I have used these shoes for hiking and training. They offer excellent grip on rubber mats in the gym. There is no ankle support so keep that in mind, but I'm not usually a big fan of shoes around the ankle when working out or hiking. I really like the deadlift in them, I can feel what my legs are doing and the position as no big pad is blocking the right feeling. When hiking I can feel all the rocks and where my feet should go, and when I do light bouldering I can smack my foot in crevices. Cushions are enough to soften a little, but don't stop the feeling of walking barefoot. I managed to walk around for a whole day and didn't really have any side effects or sore muscles, but I still wouldn't take them to Disneyland or anything. The laces were easy to tighten with the included clip and the clip really held.