Upon trying these on, they felt heavy. I walked around the house without discomfort, but felt some tightness/rubbing around my ankles. I decided to try them out in a dance exercise class, but got the same result. So, I loosened the laces at the top by moving them down a notch. That solved my problem. They felt fine after that. My feet were not sore after class and my back felt better. So, yay. 4 stars for the heaviness and ankle tightness.