Women's Health Sneaker Awards 2022 Winners - Best Fitness Sneakers

If you’ve ever felt like your sneaker game wasn’t quite as impressive as your deadlift PR, marathon training goal, or dance cardio moves, the Women’s Health 2022 Sneaker Awards is here to change all that.

Advancements in footwear technology are allowing brands to consider factors that may have been previously glossed over or overlooked entirely, like the fact that women’s feet roll differently when striking the ground than men’s, or how women’s breasts impact foot strike and torso motion. An example: “We did a lot of research and design on breast movement during activity and how we could manage that with a shoe by adjusting the heel crash pad—it’s slightly off-center compared to a traditional men’s model—and building landing zones in the midsole to soften the impact,” says Heather Pieraldi, Lululemon senior developer of footwear, who was a part of the brand’s first-ever shoe launch, for a running shoe called the Blissfeel.

Ultimately, having footwear designed for *you* is a game changer for optimizing your workouts and helping you train smarter and harder for, well, life. Now, let us introduce you to your new sole mates.

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How We Chose Our 2022 Winners

With the help of seven certified fitness trainers of different specialties and a foot-health expert who lives life on the move, the team at WH tested more than 100 sneakers over the past several months. We also pored over customer reviews to better understand which specific aspects of the shoes recommended here are the most important to women who already own and love ’em.

So, when narrowing down this year’s winners, we zeroed in on...

  1. The most innovative, women-centric sneaker drops in the past year
  2. The tried-and-true favorite pairs that WH editors always come back to
  3. The most highly rated sneakers for women in each category based on detailed customer reviews

    Whether you’re in the market for a training sneak to ground you beneath the barbell, a cushiony base to save your shins during plyometric workouts, or a compliment-collecting pair to take you to and from it all, the seven categories ahead cover all workout styles and include anywhere from 5 to 12 specific recommendations to meet your needs. Your dream sneaker awaits.

    Big Thanks to Jacqueline Andriakos, Caitlin Carlson and photographer Jeffrey Westbrook.

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