These shoes were made for liftin'

Over the past few months I have seen people having difficulty with the squat, and the sad thing is it has a lot to do with your footwear. This post will teach you everything about which shoes you should wear and which ones you should NOT be wearing anywhere NEAR a weightlifting platform, as well as the reasons behind it.

Wrong Shoes: Running Shoes. The air & gel filling is great for reducing impact shock from running (if you were running correctly in the first place you wouldn't even need that!), but really bad for lifting. Running shoes will limit your strength and prevent good lifting technique.

• Unstable. Soles are squishy so you can’t predict their behavior on each rep. This makes it harder to control your technique and lift properly.
• Power Loss. The soles absorb the force generated against the floor instead of directing it towards moving the weight. You lose strength.
• Dangerous. Higher risk of injury, especially with heavier weights, since the soles make it hard to balance yourself and are less stable.

Benefits of Good Lifting Shoes. Good lifting shoes have incompressible soles. They must be non slippery, have excellent support and fit snug. Benefits:

• More Stability. Better traction against the floor and improved balance under the bar because the soles are hard.
• More Strength. Your heels will sense the pressure of the weight better, which will make your legs contract harder.
• Better Technique. Good lifting shoes will fix many technique issues. You’ll sit back better, your heels will stop coming off the floor, …
• More Safety. Better balance, better technique, … All of it decreases the risks of injury during lifting.

Best Shoes for Squats. Depends on how you squat. But the sole should always be incompressible for maximal stability, power transfer & technique.

• Low Bar Squats. More leaning forward, less depth. Chuck Taylors are the best shoes for Low Bar Squats. Recommended by Louie Simmons.
  
• Olympic & Front Squats. Torso is more upright, more depth. Shoes with heels make it easier to go deep. Examples: Adidas Adistar, Do-Win, …
  

Best Shoes for Deadlifts. The closer your feet to the floor, the less distance the bar has to travel and thus the more weight you can deadlift. That’s why thinner soles are better. These should be flat & incompressible.

• Barefoot. Can’t get closer to the floor than this. However barefoot is not allowed on competitions. You’ll usually have to wear socks or slippers.
  
• Ballet Slippers. Less slippery than socks because ballet slippers usually have a rubber sole. But still very thin. I cannot guarantee that I won't make fun of you if you come in here rocking ballet slippers, but you'll sure as hell win some brownie points.
  
• Chuck Taylors. Soles are flat enough to work for deadlifts.
  

Chuck Taylors. These are the best all around shoe. Chuck Taylors are efficient & cheap. And they will last forever as lifting shoes.

• Hard Sole. Sole is thin, flat & incompressible. Your feet are close to the floor. You’ll feel your feet better during lifts: more stability & control.
  
• Strong Canvas. This allows you to push your feet to the outside on squats which helps keeping your knees out and activating your glutes.
  
• Ankle Mobility. Full ankle mobility with low tops Chuck Taylor’s. If you buy high tops, leave the top part unlaced.
  

Do you need shoes with heels? Olympic weight lifters wear shoes with heels because these make it easier to hit depth on Olympic lifts like Power Cleans, Olympic Squats, Front Squats, Overhead Squats, etc.

However for low bar squats and deadlifts, shoes with flat soles are better. If you’re serious about Olympic lifting, consider weight lifting shoes like Adidas Adistar or Do-Win. They’ll make things easier.

Barefoot Lifting. Lifting barefoot strengthens the small muscles of your feet & improves ankle mobility. I would MUCH RATHER SEE ALL OF YOU LIFTING BAREFOOT OVER LIFTING WITH RUNNING SHOES ON ANYYYYY DAY OF THE WEEK!!
Try lifting barefoot at least once. You’ll understand the importance of good lifting shoes. Is it safe? If a big plate falls on your foot, it will hurt whether you wear a shoe or not. Be careful and it won’t happen.

Vibram Five Fingers. The Vibram Five Fingers shoes are an alternative to lifting barefoot. They’re great for running & lifting, especially if you're not a huge fan of being completely barefoot around the gym. Less great for Olympic lifts though since they have no heels.

BOTTOM LINE: grab yourself some Chuck T's or some type of minimalist shoe (inov8's or NB Minimus' are both great choices) when you lift and start to see that sexy ooze right out of your squat.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please ask one of us. See you soon Beastonians.

WOD: "TABATA 48"

1st Round of double TABATA:

Double Unders

Burpees

2nd Round of double TABATA:

Row (damper set to 8)

3rd Round of double TABATA:

Tuck Jumps

Mountain Climbers

*rest 2 minutes between each round of double TABATA.

TABATA = 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. This works out to be 4 minutes long. Today's TABATAs are going to be double, meaning there will be 16 rounds. You're welcome.