Thinking of getting some weightlifting shoes off strength shop for squats and deadlifts. Ive always done squats and deadlifts in my socks and have been fine, any reason why i should get some proper weight lifting shoes besides smelly feet haha.
You don't need shoes for deadlifts - for conventional especially any footwear effectively creates a deficit, so the thinner the sole (or none) the better, especially if you have shorter arms and have to bend over more to grab the bar. A heeled shoe puts you at a disadvantage for maximal pulls, which is why no powerlifter deadlifts in WL'ing shoes. If you want a general training shoe that provides stability, especially if you have flat feet etc then there's a lot of options with thin, harder soles.
For squats Olympic weightlifting shoes are most beneficial if the intent is to squat to maximal depth, due to the heel allowing for a more upright torso in the bottom position. They're also beneficial if you have long femurs/short torso and any sort of squat has you more bent over than most people (as the aim of a squat is to grow your legs not your back and the more torso lean, the more the posterior chain has to contribute to the lift).
If you squat low bar or if you only squat to parallel, then a general dedicated trainer like the Reebok Nano's or Nike Metcon's is fine. Minimalist trainers are an option too such as Vibrams, New Balance Minimus etc although it depends on the health of your arches etc.
