Best Walking Shoes For Overweight Men in 2023

1. Brooks Dyad 11

Brooks makes great shoes that offer an excellent combination of cushion and support. The Brooks Dyad 11 is the ideal all-around walking shoe for men.

It’s a neutral shoe, designed for feet that have a medium arch. It’s also suitable for walkers whose feet roll slightly outward while they’re walking (underpronation or supination).

From the top, the engineered mesh upper offers an excellent combination of structure and breathability. It’s flexible enough to offer a tight and supportive fit when used with the traditional lacing system.

Right underfoot, the insole is soft and light, and provides good support for low-ish arches. It’s removable, though, so you can wear this shoe no matter what kind of arch you have, with the help of an insert or orthotic.

The midsole is made of BioMoGo DNA foam. This is a combo of two of Brooks’ impressive foams – BioMoGo, which is environmentally-friendly and 50 times more biodegradable than others, and DNA foam, which is an adaptive gel-cushioning foam that softens with low impact and stiffens with harder impacts.

This is ideal for overweight walkers, as it reduces impact on the joints and also becomes more comfortable and soft underfoot the lighter you become!

Additional support features include dual stability arch pods, which provide extra support for the arch and can be clearly seen under the shoe, a heel counter for more heel support, and a shock-absorbing crash pad on the outsole.

The wide platform of the shoe also provides more surface area to disperse shock from each step, and helps you feel stable on your feet.

2. Skechers Max Cushioning Elite – Routine

The Skechers Max Cushioning Elite Routine packs a lot of value into a very friendly price tag.

It’s a running and walking shoe which combines comfortable cushion and springiness to give you a light and easy walking experience.

A 6mm heel-to-toe drop is lower than many, which some walkers may prefer as it’s less of a drastic incline.

The upper is a mix of leather and mesh, which is the perfect combination for structure and breathability. The leather provides firmness and durability, while the mesh allows for airflow while walking.

It’s comfortable too, featuring their lightweight but padded ULTRA GO cushion underfoot. On top of that, a Goga Mat insole adds an extra layer of comfort, while contributing to the rebound and the breathability of the shoe.

One of the best features of this shoe that makes it an excellent choice for overweight walkers is the NRT, Natural Rocker Technology.

This is a rocker-shaped sole, which is designed to encourage faster forward motion by speeding up the heel-to-toe transition without fatiguing the muscles.

3. New Balance 928v3 Leather

The New Balance 928v3 is a motion-control shoe, designed to support your foot through its natural gait cycle and keep it aligned at all times.

The leather upper is pretty smart, so this shoe can be used whether you’re walking around the block or walking to work. Stiff leather also provides some extra support without being too hard to walk comfortably.

In the midsole, NB’s ABZORB foam is cushioning and shock-absorbing, providing comfort and support underfoot without compressing too easily and wearing out.

The supportiveness of this shoe is enhanced by the incorporation of Rollbar technology. It’s a molded TPU plate in the midsole, connected to medial and lateral posts. It’s designed to limit movement of the rearfoot and prevent pronation, keeping the foot on an even plane.

Another helpful supportive feature is Walking Strike Path technology, which you’ll find in the outsole. It’s a curved band of rubber running from the heel to the toe in the outsole, designed to guide the foot through a natural gait.

All of these features make the shoe very supportive for walkers of any size. Another feature that’s useful for walking in these shoes is the rocker midsole, which reduces fatigue in the feet by minimizing plantar flexion.

4. Hoka One One Bondi 8

You can’t beat Hoka One One for cushioning. The Bondi 8 is their most cushioned shoe, and you can see the chunk of EVA underfoot from afar!

The shoe looks kind of chunky, but Hoka has done well to reduce the bulky look of it by adding a colored strip along the top of the outsole, making the outsole look smaller.

A full-length EVA midsole offers effective shock-absorption, protecting the joints from the shock of impact every time you take a step.

Hoka’s classic meta-rocker design makes walking in these shoes easy, and a beveled heel works well with the rocker to offer great propulsion with less fatigue.

To further protect the feet and joints, internal heel counters lock the heel in place and prevent movement of the foot within the shoe, keeping it properly aligned and reducing the risk for joint damage.

Apart from its impressive and soft cushioning, the Bondi has some other comfort features. A memory foam collar hugs the ankle without chafing, keeping the foot secure. The open-engineered mesh upper is breathable and soft, holding the foot in place without being restrictive.

If cushioning is your priority, you can’t go wrong with the Hoka One One Bondi 8!

5. Saucony Echelon 9

Guys with wide feet, we know it can be difficult to find comfortable shoes that actually support your feet properly too.

The Saucony Echelon 9 is a neutral shoe that’s labeled as a balanced, cushioned ride, perfect for heavy men who happen to have wide feet.

Saucony shoes are known for having a wide toe box, which gives the toes more than enough space to splay naturally and comfortably. It comes in wide and extra-wide sizes, so there’s plenty of space throughout the shoe.

Its width is also ideal for those who need custom orthotics, as almost any inserts can fit comfortably into this shoe.

Although there’s plenty of space in this shoe, the FORMFIT upper offers a custom fit that hugs the foot and makes it feel like the shoe is part of you.

Saucony’s PWRRUN cushion is decently shock-absorbing and fairly responsive, and a 3D Support Frame at the heel locks the foot in safely and securely.

The unique TRI-FLEX outsole maximizes flexibility, making the walking experience comfortable both inside and outside of this shoe.

6. Mizuno Wave Inspire 17

The Mizuno Wave Inspire is unusually light but it still has a variety of features that make it a very suitable option for heavy men who want to walk regularly.

The cushion uses two different types of foam: an ENERZY foam heel wedge for extra support and shock absorption (especially for heel strikers) and U4ic foam in the midfoot and forefoot.

Sandwiched between the two foams in the heel is a PEBAX Wave Plate. You can see it from the outside, in the heel. Its function is to disperse impact on the foot strike and protect the joints.

This combination of foams and impact dispersion makes for a comfortable ride, although some may feel that the Wave Plate makes the heel feel too stiff.

The dual-foam design reduces the weight of the shoe, as does the WaveKnit upper, which is light and sock-like, stretchy enough to be comfortable but without lacking support. A unique INTERCOOL ventilation system keeps the feet from overheating during exercise.

7. New Balance Fresh Foam More v3

If you’re going to be walking for long distances, you need a shoe that’s comfortable, supportive, and durable. The New Balance Fresh Foam More v3 fulfills all those needs.

A wide platform is characteristic of New Balance shoes, and provides a stable base for all walkers. Wide-footed walkers will also find this shoe to be comfortable on their feet, like all New Balance shoes.

A soft and quilt-like upper provides exceptional comfort and is decently breathable, although in warm weather it could potentially not be breathable enough.

The 4mm heel drop is comfortable for most walkers, and keeps the foot in a fairly natural position. Underfoot, it has a significant sized sole, the Fresh Foam midsole is exceptionally well padded, protecting and comforting your feet mile after mile, without flattening or losing its shape.

A comfortably padded heel absorbs shock on every step, easing jarring in joints. For long walks, these shoes will prevent fatigue from setting in, allowing you to walk further for longer.

8. ASICS GEL-NIMBUS 23 Knit

The ASICS Gel-Nimbus 23 Knit comes in as our most breathable walking shoe for heavy guys.

Its knit upper is well-ventilated, allowing for good airflow through the shoe while you’re walking and keeping the feet cool. It’s also soft and flexible, keeping you comfortable on walks of any length.

The Gel-Nimbus also provides excellent cushion and support. A GEL cushioning unit in the heel absorbs impact on the foot strike, and a FlyteFoam midsole with FlyteFoam Proper technology offers the ideal blend of comfort and responsiveness.

Another useful feature is the gender-specific TRUSSTIC device. This is a supportive feature that uses stiff pillars under the toes for forefoot cushioning and support, as well as a more effective heel-to-toe transition.

An external Heel Clutch System keeps the food properly locked in, and along with the traditional lace-up system, provides a tight and supportive fit across the foot.

9. Nike ZoomX Invincible Run Flyknit

Nike’s ZoomX foam is one of the favorites from the brand. The ZoomX Invincible Run Flyknit is the Nike shoe we recommend for overweight men.

ZoomX is lightweight but responsive foam, soft underfoot but with a bit of bounce. It has a good stack height with a heel-to-toe drop of 9mm, which is a good height for most walkers without feeling uncomfortable or too high.

An exaggerated forefoot shape makes the shoe more stable from the front. The sole is also rocker-shaped, for flexibility and a better energy return.

The Flyknit upper is comfortable and breathable but still offers stability around the foot. In the heel of the upper, a solid panel provides even more stability. The ankle collar is well-padded to prevent the stiff panel from chafing.

A waffle-design outsole provides excellent traction on a wide variety of different surfaces.

10. Altra TORIN 6

Walking can cause pain in the toes or black toenails if your toe box is too small. Cramped toes mean that your walking experience could be unpleasant, which isn’t exactly motivating to carry on!

If you’re looking for a shoe with plenty of toe space, the Altra Torin is it. Altra shoes feature a FootShape toe box, which provides ample space for your toes to stretch out comfortably without the risk of chafing or cramping, especially when your foot lands.

It’s complemented by a breathable knit upper, which is flexible and comfortable on the foot., allowing your foot to move naturally throughout the transition from heel to toe.

Altra’s Quantic midsole doesn’t look quite as chunky as some of the others but delivers a surprisingly soft cushion throughout the midsole.

This shoe is zero-drop, which might take some getting used to if you’ve never worn a zero-drop shoe before. But this shoe has been awarded the APMA Seal of Acceptance, which means it’s been found to promote good foot health.

The heel is fairly form-hugging, in the absence of a rigid heel counter. This is comfortable and soft, but may result in some heel slippage. Midsole grooves offer plenty of flexibility and take some of the weight out of the shoe.