce editor Sarah Felbin testing the Nike Metcon 9:

Most Snug: Lululemon Strongfeel Coaching Shoe

When Sgobba reviewed Lululemon’s Strongfeel footwear a couple of years in the past, they made an influence with their “comfy but non-obtrusive” match. They helped her toes keep planted throughout squats, deadlifts, and good morning workout routines, but additionally stored them from shifting round throughout extra dynamic strikes like reverse lunges and step-ups. Then, when Sgobba wore the Strongfeels on the elliptical, they felt surprisingly versatile.

“The Strongfeels are [Luluemon’s] flattest shoe, however they’re nice for cross-training, too,” Lindsey Bomgren, NASM-CPT, founding father of on-line health platform Nourish, Transfer, Love, tells SELF. “I do sprints in them for brief distances.” She provides they’re additionally nice for agility work.

Buying market editor Angela Trakoshis testing the Lululemon Strongfeel Coaching Shoe:

Greatest for Lifting: Puma Fuse 4.0

In case your cross-training is generally lifting, strive the bestselling Puma Fuse. It’s made for heavy weights, however nonetheless bends together with your foot (our tester famous the shoe’s flexibility when moving into lunges throughout her energy coaching exercises).

“The flat backside helps me keep secure and actually push by means of the bottom for my greater lifts, particularly deadlifts, the place you undoubtedly don’t need any wobble,” our tester stated. “They’re agency, however not so agency that they harm or make your toes drained.”

Greatest for HIIT: Nobull Drive Knit

Sarah Pope, CPT, a private coach at Life Time Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia, likes Nobull’s extremely sturdy footwear for the fitness center, and the model’s Drive Knit mannequin gained a Sneaker Award final 12 months. Our judges deemed it an distinctive shoe for HIIT fanatics, due to its breathable higher, responsive foam midsole, and high-traction rubber sole. (It’s additionally an excellent alternative in the event you simply want footwear with slightly extra bounce.)

“As soon as the shoe is on—you’ve actually acquired to tug it by the heel loop to get your foot in—it’s SO COMFORTABLE,” our tester stated. “There’s a lot cushion below my toes, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel cumbersome or like I’m strolling on big platforms. It’s tremendous light-weight, and after a number of wears I had no blisters, random pains, or shin splints.”

Most Versatile: Nike Free Metcon 6

Pope extremely recommends the Nike Free Metcon 5 (which gained a Sneaker Award in 2023), so we put the newest model to the check. Designed to really feel versatile, secure, and soft, the Free Metcon 6 is appropriate for lifting and cardio, with a grippy sole that matches your foot form.

“Sporting these footwear was like having the perfect of each worlds—I may really feel my toes and heels on the bottom, however my arches had been lifted and supported,” our tester says. “They helped me really feel extra secure whereas doing deadlifts and goblet squats. It is so useful to have the ability to really feel the bottom properly, just like the way it feels once I’m in socks, however with none sliding due to the grippy soles.”

Most Breathable: Adidas Dropset 3

Our tester was instantly impressed by Adidas’s Dropset 3 Energy Coaching Footwear, noting their retro vibe and smooth form. She additionally appreciated that they had been designed for max airflow—the mesh higher helps shed warmth, whereas the insole is perforated that will help you settle down throughout main efforts.