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If you\u2019ve moved beyond machines in your strength training journey and are getting under a heavy barbell to do squats, cleans, or presses, you may have wondered if you should get yourself a pair of weightlifting shoes.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve started to work with significant weight, you really should.<\/p>\n
Here’s why weightlifting shoes matter and what they do.<\/p>\n
A weightlifting shoe does three things, and all three can significantly improve your lifting experience:<\/p>\n
It supports your foot.<\/strong> \u201cLifters\u201d surround your feet in a tight casing so that nothing wiggles around while you\u2019re moving heavy loads. Everything feels nice and secure, which is a good feeling to have when you\u2019re lowering into a squat with 400 lbs on your back.<\/p>\n The sole does not compress.<\/strong> At all. There’s zero squish. This is important! If any part of the sole compresses as you drive upward out of the bottom of a squat, part of your force gets absorbed into the squish. It’s like trying to squat on a mattress. All that effort you’re generating from your legs, your hips, and your back disappears into the foam under your feet. You don’t want that. No energy leaks! This is why you don’t want to lift in running shoes or cross-trainers. They’ve got too much give.<\/p>\n The elevated heel changes your mechanics.<\/strong> Most weightlifting shoes have a heel that\u2019s raised somewhere between 0.5 and 1 inch. That heel elevation lets your knees travel further forward over your toes at the bottom of the squat, which does a couple of things. First, it allows you to sit deeper into the squat more easily, especially if you have limited ankle mobility. Without the heel, a lot of guys compensate for tight ankles by leaning their torso way forward, which turns a squat into more of a good morning. I like good mornings, but you don\u2019t want to good morning when you\u2019re squatting. The heel-assisted knees-over-toes position also shifts more of the workload to your quads by keeping your torso more upright (helping you with those quad goals).<\/p>\n A good weightlifting shoe will have 1) a hard, non-compressible sole (often made from stacked leather, wood, or hard plastic), 2) a snug fit that locks your foot in place with straps or laces (or both), and 3) a slightly elevated heel.<\/p>\n Several companies make solid lifting shoes. I\u2019ve tried several of these lifters over the years:<\/p>\n Adidas Adipower.<\/a><\/strong> This was my first lifting shoe. It checks all the marks for a good lifter: plastic non-compressible sole, snug fit, and elevated heel. The thing I didn\u2019t like about it is the shoe is too narrow. My wide Fred Flintstone feet would start hurting about halfway into my workout.<\/p>\n Do-Win Classic<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong> Do-Win was the second pair of lifting shoes I tried. I mainly bought them for the looks. They\u2019ve got a handsome, vintage design. Looks like something Vince Anello would wear back in the day. Instead of a plastic sole, it uses stacked leather. The shoe has a nice elevated heel and plenty of support. It\u2019s a bit more roomy than the Adidas Adipower.<\/p>\nWhat to Look for in a Weightlifting Shoe<\/strong><\/h2>\n