What ‘Toning Shoe’ is the Best for you?
By Sian on Apr 08, 2010 with Comments 25
Imagine a shoe that doesn’t just work at the gym, it works like the gym.
That’s right. These shoes promise to tighten and tone muscles, rev the metabolism and even burn cellulite as you walk.
How effective they are seems to be up to the wearer and the faith they put in the marketing and technology of companies like Reebok, Skecher, Earth Footwear and MBT, all makers of a variety of “toning shoes.”
We wanted to take the guess work out for you and try for ourselves: What ‘toning shoes’ work and what ones don’t? What is the pros and cons of each of these shoes.
We were lucky enough to get our hands on these pairs of ‘toning’ shoes:
- Reebok Toning shoes-Review-check out what a GGS Member had to say
- Sketchers Shape Ups-Review-check out what a GGS Member had to say
- EarthFoot wear Toning shoes-check out what a GGS Member had to say
- FitFlops-check out what a GGS Member had to say
- Champion Pace Toning Shoes~Check out what a GGS Member had to say
- New Balance’s Rock&Tone shoes~
- MBT’s-Check out what a GGS Member had to say
Check out our Quick Toning Shoes Review Guide to help you pick the ones that are for you.
Stay tuned for the results and the final say of each of these ‘toning’ shoes.
Reviews on Girlgetstrong.com reflect the personal opinion of the writer, whether it is good, bad or ugly. This product was supplied to GGS by the company for review purposes. No compensation was accepted by me or GGS Media Corporation for this review.
I have a review on my website for Sketcher Shape Ups. You can read it at http://www.shapeupnyc.com. I am trying the Easy Tones next! I’m so excited!
I have 2 pairs of MBTs and love them! I even tested them vs normal shoes doing the same walk (speed, time & incline) on my treadmill and according to my BodyBugg there IS a greater calorie burn besides the burn I feel in my butt & calves. I’ve had the mary jane mbts for 3+ years and will need to replace them soon. Maybe I’ll try the Skechers next
These look really amazing but as much as I love them I’m not willing to spend $100 on a pair of tennis shoes when I will rarely be able to wear them due to no tennis shoes at owrk. I did hear that they were supposed to be coming out with different versions specific to what you want them for like running, the gym, walking…etc. which I think would be great but I still don’t know if I’d be willing to spend the $.
Thanks for your comments. The Champion ones at Payless are almost exactly the same as the sketchers shape up and only $40. I have my Converse on right now and they are super comfy!
I also can’t wait for your review. I have tried on the Sketchers and Reeboks and preferred the feel of the Sketchers, but haven’t actually bought and tried out either of them. Now I’ll wait for your review before buying!
I have 2 pairs of the Sketcher Shape-Ups. One a pair of tennis shoes, the other a pair of Mary Janes for work. They both feel great. I did my homework, when I decided to buy a pair and settled on the Sketchers because I had heard about people buying the Reebok Easy Tones and having issues with the bubbles at the bottom popping on them, and then find out Reebok wouldn’t do swap out on the shoes or fix them.
Yet I know they have come out with a new version called the Run Tones which are suppose to be better than the Easy Tone version, since they are more catered towards runners. I did try on a pair and they do seem more stable to walk in my personal opinion, mainly because instead of the 2 bubbles on the bottom like the Easy Tones, the Run Tones have 9 bubbles on the bottom and they are smaller better placed bubbles on the bottom of the shoe. Yet I’m not sure Reebok has changed their policies in dealing with these shoes.
I wear my Sketcher Shape Ups about 80% of the time, for work I wear the Mary Janes pretty much everyday, I have noticed my legs are stronger and for nice walks I wear my tennis version of these shoes. I’ve had my shoes since October ’09. I can honestly say they are one of the best investments I’ve ever made.
Thank you Jasmine for your great informative review! It’s good to hear about what others are saying about the shoes. The problem with the GGS girls reviewing so many of these shoes is that I think it will take time to find out if they really work or not. We also are reviewing the fitflops…how did you find this post? From Twitter or google or FB?
I found this post via my alerts from my email since I’m a member of this website, I remember another post last year in regards to this topic (I think back in August) and at the time I was going to buy 2 pairs of the Sketchers. Since then I’ve worn them on a regular basis (have on the Mary Jane pair now.) Also found the post via facebook since I’m apart of the fanpage on their also. lol
Also before I forget, I did try on a pair of the Reebok EasyTone Flip flops and the Sketchers ToneUps. Overall I thought the Reebok Flip Flops felt better even with just the 2 bubbles underneath. The Sketcher ToneUps were not that comfortable to me. I think the main issue was the material of the whole shoe, the bottoms were too hard and the material across the foot was not comfortable in my personal opinion, where as the material of the Reebok Flip Flop was softer and conformed better to my feet. I think eventually I will pick up a pair of the Reebok version.
Also keep in mind they have already come out with a Sandal version of the Sketcher ShapeUps for women, nice feminine attempt, it is a nice concept, problem for some might be the metal buckle at the front of the sandals, it was uncomfortable once I started to walk around in the shoe, for others it might not be an issue but definitely give them a try, last time I recalled it came in 3 colors, black, brown, and tan.
I would love to try these, I recently started walking 2 miles a day to try to help get my back stronger. I have been dealing with severe back problems and heard these shoes can help.
I have a pair of MBTs and love them. You can definitely tell a difference between wearing them vs normal tennis shoes. I can feel it mostly in my butt and thighs and when I take walks in my normal running shoes I don’t feel anything. I get sore when I wear MBTs after not wearing them for a few weeks.
I am excited to read. I confess I am skeptical on their results; however, the fit flops are darling and offer great support for anyone with foot issues. I had sworn off flip flops but these I can wear! Comfy, cute and great support.
yay! I was wishing for someone to review these shoes!!! can’t wait to see your results!
Hopefully we do a very fair review. I have not heard of Champion Brand or Smart Soles. I will be on the look out!
I have been wondering the same thing about the fitness shoes! What one is going to do it’s job but I have been leaning towards the champion Brand ones from Payless Shoe Source! They have been the cheapest out of all of the fitness shoes! They have one similar to the reebok ones and one similar to the sketchers! Maybe you can include these in your review as well! That would be Awesome!
Keep in mind that the fitness shoe business is worth billions of dollars, so, don’t fall for marketing gimmicks.
Here’s a great article worth reading:
http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009/09/10/barefoot-running-injuries/
Can’t wait to hear what you guys think! Course I would love a pair but by the time I buy my regular workout shoes, no money left!
Oh man, I’d love a pair of these shoes. Anxious to hear what you think about them. I don’t like to buy until I’ve read some reviews!!
I so really, really want to know the truth about these!! I want to get a pair so bad but not until “real” people have tried them and shared their opinion. I had one sports store employee tell me that it is a joke and they didn’t work, but to me, the advertising is very convincing. I’m not sure if the shoe guy was totally honest because his store didn’t sell any of the toning shoes. I think they would add that extra oomph to my daily workouts! Can’t wait for your review!!!!