Toning shoes tone your legs and buttocks
| Toning shoes tone your legs and buttocks | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Specially designed toning shoes, such as Skechers Shape-ups and Reebok EasyTone, strengthen and tone leg and buttock muscles just by walking." | |
| Domain | Consumer Products & Everyday Life |
| Tactic | Pseudoscience / Junk Science |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2009 |
| Origin | Advertising by Skechers, Reebok and other shoe makers from 2009 |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-30 |
| Further reading: books on Consumer Products & Everyday Life | |
Around 2009, toning shoes with rounded or unstable soles became a billion-dollar category. Reebok said its EasyTone shoes worked hamstring and calf muscles up to 11 percent harder and buttock muscles up to 28 percent harder than regular sneakers. Skechers made similar claims for its Shape-ups.
Independent research and federal regulators found the claims unsupported.
What the evidence shows
- Independent study. A 2010 study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise found no significant difference in muscle activation or calorie burn between toning shoes and regular running shoes.
- Reebok. In September 2011, Reebok agreed to pay $25 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges of deceptive advertising.
- Skechers. In May 2012, Skechers agreed to pay $40 million to settle FTC charges over Shape-ups and other toning shoes.
Why it matters
Fitness products that promise results without extra effort are a recurring source of deceptive advertising. Regulators found these claims had no adequate scientific support.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, "Reebok to Pay $25 Million in Customer Refunds To Settle FTC Charges of Deceptive Advertising of EasyTone and RunTone Shoes," September 28, 2011.
- Federal Trade Commission, "Skechers Will Pay $40 Million to Settle FTC Charges That It Deceived Consumers with Ads for 'Toning Shoes'," May 16, 2012.
- American Council on Exercise, "Will Toning Shoes Really Help You Get Into Shape?" 2010.