The best CrossFit workout shoe is a flat, low-profile, grippy, durable trainer with a wide heel and a reinforced area for rope climbs — not a cushioned running shoe, which behaves like squatting on a bed under heavy weight. This is a question I have gotten dozens of times on my text thread, so in this Physical Friday I walk through every shoe I have worn, from Converse All Stars to the Reebok CrossFit shoe to the GORUCK Ballistic Trainer I am wearing now.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
A good CrossFit shoe is flat and low-profile with very little cushion, a grippy sole, and a wide heel for stability. The flat, firm base matters because you squat and lift in these shoes, and a cushioned running shoe is like squatting on a bed — there is too much give. A reinforced midfoot area for rope climbs is also key, since ropes shred ordinary shoes fast.
Running shoes have an elevated heel and a lot of cushion, which is great for running long distances but bad for lifting. Under heavy weight, all that squish gives way and destabilizes your lift, like squatting on a soft mattress. Running shoes also lack a reinforced rope-climb area, so the rope tears them up quickly. I keep a cushioned running shoe for long runs only, not for daily training.
I started before there was a CrossFit shoe, using flat Converse All Stars and even Vans. Then came the original Reebok CrossFit shoe — the first one truly designed for the sport, with a rope-climb area marked right on it. I later moved to an Altra-style trainer I loved for its wide toe box but burned through the uppers. Now I wear the GORUCK Ballistic Trainer.
The GORUCK Ballistic Trainer hits everything I want — flat, low cushion, grippy, with a durable rope-climb area — but the real difference is durability. It is built from the same material and stitching as GORUCK's nearly indestructible backpacks. My old trainers were trashed with holes and torn stitching in the same time frame, and the GORUCKs are still going strong. It is the closest thing to a perfect shoe I have found.
Far more durable in my experience. I was spending around $120 on trainers and tearing through the uppers in a few months of the same workouts. The GORUCK Ballistic Trainer is made from the same ballistic material as their GR1 and GR2 backpacks, which carry lifetime-level wear. After the same volume of training, my GORUCKs show almost no breakdown while my previous shoes were destroyed.
I make Physical Friday for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen who want to stay strong and capable for life. I cover the why and the how in the player above, so press play and follow along.
The first thing I look for in a training shoe is a flat, low-profile build with very little cushion. When you squat and lift in a soft, cushioned running shoe, it is like squatting on a bed — all that give works against you. A flat, firm base is what a real lifting shoe gives you, minus the raised heel. I explain the trade-offs in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I have worn just about everything. I started before a CrossFit shoe even existed, training in flat Converse All Stars and Vans. Then Reebok built the first true CrossFit shoe, designed for the sport, even labeling the rope-climb area on it. It was grippy, flat, wide-heeled, and durable. I walk through what that shoe taught me in the episode, so press play in the player above.
After Reebok stepped back from CrossFit, I found an Altra-style trainer with a wide toe box and everything I wanted in the design — but I would burn through the uppers and tear holes in them fast, and at around $120 a pair that adds up. That durability problem is what pushed me to keep looking. I tell the whole search story in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I already trusted GORUCK because their GR1 and GR2 backpacks are lifetime-level durable. When they made a shoe out of the same material and stitching, I gave the Ballistic Trainer a shot. It checks every box — flat, low cushion, grippy, rope-climb ready — and the durability is unreal compared to what I was tearing through. I get into exactly how it has held up in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Press play in the player above to get the full breakdown.
I am still on the search for the perfect training shoe, but the GORUCK Ballistic Trainer is the closest I have found for myself. Flat, grippy, rope-ready, and built to take a beating.
If you are shopping for a workout shoe, start with the flat, durable, low-cushion checklist and go from there. Send me your fitness and fishing questions any time at the text thread. Press play in the player above.
CrossFit shoes · functional fitness shoes · Converse All Star · Vans · Reebok CrossFit shoe · Nike Metcon · GORUCK Ballistic Trainer · GORUCK GR1 and GR2 backpacks · rope climbs · Olympic lifting shoes
Physical Friday is my weekly fitness series for fishing guides, anglers, hunters, and outdoorsmen — the training, nutrition, and mindset to stay in the game for life. Watch and listen to every Physical Friday episode from Tom Rowland.
I am Tom Rowland — a Florida Keys fishing guide for more than 30 years, a competitive angler, a lifelong CrossFit athlete, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. I started Physical Friday because staying strong, mobile, and durable is what lets all of us keep hunting, fishing, and chasing the outdoors for life. I train the same way I want you to: simple, consistent, repeatable.
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