Which shoes should you wear for P90X (or for any workout)?

I am writing this quick post for those who, like me, had that question before starting Tony Horton’s P90X. I didn’t know what kind of shoes to buy for the workouts, so I googled it, of course, but I never found a really good answer. Or, rather, I found too many answers.

Having done P90X for a year now, here is my answer: NO SHOES!

No shoes is a no-brainer for yoga and Ab Ripper X, of course, but how about for resistance training and plyo?

Based on the recommendations I found online, I started with some court shoes, to give my feet and ankles extra support. I found this to be uncomfortable, but I wore them anyway, thinking I should.

Then, a few weeks into the program, I read Mark Sisson’s The Primal Blueprint and started visiting his Mark’s Daily Apple website. Mark is a proponent of bare feet. That’s how our ancient ancestors trekked the earth, so should we, he says. Of course, trekking the earth barefoot is not necessarily safe, so he prefers footwear that emulates bare feet, like Vibram Five Fingers, but, dude, dem’s some spensy shoes and I just can’t afford it.

So … barefoot it was!

And still is.

I love working out with bare feet. The only time it’s a problem — besides when I stub my toe on a dumbbell — is when doing Toe Roll Iso Lunges. That move puts a bit of stress on the toes of my back foot, but I endure it, and my toes are stronger because of it.

Don’t have shoes for P90X? Try working out without them — you may like it, I know I do!