Equipment

Why You Should Have Weightlifting Shoes

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Running shoes are designed for running and weightlifting shoes are designed for…well you can finish the sentence. Then why do so many people lift at the gym with running shoes?

Here is what a power clean looks like in slo-mo wearing spongy, cushy running shoes.

Now here is what a power clean looks like wearing a pair of weightlifting shoes.

For contrast, go back and look at the squishy running shoes again.

If you were a runner, you wouldn’t think twice about going out and getting a pair of running shoes, in fact several throughout the course of a year, would you? Well, if weightlifting is your thing, what is holding you back from getting proper footwear for your sport?

MarkFu’s Blue Suede Do-Wins

You can get a nice comparison of the most popular weightlifting shoes and decide for yourself and read Mark Rippetoe’s comments about the advantages of weightlifting shoes in general.

Adidas has long been the pre-eminent weightlifting shoe around the world and for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but this year Nike has a shoe in the competition, the Nike Romaleos and you will see Team USA, Team China and Team Ukraine wearing them. At the moment, they are unavailable to the rest of us.

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  • Ken

    Mark,
    Being that you have several pairs of weightlifting shoes AND your training is not limited to the O-Lifts…I’m wondering if you wear the shoes to squat in and is your squat an A2G olympic style squat (bouncing your rear off your heels) or do you ever do a powerlifting style squat where you take a wider stance and you break parallel?

    Mainly curious because I’ve heard alot of speak about weightlifting shoes and I’m wondering if they are even worthwhile with my style of squatting (powerlifting).

    Respectfully
    -K

  • http://mkonen.com/bblog Mark

    Ken,
    I use the lifting shoes for A2A squats, low box squats and front squats as well as the various forms of push presses and push jerks. Occasionally, I will do high box squats to parallel and take a wider stance and in all those lifts, I love the stability the shoes provide and helping to keep a neutral spine. Are they necessary for powerlifting squats? No, but they do make a positive difference, IMO. I no longer use the blue suede Do-Wins but use Nike Romaleios and Adidas Adistar 08.