The Best CrossFit Shoes to Crush Your Next Workout

There are a lot of CrossFit shoes for women on the market right now (trust me, as a CrossFit junkie and CF-L1 level trainer, I'm always in pursuit of the perfect pair), but all the best ones have a few things in common, according to physical therapist Grayson Wickham, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault. “The shoe you wear will have a solid, flat sole that’ll help you absorb the impact of movements like box jumps and Olympic lifts, while being comfortable enough for running, double-unders, and burpees,”he explains. Read: not your running shoes. “Running shoes have a cushioned sole, which makes them comfortable for running, but lifting in them would be like lifting while standing on a foam pillow: unstable,” says Wickham. “Your feet and ankles would have to work so much harder to keep you stable, which is ultimately going to reduce your performance and how much weight you lift.”

Instead, what you want is cross-training shoe. Which one is right for you will come down to preference, but start your search by looking for a "heel lift" measurement that's as low as possible. "Anything at or under 3 or 4mm is fine,” Wickham says. (Eventually, as you become more advanced—and less likely to drop a weight on your foot—he recommend trying barefoot training for certain WODs.) “The muscles in the feet don’t have to work as hard when we’re in shoes. When I’m doing certain CrossFit workouts alone, I like working out barefoot because it helps strengthen my arches.”

But beginners (or just anyone who's not down for going shoeless in a public space) can’t go wrong by starting with these 13 pairs of the best CrossFit shoes for women below.