*** The 2017 Gym Rats Thread ***

KiNgPiN83;30499717 said:
What are peoples opinions on lifting shoes? I don't believe i need to go full Adipower or anything. (Plus they are pretty expensive..) Although I'm not adverse to paying for something if it will genuinely help me out.

So other than that, how do you guys roll? Flat converse style 'skate' shoes? Bare foot?
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They help in two ways. One isn't specific to them, one is.

1) Stability. They're solid so you're not leaking energy wobbling about on a foamy heel and most of them have a slightly more spread out sole than a typical trainer, which improves lateral stability (makes it harder for your feet to cave-in).

2) The raised heel means in a deep squat position it's easier for 99% of people to keep their hips closer to their ankles, which makes a vertical torso position easier. This is desirable for Olympic lifters since a) they squat to full depth and to get strong legs and big quads, and a more upright squat is a more anterior (quad) dominant and b) it makes the overhead position easier in the snatch, since holding a weight directly over your head is a lot easier stood up than if you're leaning forward.

The trade off for this is that technically you're making the pull off the floor a little harder since it's almost like a slight deficit, but since even clean weights aren't maximal pulls like a deadlift it's not really a big deal. This is why if you go on Hookgrip or ATG you'll see every professional weightlifter wearing shoes with an elevated heel.

So to actually answer your question, it depends on how you squat really; any sort of deep high bar squat or front squat will be made easier with lifting shoes. Also if you're cursed with long femurs which make maintaining an upright position very challenging, they'll reduce the amount of lean a little by default which is always helpful if you're not built to squat but plug away at it regardless.
 
Also most elite raw powerlifters wear shoes for the squat too since they don't perform the really 'sit back into it' squat geared/suited lifters do, which doesn't really benefit from a heel.
 
I love my Nike metcons, flat sole, no padding. Plenty of people in my gym deadlift barefoot, although I am yet to see what it gains them. Just find what works for you, I find the metcons a good compromise. Versions 2 & 3 aren't meant to be as good though, but mine still have some life left.
 
Cool, thanks guys. I am pretty tall at 6'2 although i think i have a long body as opposed to long legs. Even so i high bar and can struggle to hit as much depth as i'd like although saying that i think that's a flexibility issue more than anything... I'll see if i can get something at a reasonable price. I'll check out the metcons too as i need to change what I'm using now regardless of anything else as my current trainers are more of a casual trainer.
 
KiNgPiN83;30500473 said:
Cool, thanks guys. I am pretty tall at 6'2 although i think i have a long body as opposed to long legs. Even so i high bar and can struggle to hit as much depth as i'd like although saying that i think that's a flexibility issue more than anything... I'll see if i can get something at a reasonable price. I'll check out the metcons too as i need to change what I'm using now regardless of anything else as my current trainers are more of a casual trainer.
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Crossfire has worked wonders to bring weightlifting footwear to the masses... there are a lot of different pairs out there today as a result, and you don't have to spend three figures (or even high two figures) to get some.

StrengthShop shoes are meant to be very good, even if their design isn't Box-ready, but so what?

Properly old-school weightlifters used to lift in formal shoes, too, because of the stiffness and heel...

Edit: lolcrossfire... should have been Crossfit. :D
 
I have the Metcon 2's and some New Balance Minimus I wear for non-squatty movements like RDLs and deads. The former are a bit clunkier and the sole is thicker even though the heel drop is the same (4-6mm, can't remember) but they're still good. The latter are pretty airy and closer to my FiveFingers I wore to death - not super keen on the 'burrito tongue' they have but I got them for £35 in the sales so not a big deal.

As for lifting shoes, you have tons of options these days and plenty of reviews on YouTube. They all pretty much do the same thing but the better ones nearly always look better which is why everyone pays more for them. Now's a good time to look as the 2017 models are out, so there may be some bargains to be had on 2016 models.
 
I just go barefoot (with socks on) for deadlifts and squats, if can hit depth with no shoes so don't really see the point. Unlike a belt which is £20, £100+ for shoes are harder to justify.
 
MikeTheNative said:
I just go barefoot (with socks on) for deadlifts and squats, if can hit depth with no shoes so don't really see the point. Unlike a belt which is £20, £100+ for shoes are harder to justify.
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Depends how you squat. And depends on whether or not "hitting depth" equates to "hitting depth without dumping your pelvis." Because if not, then you will be using your back to shift a lot of the load...

Shoes will potentially help your technique; a belt can potentially mask bad technique.
 
A more upright torso is generally preferable for the bulk of people. Heeled shoes facilitate this and provide a solid support base.

My best squats were done in "flat" shoes but I've switched back to heels again to get a better rom for more gains and give my back a little rest :)

Do-wins and reebok lifters are cheaper options with some durability behind them but any basic brand will give you a rough idea of how a heeled shoe will feel to squat in and will last a year or two of high frequency squats from my experience.

I preferred my reebok lifters to adipowers. Romaleos felt just as good but I couldn't justify the additional costs for no added gainz.
 
I went for the power perfect 2 which have a slightly higher heel height than the powerlift 3, should be a similar price.
 
I just go barefoot as I'm too poor to afford shoes specifically for lifting and I also walk 2 miles there and back to my gym. Strength gains have actually been really good over last 3 weeks but my cardio is still barely above that of a couch potato. Since I have the time at the moment I'm going to start hitting the gym in the morning for a cardio sessions and continue doing the weights in the evening.
 
I decided to introduce a 2 second pause at the bottom of each rep whilst doing front squat today. It has utterly destroyed me. Felt my core being really pushed.
 
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