Best Weight-Lifting Shoes

[Hockey Playa]

Whats the best shoes for weight-lifting?
I remember reading flat soled shoes are best for deadlifts...for the alignment of the spine.....Does anyone have specific brands or links of pictures of the shoes you guys wear for lifting? I currently use running shoes Nike Shox, which i know is not ideal for deadlift and squats. So yeah, any info would be great

 

[Flyer]

Chuck taylors for squats/deadlifts.

Nike Free is also quite good, but expensive.

I personally use a Puma casual shoe.. believe it's called 'palmer'. Can't find a link though, maybe out of production.

Basically just get one with a flat sole and one that does not have too much bounce at the heel. i.e. running shoes are a no-no.

 

[Quagmire911]

Flyer is pretty spot on.

No shoes for deadlifting though, wearing a heel lowers the bar on your leg and makes the lift harder.

 

[BMX]

Way back in the day I would wear Vans to the weightroom, but it made me look like a goober. I'm using nike running shoes, just not the Shox. When I deadlift, I wear my old wrestling shoes, but like Quag says, u don't have to wear any for deads.

I've experimented w/ wearing basketball shoes and they have more stability for squats, however, I hated doing standing calf raises with them because they are heavier and cumbersome for that lift.

 

[HandyAndy]

Whats the best shoes for weight-lifting?
I remember reading flat soled shoes are best for deadlifts...for the alignment of the spine.....Does anyone have specific brands or links of pictures of the shoes you guys wear for lifting? I currently use running shoes Nike Shox, which i know is not ideal for deadlift and squats. So yeah, any info would be great

Chuck Taylors according to stronglifts....<----great website too

 

[mrRuckus]

i have chuck taylors but i haven't bothered with them in a long while. I just take my shoes off when i squat and deadlift. A guy complimented me once for knowing not to wear tennis shoes when squatting. Then we argued about only squatting to parallel. Sigh.

 

[Hockey Playa]

wow....i just googled chuck taylors....u mean those converse emo shoes? wow i wouldnt be caught dead in those in a gym, there has to be other alternatives...

 

[oakraiderz2]

wow....i just googled chuck taylors....u mean those converse emo shoes? wow i wouldnt be caught dead in those in a gym, there has to be other alternatives...

Emo shoes? Boy, youre a youngster.

I would assume that it would be better for people with flat arches to wear shoes with arches??

 

[mintxx]

i wear puma casual sneakers - edit link dead

 

[Hockey Playa]

Emo shoes? Boy, youre a youngster.

I would assume that it would be better for people with flat arches to wear shoes with arches??

Yes emo punk rocker shoes, i really hope were not talking about the same shoes here....old school converse shoes....gym.....there must be better flat soled shoes

 

[Flyer]

You can also try dunlop volleys.

 

[Quagmire911]

Or you could just lift without shoes, as mentioned above...

 

[LostAndConfused]

Chuck taylors for squats/deadlifts.

Nike Free is also quite good, but expensive.

I personally use a Puma casual shoe.. believe it's called 'palmer'. Can't find a link though, maybe out of production.

Basically just get one with a flat sole and one that does not have too much bounce at the heel. i.e. running shoes are a no-no.

If you use Nike Frees, get 5.0 or higher. Frees are cross-trainers / running shoes, *not* tennis shoes. Frees are numbered from 1 to 10, the lower the number, the less rigid the shoe is (and the more it simulates you being barefoot). They most commonly sell 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0 but if you have to you can probably find the other numbers. If you want to lift "barefoot" then try 1.0s-3.0s.

I've got a couple of friends who lift in them, I'm gonna start when I order a pair of 5.0s.

I dunno, I always thought lifting in no shoes at all would cause a ton of pressure on your heels, especially if you do explosive compound lifts like cleans.

But take it with a grain of salt.

 

[wolf116]

You can also try dunlop volleys.

Dunlop volleys are the only shoe I wear!

As for Chuck Taylors being Emo, people used to call them gym shoes and have been around way longer then emo's. The WSB guys live in them.

@oakraiderz2 It is never ok to squat or DL with shoes with arches. The only way to fix your arch is to strengthen it not support it.

 

[JohnnyIrish]

Speaking of no sole shoes.. I saw hardcore guy at my gym wearing different looking shoes that had no soles..

Ok they looked like sandels but they fit like socks and had individual slots for each toe. It pretty much looks like a perfect molded fit for ones foot. They looked like some type of plastic on the bottom and had a mesh on top.

I overheard the name too but hell if I can remember it (or find it on the internet via luck).

 

[Mad Manic]

No shoes for deadlifting though, wearing a heel lowers the bar on your leg and makes the lift harder.

Yes I was gonna post that, deadlift in your socks that way you can lift more. Doesn't really matter for squats though, any decent pair of trainers will do at this level.

MM

 

[JohnnyIrish]

Hey I saw that guy in the gym tonight so I asked what they were called.. they are "Vibram 5-fingers"

They look weird but I bet they'd work great.

 

[Quagmire911]

Hey I saw that guy in the gym tonight so I asked what they were called.. they are "Vibram 5-fingers"

They look weird but I bet they'd work great.

Probably a good alternative. Similar looking to rock climbing shoes. Would have to try it out though.

I'll just stay in my socks .

 

[BMX]

Has anyone tried lifting in Boots like the guys in the Universal Nutrition ads(ANIMAL)? I considered it once after breaking my toe with a 45 lb. plate, but never have because I don't lift for a living like them.

 

[Mr.Positive]

Probably a good alternative. Similar looking to rock climbing shoes. Would have to try it out though.

I'll just stay in my socks .

Unfortunately my gym requires shoes, so I'll 3rd or 4th? the recommendation for chuck taylors for deadlifts and squats, made a huge difference in my lifts. Great shoes for lifting, if you can put your ego aside on how they look.

You got me thinking Quag, I used to rock climb and climbing shoes might actually rival going barefoot. I may have to give them a try. That's a great idea actually.

I get funny looks from people when I wear chuck taylor's, I can't imagine the looks I'll get wearing rock climbing shoes.

Of course I'm one of the few guys actually doing deadlifts in my gym..