Are Skechers Shape Up Shoes a Waste of Money? page

[HowToDieYoung]

"Get fit without every stepping a foot in a gym!" - Oh so lazy..

I am partial to Vibrams and barefooting but a lot of people are buying these fitness shoes. A lot more than are buying minimalist gear. I see this as a step backwards for footwear. Another system meant to mimic walking on natural earth at the cost of our bodies well-being. Some studies say they are great, but there is no way this can be possible. It is just another health shortcut like every other scam product. Does anyone own these clunkers?

More here:
Skechers Shape Ups are a Waste of Money

[Suki]

A fool and his money are soon parted...

[Little_Fish]

my boyfriend got some for work. he is on his feet all day. he says he loves them. so far they are holding up very well. I put them on and walked around the house when he first bought them and I could feel my abs engaging the entire time I had them on.

He did say that after the first day of wearing them, his muscles were really sore. (He is in top shape)

[HowToDieYoung]

I know people get sore, but do you think in the long run they are good? I'd imagine you'd get sore from high heels all day too but those have ultimately proven bad for your posture worn over a life time.

[Lovestoclimb]

absolute waste of money. I'm pretty sure Mark did a blog post about these things.

[Diana Renata]

No way would I buy them. It's VFFs all the way.

[fit4lifegal]

I bought some, and I love them - they are great for walking, but not running or sprints. I feel my posture is more in line with the "J" shape Mark blogged about. I have some foot issues, and they seem to be very supportive.

Your mileage may vary.... but so far, I am pleased with my purchase. Will I "give up the gym"? NOPE - I don't go anyway... I do my workouts outside of the gym - so ... the 9 or 10 hours a day I wear them probably helps out a little. I gave up my office chair for a stability ball - again, not to replace workouts, but to add a little additional challenge for my core.

[Little_Fish]

I only wear VFFs. I'd never buy these shoes for myself. My work shoes, I can not get around because we are required to have a steel toe. While on vacation, I noticed several people wearing shape-ups. (Mostly 50-60 y/o's).

[Stu]

Don't waste your money. Anything that changes your bio-mechanics in a unnatural way as the shoes do is going to cause problems. Let the shoes actually be on the market for a few years and the injuries will start to appear.

[DidNothingFatal]

These look very similar to the the most ridiculously named shoes, Masai Barefoot Technology, with a 2" deep 'rocker' sole, because a Masai walks in a barefoot style, errr yeah no s#*$ sherlock, he has no shoes on! They probably are better than many shoes out there, but you'd be better in VFF and if you can get them Vivo Barefoot shoes are great products!