Depending on the workout you are participating in, you may or may not actually need workout shoes, sneakers, running shoes, etc. Now if you’re going out of your house, obviously you probably need shoes. But if you go to the gym, it would depend on the class. In some classes, they do prefer you to keep your shoes on and wipe sweat just for sanitation reasons. But if you work at home, you can make your choice. If you are doing a stretch or yoga class, it is usually acceptable not to wear shoes. If you go to a dojo or dojang to participate in martial arts, there are special shoes. However, they usually request that you go barefoot unless you have those shoes. The big thing is cardio workouts. I mean people actually do walk casually barefoot. But when you are really walking more and moreover running, shoes actually provide a certain cushioning to the foot in certain specific areas. So because of that and other factors, I would personally recommend wearing shoes for that. However, it is up to you and in truth, the research is limited in this particular area. Mostly, they have tested to see if it makes a difference in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Barefoot appears to produce less load on the joints than typically hard-soled everyday shoes for said individuals. But in terms of the sneakers, it was unclear.