Are Nike Air Max 95 Good For Working Out?

ListedFit is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small commission.

The Air Max 95 is an iconic shoe, there’s no denying that.

You might be thinking of buying a pair for yourself, they’re good-looking shoes, why wouldn’t you?

I’ve often wondered and maybe you have too are Nike Air Max good for gym?

What are the Air Max like to workout in, and are they actually a good option for those kinds of workouts that involve moves like deadlifts and squats?

In this short video, I’m gonna look into it.

At the very most I’ve run for the bus in them!

I’m fully aware that they aren’t advertised as a shoe that’s going to help you run faster or perform better in any way, they’re listed on the Nike website as a lifestyle shoe for that very reason, but to be fair, so are the Nike Blazers and to me, they perform very well as a lifting shoe. 

But whatever your case may be, maybe you’re in a pinch, maybe you’re going abroad and you only have space in your luggage for one pair of shoes, or you’ve seen them on special offer and you’re wondering what their performance is actually like, this video could help you out.

So let’s find out… Are the Air Max 95 good workout shoes?

Air Max 95 – Construction and fit

To start with, regarding the fit, I would say the Air Max 95 are a true-to-size fit, I ordered my regular size and had no problems with the fitting whatsoever.

The 95 are also a very narrow shoe, this of course isn’t to everybodies liking, but NIke are known for their shoes being more on the narrow side.

For what it’s worth, I personally don’t have wide feet, but I prefer working out in a slightly wider-fitting shoe. It just gives me the feeling of having a bit more freedom to move my toes around, which does help my balance a little.

These Air Max 95s, even though they look like they have a single air unit inside, they actually have 2 separate air units. One in the front of the shoe and one in the heel area as this image shows

Wearing The Air Max 95…

The reason I mention this is because high-top shoes can sometimes be good for stability, keeping your foot and ankle more supported and stable which could come in handy if you’re lifting heavy weights. 

You want to get as much stability as possible in your feet and ankles. 

To me the 95s feel like a high top when you wear them, The high lacing and the padded tongue just add to that overall feeling. 

So What Are They Like As a Workout Shoe?

The thing with the 95s is that they feel so padded when you wear them, there are a lot of layers of material in the upper of this shoe that can be a bit deceptive. 

I wouldn’t say that they’re squidgy soft shoes to walk in, but they do feel a bit chunky and I feel they aren’t s good shoes for flexibility.

Warming up for squats and deadlifts they felt good, when I say warm-ups I mean doing squats and deadlifts with a lightweight. 

Because it’s only when you get into the working sets, or the heavier weights that you really start to see the difference, and it’s quite a dramatic difference in the feel

 The stability of the shoe is compromised.

Moreso in the squat, when you lift a heavy bar off the rack, you don’t really want to feel your footwear compressing in the heel in this moment, that lack of stability did mess me up a little bit. 

After doing the heavier working set and finishing my squats, I did feel more fatigue in the lower regions of my feet than I normally do. 

I could really feel that air bubble in the heel of the shoe compress and squeeze whenever I pushed my weight off. 

You might not feel it as much if you’re a lighter person, but if you squat in them regularly as time goes on you will feel it more and more.

So that’s one thing you will notice.

During the deadlift, I felt the same compression of the shoe when I lifted the weight, but it wasn’t as bad as when I was squatting.

But I did feel the same muscle fatigue in the lower areas of my legs that I felt during the squats.

Even though it didn’t go catastrophically bad for me deadlifting and squatting in these, I really don’t feel that the Air Max 95s are a good choice for lifting in, a much better option, if you’re someone who lifts heavier weights, would be to just take them off and lift in your socks or in bare feet and just be careful not to drop any weights on your feet or to slip in your socks.

The stability just isn’t there and I don’t think they’re a shoe that you’re not gonna be able to seriously push for your personal best numbers in. 

Let’s Look at Running in the Air Max 95

Running in them, however, was a different story. I ran for 3k in them before I felt any discomfort. I think the air unit in the forefoot helped with cushioning while running because I primarily run on the balls of my feet so the air unit did cushion this area of my foot. The same could be said if you’re someone who runs on your heels when you run. 

But the sticking point for me is the lack of flexibility that these shoes have. They just don’t flex anywhere near as well as a performance shoe like say a pair of Vivos or a reebok nano does. 

Are Nike Air Max Good for Gym? My Overall Opinion is This…

When it comes to the question of are Nike Air Max good for gym, I think they can work as a workout shoe if you’re a person that doesn’t do anything too intense in the gym.

I would personally only workout in these if I had absolutely no other options and even then I would take them off and lift barefoot or in my socks. 

If you’re going to push your limits and your goal is to up your numbers and get stronger, then you’re going to have to consider going for a serious pair of shoes that will be better suited to that.
Running in them, however, they did perform a little better, but I still wouldn’t look at them as a serious option.

You could consider something like the Reebok Nano X3, a barefoot shoe like some Vivos, or even a pair of Metcons if you are looking for a multi-functional workout shoe that can also look fashionable. 

Just please don’t do heavy squats and deadlifts in these Air Maxs, it’s not a good idea!

That was my quick take on the Air Max 95s as a workout shoe.

Thanks for watching and I’ll see you on the next one.

Frequently Asked Questions