Ryka Women's, Influence Training Shoe

The Ryka Influence shoe fits like it was made for me personally! Amazing shoes! I have a medium width foot, wider at across at the little toe joint and narrow at heal. I also have high arch. I have these shoes in every color I can get my hands on in case Ryka phases out the style since the thick sole look is currently trending. The best thing about RYKA’s are in the details. The tell you the heal to toe rise. They have sole types based on your activity. They are made specifically for women.The Influence model has a low heel rise of 8 mm so my foot is not thrown forward. It has a circular area or pivot point on the sole under the big toe. Didn’t realize how useful that was until I had to do 3 months of PT. This model is marketing for use with activities like aerobics and Zumba but I wear my RYKA’s all the time. I first saw them when taking my husband for medical treatments at the hospital and a lot of nurses were wearing them several years ago. The first two pair I ordered, I ordered in my usual size 8. The fit was exactly spot on and allowed for thin footies or socks. I only wore them to the gym at that time. Three years later, I found I needed to go up to a thicker cushioned sock and the shoes felt a little tight at the toe so I purchased 8.5 size. Perfect!!!I now live in these shoes. I damaged both knees in a recent fall and these shoes help keep me aligned so I can wear them all day without pain or discomfort. I wear them to the gym and PT with no problem and they’ve held up very well. Admittedly, I don’t do hardcore activities in them but I am hard on shoes. I wish I’d had sense enough to wear them while I was still teaching!Ryka has a wide variety of styles, both lace up and slip on. I highly recommend the brand and so glad they have a store on Amazon now!!

First, I have Plantar fasciitis and MS. I’m a heavy hot mess. I need to walk daily but shoes have absolutely let me down - constant pressure & pain which leads to back pain and then 1-2 weeks of me trying to recover so I can begin daily walks again. I have tried probably 40-50 different shoe types/brands and just haven’t had success. Incredibly frustrating, to say the least.Read a little article on “best arch support shoes” and these popped up on the list. Came to Amazon to snag a pair. Pleasantly surprised to find them at a reasonable price!Received them today. The sole of the shoes (the whole shoe, really) seem to be well made and durable. I’m coming off an MS flare and have been struggling for the last 3 days to just get around the house. I slapped these shoes on and walked around inside the house. I was scared at first because they feel super lightweight and the inside is a bit firm. But I wanted to give them a go.10 minutes in, I noticed my heel wasn’t as sore (massive win). 30 mins in, my lower back felt a little better (probably because I wasn’t compensating for the sore heel). Fast forward to 2+ hours in and my feet don’t hurt at all.I don’t know who made these or how or what magic they poured into them but THANK YOU. It’s so refreshing and freeing to put shoes on and have them be supportive, comfortable, and to help my feet not hurt. I honestly wish I could better convey how monumental this is. People who don’t hurt will not understand how massive a deal this is. I have kids and the prospect of not hurting when I walk is freeing. It means we can go and do things. Over and over again, thank you!*I will update this review after a few weeks of wearing and walking.

I purchased these shoes for my R.I.P.P.E.D. class which has a lot of pivoting, pushups, lunges, etc. These were recommended by my instructor as an affordable shoe that works for this type of workout.Pro: I am a classic size 8 (but a little on the narrow side) and these fit my length perfectly. They do the exact thing i purchased them for; they give me balance with a solid foot bed, good arch support, and the flatter outer sole made for pivoting. Aesthetically they look just as cute in person as they do in the picture.Con: They are oddly wide in the pad of the foot but narrow quite a bit in the arch area. I have a semi-narrow foot so the more narrow arch and heel works great. The wide pad area of the shoe does let my foot slide a bit but not enough to make me return them. The shoe is okay quality. They are not soft and I foresee them lasting about 6-8 months. **but my pair of Nikes I paid $110 for only last 6 months in the inner sole as they broke down but the rest of the shoe is still going strong.All in all if the sole holds up at least 6 months or more, matching my previous Nikes, then I feel it's worth ordering again to get a shoe that is made precisely for the type of exercise I do. This is a cute, supportive, solid shoe for any cross fit type exercise. I noticed a big difference the first day when I did a one legged lunge with weights. Had no trouble keeping my balance at all.