Best Cross Country Shoes & Trainers for 2025

The cross country season will be here before we know it! Hayden shares some of the most popular shoes that will help you have a healthy, successful cross country season.

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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
0:14 New Balance 1080
0:51 Nike Vomero
1:52 ASICS NOVABLAST
2:50 HOKA Arahi
3:31 Brooks Ghost Max
4:27 ASICS GEL-NIMBUS
5:16 Altra FWD VIA
6:29 Saucony Endorphin Speed
7:51 Cross Country Spikes

#runningshoereview #crosscountry #runningshoes #running #brooks #saucony #hoka #newbalance #nike #nikerunning #asics #altra

Hey, guys I’m Hayden, back with Fitness
Tested. Today I’m reviewing all the best
cross country trainers for you this fall. First, we’ve got the New Balance 1080. So this guy for me is like a bread
and butter shoe. It’s bouncy.
There’s a lot of stack height to it. It’s going to be perfect for your easy
runs, perfect for your workouts. You can do pretty much all your shoes
in cross country in this guy. It’s very stable. for me, I brought it out first because I think
it’s hard to go wrong with this 1080. I sell a ton of them because they are very popular shoe,
and the fact that there is a lot of responsiveness
with it, along with it being soft, is a perfect, easy day
that you can use for your workouts Type of shoe
that’s perfect for cross-country. Next shoe we’ve got is the Nike Vomero. I love this shoe. I run in this shoe almost every day. For me,
this guy is the experience of the shoe is what highlights this guy so much. The ride and the flow of it is incredible,
even for like easy day runs is perfect. And then for workouts, obviously you have
a lot of responsiveness with the shoe. This guy is also on the durable side,
so the reactx foam on the bottom is a little bit firmer
and more durable than the, zoomx on the top, which is kind of your bouncy
responsiveness foam. So it’s really nice
because the reactX on the bottom is kind of what gives it its stability
or that rigidity, that durableness on the bottom, and then the zoom X on the top is kind of
what gives you that bounce. So for me,
this is a perfect cross country shoe. You can use it for almost everything. The experience and ride of it is great. So that’s why I brought
it out to show you guys So this is the ASICS Novablast 5. I love this shoe.
I run in it all the time. The highlight of this guy
is how light and breathable it is. It feels like a feather on your foot. And to me, the heel to toe sensation or kind of getting dropped off
when you run feels great. It’s kind of like the Vomero
but much lighter. So that’s why I love it, especially for workouts
when you want like a lighter shoe on your foot,
like you’re running on grass. Sometimes you run on the track,
sometimes you’re on the road for cross-country, you’re doing hills. So you’re on a bunch of different types
of terrain. For cross-country, you want a light,
breathable shoe on your foot like this. And so that’s why I brought it out, because I think it’s a really good shoe
that you can use for everything. Obviously,
you can still use for easy runs. But like, workouts, that’s where it shines
because it’s so light. And the heel to toe kind of sensation
is perfect for your workouts. It’s so responsive. So that’s why I brought it out. So this is the ASICS Novablast 5. So for you stability
people I brought out the Hoka Arahi. So this guy is brand new. I really like it
because it’s kind of a little bit more bounce than the older model,
which I like because, in general, stability shoes
are going to have a little bit less bounce because they need to be a bit firmer
and more rigid. this guy is still provides
great stability aspect, but also it’s, it’s
a little bit on the softer side and more kind of bouncy,
which is why I like it for cross country, because if you’re going to use it
for your runs, your workouts, your long runs, all that stuff
like I want an all around good shoe. So for stability,
I think this guy is great. Here I have the Brooks Ghost Max. So in today’s kind of running shoe world,
a lot of these brands are following the Hoka model
of kind of beefing up and getting softer. So it’s getting harder and harder to find
firmer shoes, to get on your foot. So I brought out this Ghost Max,
because this is a firmer shoe. But there’s also a ton
of responsiveness with it. So if you are someone
that likes a firmer shoe on your foot, you don’t like, the soft Hoka feel or like the soft Nimbus feel, a firm shoe
like this is going to be great. The Ghost Max, obviously
it’s the big brother to the Brooks Ghost, but it’s just going to have a little bit
more stack height and more responsiveness with it. And so I think it’s great
for cross country because with that added responsiveness,
with that added stack height, really good for doing your miles on the concrete,
grass, track, all terrains. It’s going to do really
well for your feet. And it’s
going to keep you happy and healthy. So this is the ASICS Gel-Nimbus. So now for you folks that, like a
softer shoe, this guy is super soft. so cushy,
it feels like a pillow under your foot. Obviously, he’s got a lot of stack
height in it, which I like for a softer shoe. I think for a softer shoe,
you kind of need that extra stack height. So, like, this guy is going to protect
your feet and your joints and stuff. It’s going to do really
well for you on the concrete. If you’re someone that gets shin
splints or like, you have kind of joint issues
when you ramp up your mileage, maybe looking at a softer shoe
would be better for you. The soft foam is just going to be
a little bit easier on your body compared to a firmer shoe. So maybe that’s worth looking into. Here I have the Altra FWD VIA. So this guy’s
a little different of a shoe. Usually Altras are zero millimeter
but these guys are four millimeter. So you’re sitting from here to here
just four millimeters in between. And if you do struggle with shin splints
as I was saying, maybe looking at a lower drop
shoe is going to be good for you, because that’s going to put less pressure
on the tops of your legs like your shins. I’m going to put more pressure
on the backs of your legs. It’s going to take
a little bit of force off those shins. If you’re someone that kind of wants
a shoe with more toe space, maybe looking at an Altra
will be better for you. This guy kind of let your toes splay out,
spread out a bit. So if you don’t like that kind of crowded
toe box like a lot of shoes have, maybe looking at an Altra
would be good for you. This guy is kind of in the middle
in terms of softness and firmness. I really like it for your
just everyday easy miles. Obviously
you can do your workouts in it too. I think it’d be really good for that. I think Altra in general
is going to be on the more durable side. So for your when you’re running on grass,
when you’re running on dirt, when you’re running on a concrete, like
this guy will hold up super well for you. So that’s
why I pulled out the Altra FWD VIA. I think this would be
a great cross country trainer. Here I have the Saucony Endorphin Speed. So this guy is a brand new shoe. Jacob just did a whole video on this guy. So if you want to learn all about it,
go watch that. But I think for cross country, this guy is
dang near perfect for your workouts. So Endorphin Speed, obviously it’s going
to be a little bit of a quicker shoe. It has a nylon plate throughout it,
so it’s going to be super stiff. It’s kind of going to flex back at you, going to give you
that responsiveness that you need. It’s going to have a faster foam. So this guy like for workouts
is super great. Something I’d look at for you cross country runners
is maybe developing a shoe rotation. So exposing your foot to a different drop,
a different foam, like some different circumstances
for your feet every day are super healthy for it because wearing one shoe
every day kind of makes it weak. So if you maybe look at getting a shoe
rotation, getting an easy to shoe getting workout shoe, Endorphin Speed would be great
to incorporate into your lineup. I think other like workout specific shoes
that you can maybe look at getting into is like the Mizuno Neo Vista
or the New Balance Super Comp. So maybe get an easy to shoe
and a workout shoe is something maybe look at getting into. I think it would be perfect
for kind of developing a shoe rotation and get something different
under your feet every day. All right,
so as we’re approaching the fall, I know a lot of you
aren’t thinking about it right now, but late July or early August,
you’re gonna need some spikes. So if you never had spikes before. They are a lighter, breathable shoe that is going to feel
very minimal on your foot. It’s going to have these spikes
in the bottom of your shoe. Obviously, I don’t have them in right now,
but it’s going to have spikes on the bottom of your shoe,
and this is going to be so that you have better traction
on the cross country course and just a faster, lightweight shoe on your foot
so that you can run faster in your races. If you never want to spike before,
I’d maybe look at getting into an entry level spike
that’s going to feel more like a shoe. It’s going to be a little bit heavier and less responsiveness,
but it’s going to feel more like a shoe. It’s going to be a little
bit more comfortable for you. For you
people who have already had spikes, I would maybe looking at getting into
an advanced cross country spike. So this is the Dragonfly XC. This is Nike’s
premier cross country spike. It’s going to be very durable on
the upper, and also rubber on the bottom. It’s going to be made for grass,
made for grave. Made for that, rough cross
country course. So I think it’s hard
to go wrong with this guy. All right. Today you learned all about
the best trainers for cross country. I invite you guys
to come into Fitness Sports and try on some of these shoes
and see what you think. Maybe
you’ll bring one of them home with you. Thank you guys for watching. Make sure to like, comment,
and smash that subscribe button and I’ll see you guys in the
next Fitness Tested video.