What Are the Best Women’s CrossFit Shoes?

There are some basic guidelines that you need to use when choosing to purchase a CrossFit shoe, so before I review some of the different brands and their details, here is what you need to know to find the best shoes for CrossFit women:

Buyer’s Guide

The Drop

The drop of a shoe is the difference between the height of the heel and the height of the forefoot. If you own a decent pair of running shoes, the drop is huge, around 8mm. These shoes are made to guide your feet from heel-to-toe which is not exactly what you want if you need to stay on your heels for squats or any other lifts.

CrossFit shoes, with a 4mm drop, will help you distribute your weight evenly across your foot, which is also a more natural foot position.

A Hard Sole

A hard sole will help you improve your stability even more. When you are doing heavy lifts, you want to feel the floor solidly beneath you. The shoes' hard soles help keep your feet glued to the ground and stay as stable as possible regardless of the load.

Think of what type of workout you usually do and your personal shoe preference when making your choice.

Durable Outer Shoe

Let’s talk about the shoe’s body now.

CrossFit demands you be prepared for anything including rope climbing, running, or lifting. Traction on the top of your shoe is just as important as traction on the back.

There is usually a sort of cage around the midfoot and toes which will provide you with all-round traction. This feature is very important for rope climbs.

Lateral support not only helps you grip ropes better but will also reinforce proper alignment during squats.

Now that I have given you some tips on what to look for when purchasing the best CrossFit shoes for women, let's get started with the reviews.

Best CrossFit Shoes for Women

These shoes are higher end CrossFit shoes and cost over $100. The Nike Women's Metcon 2 OC help you maintain proper form with a firm, stable, yet very comfortable foundation.

This is provided by the durable rubber sole and soft dual-density foam. This is one of the best women's CrossFit shoes. You will definitely improve your next workout with the dynamic, versatile performance of the Nike Metcon 2 trainer.

The Reebok Women's CrossFit Nano 5.0 Training Shoes are extremely durable as the entire upper portion is constructed with Kevlar. This helps each shoe remain supportive and provide the maximum amount of protection while remaining comfortable.

The midsole of the shoe improves stability as well with a hard thermoplastic polyurethane shell called the NanoShell. The Reebok Women's CrossFit Nano 5.0 Training Shoes is one of the best women's CrossFit shoes on the market.

They also come in a wide variety of colors so you can find the one that fits your personality.

These shoes were made for the sole purpose of helping you take on almost any workout the gym can throw at you. Whether it is running, climbing, or lifting, the ultra-lightweight design is perfectly balanced with a flexible fit upper portion.

This will give you the flexibility and omnidirectional support required for intense dynamic movements. The ASICS Women's GEL-Fit Sana Cross-Training Shoe also remains very comfortable because of its light weight.

The stretchable fit, gel cushioning, and soft mesh exterior also aid in making this shoe extremely enjoyable. These shoes are a great value for your money, and you should be able to find a pair for less than $80.

Flexibility, durability, and versatility is the name of the game when it comes to Inov-8. They have been designing CrossFit shoes before it was a well-known fitness practice. The Inov-8 Women's F-Lite 235 Cross-Training Shoe is the ultimate training shoe for competitors.

This shoe, the versatile F-Lite 235, features 360-degree Rope-Tec for burn protection, a 40% denser heel for extra stability, multi-directional outsole flexibility, a toe bumper for protection, and some much-needed cushioning.

Inov-8 is a company that has always been passionate about specializing in off-road running products and creating the most lightweight, flexible footwear on the market. A pair of these bad boys should cost you around $70.

RYKA is one of the leading women's sports brands in the world so you should know that this shoe is of superb quality. Because of their focus on women's sports, the brand's size and fit has an advantage over many others.

The RYKA Women's Influence Cross-Training Shoe is built with flex-foil and direct-fuse layers which provide you plenty of support. The textile lining helps along with the insole cushioning to keep your feet nice and comfortable.

A dual impact midsole provides generous cushioning in the heel and forefront. This shoe also has a durable traction outsole with a footprint design.

I know that some of you reading this article are asking yourselves whether CrossFit shoes make that much of a difference.

Well, there is no definitive shoe but there is one recurring theme you will hear from fellow athletes, and that is that you should invest in a good pair of CrossFit Shoes.

It is quite simple, really. Running shoes are designed for those who want to run in a straight line for miles - a linear activity. Running shoes are designed perfectly for this, but if you use them while doing CrossFit, they will create lateral instability in your ankles.

CrossFit involves some running, mainly sprinting, but is not, overall, a linear activity. You need to zigzag, jump, sprint, crawl, climb, and lift heavy weights. Running shoes with big cushioned heels encourage athletes to put their weight forward and not back onto their heels.

This will eventually take a toll on your knees and ankles.

Most importantly, you should not be doing heavy weightlifting on a soft, unstable base, which is what would happen if you were wearing a running shoe that has a large spongy heel. It will make you unstable and put your weight on the front.

Since CrossFit involves lifting heavy weights - often above your head - you need a highly stable shoe.

So, what you need is the perfect amount of cushion, stability, and light shoes.

Olympic weightlifting shoes will become very heavy quickly, especially during sprints.

Another thing you should know is that because of all the jumping and climbing, you need shoes with good traction to minimize falls. All CrossFit shoes should have some type of cage on the outside that will be able to provide you with all the traction you need.

This is why you need an all-around decent lightweight CrossFit shoe.

In summary, we’ve gone through some technical terms involving CrossFit shoes (the drop, hard sole, and outer sole) and why you should not just start CrossFitting with your old pair of running shoes.

I hope that I have prevented some future injuries by explaining the differences between shoes.

There is no definitive best CrossFit shoe - think about what exercises do you prefer and choose according to that.

If you're new to the sport, ask some more experienced athletes or your coach questions. All the options I listed above will work for both experienced or inexperienced CrossFitters.

And remember that while CrossFit is an incredible exercise routine that will tone down your body, you aren’t going to go far without a dedicated diet plan - so make sure you have one!

Happy CrossFitting!