William Goodman, Tyler Chin
2026-01-06 21:40:00
Best for Climbing: La Sportiva Katana Lace
Tired of renting shoes every time you go bouldering? La Sportiva is one of the leading brands in climbing shoes and its Katana Laces are at the top of the pack. Eschewing the typical velcro closures for laces, these kicks have a dramatic downturn shape, which helps them perform better on slabs wiggle their way into thin, typically inaccessible cracks. They’re shockingly comfortable—or as comfy as one can get with a pair of climbing shoes—and while they might not help you figure out the beta on a V8, you’ll at least look like you know what you’re doing.
Best Recovery Shoes: Kane Revive
How are your feet doing? A little achey? Time to throw on a pair of recovery shoes. We’re fans of the Kane Revives, a pair of airy slip ons that. From raised footbed nodes to support along the heel, arch, and forefront, these offer up every possible detail that can help you spend less time on your ass and more time going back after it (on your feet). The super-supportive soles give you the cushioning you need to just walk around, whether it’s bopping in your apartment or heading out for a protein shake. Are these kicks you’d work out in? No, but if you work out, this is a pair of footwear you want in your rotation.
Best Squat Shoes: TYR L-2 Lifter
Love hitting Tom Platz-esque leg days? These L-2 squat shoes (a.k.a. weightlifting shoes) from TYR are your best bet—they’re the new and improved version of the L-1s, which won a GQ Fitness Award last year. “For the price of a brutal bar tab, you’re looking at a windfall of benefits to your squat and leg development that you wouldn’t get squatting barefoot or in flats,” GQ senior commerce editor Ian Burke says about the first iteration. “If you have trouble hitting depth on a squat, have ankle mobility issues, or want to target your quads more by putting them in a more stretched position in the hole, you’ll love squatting in a heel. If you have wide feet or just want a well-made squat shoe trusted by some of the world’s best squatters, you can’t go wrong with these. And anecdotally, squatting in these shoes changed my entire leg day experience—I used to squat barefoot, but when I made the switch to heels, my legs blew up, my numbers rose, and the nagging shin pain I had for years while squatting finally went away.”
Best for Race Day: Nike Vaporfly 4
We published a more in-depth review of the Vaporfly 3, Nike’s super running shoe, earlier this year, with the TL;DR being that it absolutely lived up to the hype for long-distance runs at high speeds. But the Vaporfly 4? Woo, boy—this is one helluva follow-up, with a lighter, more stable sole that is, however, maybe a bit more narrow than some would prefer. While it’s a bit overkill for simple runs on the treadmill at the gym, it is beneficial if you’re doing speed work on a treadmill or if for some reason, your gym is swanky enough to have an indoor track for some Olympic-level training. Oh, and it just looks cool as hell, especially if you snag a pair in that bright crimson colorway (not exactly minimalist, but they’re sick). Springy and supportive, thanks to its Zoom sole, you’ll feel like you’re flying as you soar through treadmill work with ease because these are truly some of the best running shoes we’ve tried.
