Toning Shoes – Are You Getting a Work Out, or Just Worked Over?

Getting to the Bottom of Toning Shoes

It seems that more shoe companies are jumping on the bandwagon touting substantial claims about benefits of toning shoes.  But how do the claims stack up to the research?

The American Council on Exercise put three companies to the test.  A team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin compared toning shoes from Skechers, Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT), and Reebok Easy Tone with a New Balance running shoe.  The study participants tested each shoe, walking at various speeds and grades.  Data collected included heart rate, VO₂ Max (how much oxygen the participants used during activity vs. during rest), calories burned, and rate of perceived exertion.  Despite lofty claims from the toning shoe companies, no significant difference was found between any of the shoes.

Muscle activity was also measured and included the gastrocnemius (calves), rectus femoris (thigh), biceps femoris (hamstring), gluteus maximus (butt, and largest muscle in the body), and rectus abdominus (abdomen).  None of the toning shoes showed any statistically significant difference in muscle activity compared to the New Balance running shoe.

The researchers concluded that these toning shoes were basically a gimmick and do not burn more calories or work muscles harder than a traditional shoe.

Check out some of the claims from these manufacturers:

MBT: Masai Barefoot Technology $245.00 – “Helping solve knee and back problems, relieve tension in neck, ease joint pains-and more or less in passing help to tone and shape firm buttocks and thighs. And burning more calories when standing and slow running compared to ordinary shoes.”

Skechers Shape-Ups $110-$125 – “Four clinical studies in the US and Japan show that Shape-ups increase muscle activity and energy consumption over standard fitness shoes!”

Reebok EasyTone $100-$125 – “It’s the shoe proven to work your hamstrings and calves up to 11 percent harder. And tones your butt up to 28 percent more than regular sneakers just by walking.”

You may be wondering how these companies can make such claims. When considering whether or not research results are reliable, it’s important to know who funded the study, the study design, and the number of subjects.  When companies fund their own studies, there can be tremendous bias affecting the interpretation of the results, so this should be a red flag, especially when claims are made that sound too good to be true.

Save your money, and stick with your traditional shoe.