Do toning shoes live up to their claim of firming and shaping your legs and butt better than regular sneakers? Several trial “runs” have been done on the different shoe brands that make those allegations, and there have been some startling results.
We just need to face it – if we want to be slim, fit, and toned, we’re going to have to sweat for it. As the old saying goes, “No pain and no gain.”
In 1996, Masai Barefoot Technology, or MBT, launched some funny shaped shoes with curved soles. MBT claimed their physiological footwear was like walking barefoot on springy moss or a sandy beach – a very comfortable feeling, but also challenging for the whole body because every step is a small workout.
Since then, numerous brands of fitness shoes have been marketed, such as: Reebok EasyTone, Skechers Shape-Ups, and New Balance True Balance toning shoes. For toning up in summer weather, there are Reebok EasyTone Flip Flops, FitFlop toning sandals, and Skechers Tone-ups.
Instead of having flat soles like most walking shoes, toning shoes are rounded at the bottom, forcing your muscles to work harder at maintaining balance.
I bought a pair, and I can honestly say, you do have to work harder at maintaining your balance when you walk. However, I never noticed any difference in anything else. At least nothing that normal exercise in normal shoes doesn’t do.
So this brought me to my research (which I should have done before purchasing them).
The American Council on Exercise conducted a study to see whether these toning shoes live up to what they advertise. Two study groups embarked on an exercise program: one group wearing standard athletic shoes, the other toning shoes. Researchers compared and measured the activity of the muscles during exercise in both groups.
Turned out toning shoes don’t live up to their claims. The group that worked out in the toning shoes didn’t appear to get any more benefit or work their muscles any harder than those who wore standard athletic shoes.
Cary M. Golub, DPM, a podiatrist in Long Beach, N.Y, says toning or rocker-bottom shoes have a place in certain people’s shoe collection.
For starters, these shoes may help relieve heel pain, he says. “They take the pressure off of the heel and give more support to the ankle.”
“These shoes put the strain on your hamstrings and glutes, so if you’re not athletic or a seasoned walker, they might hurt the muscles they’re supposed to help,” Golub says. His advice: “Break them in slowly for an hour or so. Don’t start walking two or three miles in them.”
Shoe companies react
Shoemakers are unshaken by the ACE study on toning shoes. Leonard Armato, president of Skechers’ fitness group, in Manhattan Beach, Calif, stands behind his product 100 percent. “I have not a doubt that the Shape-Up technology requires you to make a little more effort with each step, burn more calories, and activate more muscles,” he says.
Bill McInnis, head of advanced innovation for Reebok, based in Canton, Mass., created the technology used in Reebok’s EasyTone line. “We looked at stability balls from the gym and incorporated that same thinking into a shoe,” he says. “The idea was that introducing soft, micro-instability in the shoe would cause you to have to rebalance a bit with every single step and cause your muscles to work a little harder all day long,” he says.
“When you walk on a soft, sandy beach, you will work harder, so when you build a shoe that is softer when you land on it, you get the same effect and are working the muscles harder,” he says.
Najia Shakoor, MD, an associate professor of internal medicine at Rush Medical College and an attending physician at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, spends a lot of time studying shoes and determining which types are best for people with arthritis.
Her verdict on toning shoes for people with arthritis: “I don’t think there’s any evidence to suggest that they do anything beneficial for arthritis.” Her research shows that flat, flexible shoes are more joint-friendly. “This is the complete opposite of the rocker bottom,” she says.
On Aug. 20, a Massachusetts judge agreed to let New Balance pay $2.3 million to settle false advertising claims filed against the company by three women in 2011. Others who join the class action will receive a $100 refund for each pair of toning shoes they purchased.
Both Skechers and Reebok have recently been ordered by the Federal Trade Commission to pay settlements to consumers. In May of this year, Skechers agreed to pay $40 million in consumer refunds; in September of 2011, Reebok agreed to pay $25 million over its EasyTone shoes.
Some information from: WebMD; acefitness.org; everydayhealth.com.