Ever since I can remember, I’ve had a difficult time finding athletic shoes that I’ve actually enjoyed wearing. Back when I was a kid growing up during the 1960’s, long before there was Nike and the cornucopia of sports shoes available today, we had one basic design.

It was called a “sneaker“.

Your brand choices were limited to Keds, PF Flyer, and maybe Converse. They were all made out of canvas.

Leather?

Yeah, right! They were sneakers for crying out loud! And as far as color choices. Well, to paraphrase Henry Ford, you could have any color you wanted as long as it was either black or white. I think maybe red was an option, but no kid that didn’t want to get beat up on a regular basis after school would be caught dead in a pair of red sneakers.

When I got to junior high school the really hot sneaker, yep they were still called sneakers even into the early 1970’s, was the Chuck Taylor model from Converse. We endearingly called them “Chucks” for short. I suppose Chucks were the first “designer” athletic shoe well before Michael Jordan lit up the basketball world and was honored with his own shoe line by Nike.

I never had the courage to spend the big bucks for sneakers, but I did purchase a pair of LA Gear basketball shoes during the late 1980’s when I was playing pick up basketball games after work. They looked pretty cool, but weighed a ton! My vertical leap has always be sub-orbital and with those boat anchors on my feet you couldn’t even slip a sheet of paper between them and the court when I took off.

The first time I wore them I stubbed my big toe pretty bad trying to get up. That was the last time I wore them. They’re still sitting in my closet and except for a layer of dust, look almost as new as the day I bought them 20 years ago.

Since then, I’ve settled on Avia cross trainers, which I have to admit for the price of $29.95 ($19.95) on sale are a pretty decent shoe. They have all-leather uppers and last a long time.

They don’t look too bad either, but as far as performance, well, you get what you pay for I suppose.

I’ve been interested for a while now in the “shock absorbing” technology in the latest high tech basketball shoes, but have been leery of it since it just seems like a gimmick. Even the claim that this spring-like feature can help you jump higher. In my case, unless it has the rebounding force of a mini-tramp, then forget it.

When I was approached by firstSTREET.com to promote their catalog I asked if I could get a pair of the Spira™ Trainers to evaluate. They generously agreed and I’ve been putting them through their paces for the past month.

The first thing that I noticed when I opened the box and held one of the shoes in my hand is how incredibly light they are. I mean feather light! This is owed in large part to the ultra thin mesh uppers. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Spira™ Trainers is the springy feel you get once you put them on and take a few steps.

It does take some getting used to and puts new meaning into “putting a bounce in your step“.

This springy feeling is just an indication that the patented WaveSpring™ technology is doing its job. Unlike other shock absorbing systems used in other brands of shoes, WaveSpring™ is actually made from steel coils. As you might imagine, steel is going to last a whole lot longer than systems that use plastic, foams, or polymers. In fact, Spira™ claims that the rest of the shoe will wear out long before the WaveSpring™ coils.

It’s the other way around typically with other shock absorbing shoes. And when the coils wear out, then any shock absorption or energy transfer is completely out the window.

The Shoe Lab at Michigan State University tested the WaveSpring™ technology and found that the energy transfer from the system is 87% - 96%! Being an engineer by training, I find that kind of efficiency extremely difficult to believe for any technology, but I won’t argue with documented research from a respected academic institution.

That’s simply phenomenal!

However, the real proof would be how the Spira™ Trainers performed under my personal testing.

I’ve worn my Spira™ Trainers for a month now and below is my evaluation of how they performed under various scenarios that are typical in my life:

Casual Walking:

The first thing I did after receiving my Spira™ Trainers was to go out on a dog walk. Mind you, we have an overweight 6-year old pug, so our walks never last for more than a quick jaunt around the block. Even so, I was adjusting to the springiness of the WaveSpring™ technology.

The coils are positioned so there’s one large one embedded in the heel and two smaller ones located transversely in the mid-sole. This provides an all over degree of shock absorption and energy transfer.

The coil in the heel is the one I noticed the most. I could really feel the resistance and compression from the heel coil along with a pleasant bounce back upon lifting my foot.

OK, a short walk isn’t really much of test, but my initial impression was one of curiosity along with an eagerness to take things up a few notches. It should noted that Spira™ also makes a “Walker” version of the Spira™ that is a bit better looking and probably is better suited for extended walking than the Trainers.

At The Gym:

The next day I laced up my Spiras™ and headed over to the gym. I like to hit the gym 3 times a week and do a mix of cardio and weightlifting. This is the environment and application that the Spira™ Trainers were designed for.

By this time, I was getting more accustomed to the bouncy feeling and tried hard not to smile as I strolled around the gym with a new bounce in my step. I felt like I had a new found “secret advantage” over everyone else. At least among the “senior” crowd.

For weightlifting, the shoes performed well. Providing good stability during bench and seated presses. They also provided good traction on the rubberized flooring in the free weights area of the gym.

Where they distinguished themselves was on the leg press and hack squat machines. The energy transfer was fully evident and the cushioning on my heels was like night and day from my old Avias. I stopped doing squats years ago after my aching knees and back had said “no mas!“, but I’m pretty sure these shoes will really shine if you ever have occasion to find a heavy Olympic bar straddling your shoulders.

I was really anxious to try the Spira™ Trainers on the elliptical trainer since I’m really susceptible to getting numb feet on the elliptical. Actually this is more widespread than you might think. I wrote an article about this condition that I’ve dubbed “Elliptical Trainer Sleepy Foot Syndrome“.

I picked the Life Fitness HR9500, which really makes my feet go numb in a hurry. I was really hoping that the Spira™ Trainers would finally be the magic cure for this dreaded condition, but though I held out a bit longer than usual, my right foot felt like a brick around the 17 minute mark. Usually numbness will set in after about only 10 minutes on the elliptical. Though a little disappointing, I know it was expecting a lot.

On a much more positive note, the Spira™ Trainers are an absolute must if you run on a treadmill!

The reason the elliptical trainer is my cardio machine of choice is because it’s a much lower impact exercise than running on a treadmill. Even with a padded belt, the pounding running takes on my knees. and lower back in particular, is really too much for me to bear. That’s why I was overjoyed to find that the Wavespring™ technology came to my rescue.

I did need to compensate my stride a bit for the bounce, but once I got into a nice steady grove it was wonderful! And I felt really good after my run was over — none of the lower back ache or irritated knees!

With my Spiras™ backing me up, I’m going to incorporate the treadmill into my cardio routine on a more regular basis. Spira™ also makes a running shoe, which might be better suited for running on the treadmill, but I think the Trainer is the best option for all around gym use, which includes both cardio and weight training exercises.

Playing Tennis:

I’ve recently begun taking private tennis lessons at the local tennis barn. I feel it’s important to participate in a physical activity that requires your entire body to move as a system and that also calls upon your reflexes a bit more than just hoisting weights up and down in a fixed plane. Not to mention the fact that I love the game of tennis and have always wanted to play a lot better than I presently do.

I took my Spiras™ out on the practice court with the ball machine for a couple of 30 minute and 1 hour sessions. The benefits I had already experienced on the treadmill at the gym transfered nicely to the Versa-Turf tennis surface. The sudden stopping and back pedaling of tennis can put a lot of stress on your heels as well as the balls of your feet. I felt that the Spira™ Trainers were very responsive in this regard and my recovery from the 1 hour session was very good.

Shooting Baskets:

I saved the best for last. I was really eager to see if the WaveSpring™ coils could help me with my vertical leap. OK, maybe not finally to be able to dunk a basketball, but get a lot higher on my shots around the rim. Well, the good news is that the shock absorption and energy transfer benefits previously experienced on the treadmill and hitting tennis balls carried over completely to running around and jumping on the concrete basketball court. However, you would probably need a micrometer to measure the increase in my vertical leap. I’m afraid even the patented WaveSpring™ technology can’t help much if you don’t have natural “hops”.

I think even a running start and a mini-trampoline couldn’t help me.

Again, the recovery time from about 30 minutes of shooting hoops was very short and my feet and lower back felt pretty good. I should point out that the Trainers are not a specialized basketball shoe and if you require ankle support then you should consider a true basketball shoe. Pivoting in the Spira™ Trainers feels a bit unstable and I think it would be possible to roll your ankle over during more agressive play. Spira™ has promised to come out with a Spira™ Basketball shoe and I can’t wait.

My Recommendation:

Below I’ve summarized the good and not quite so good features of the Spira™ Trainers. Actually, there’s really nothing bad that I can say about them — just a few caveats to be aware of.

Pros:

*Extremely lightweight. This is primarily attributed to the mesh uppers.

*Great shock absorption and energy transfer. The WaveSpring™ technology is head and shoulders above anything else in this category and it appears Spira™ has it locked up with their patent. My feet, as well as my knees and lower back, are very well protected from the jarring forces of running and jumping when I’m wearing the Spiras™.

*Breathable mesh uppers to keep your feet cool and dry. My all leather uppers Avia cross trainers make my feet sweat in a hurry and I can’t wear them for extended periods such as at work for 8 hours. The all mesh uppers of the Spira™ Trainers allow my feet to breathe and I have no problems wearing them for most of the day.

I honestly cannot recommend these shoes highly enough. And not to just “elderly” people such as myself who suffer from things like osteo-arthritis and low back pain, but to anyone who is active and would like to benefit from footwear that actively participates with you rather than passively just comes along for the ride.

As far as style, well the Spira™ Trainers aren’t going to win any beauty contests and are no where near as sexy as a pair of Air Xoom Lebron V’s, but I think they look good enough with a pair of dress jeans for a night out.

At $129.95, Spira™ shoes aren’t exactly cheap, but at this point in my life I willing to spend a little extra to get quality along with any edge in performance that I can get. Though I received my first pair of Spiras at no charge, I know that’s just a one time event, and I know for sure that I’ll be buying my next pair without hesitation. And whenever Spira finally comes out with their basketball model, I’ll be jumping all over it. Well, at least as high as I can jump in my Spira™ Trainers.

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