Why Weightlifting shoes?
Just as all other sports have specific gear and foot wear so does weightlifting. Long distance runners buy shoes for different terrain, sprinters buy shoes for efficiency, and golfers buy shoes for stability and performance. The sport of weightlifting is no different – to optimize stability, safety, and productivity the weightlifting shoe is a must.
Optimize stability – the weightlifting shoe has a solid wood sole built into the shoe which allows for a stable base of support unlike a classic running shoe, which has a cushion or unstable base designed for decreasing impact forces within the running stride (inefficiencies here are another story all together). The weightlifting shoe has a solid sole with a 1-1.5 inch heel designed to optimize squatting efficiency and stability. The argument comes in that a shoe mimicking bare footedness may be just as useful, but they come with their faults as well, instability again is an issue as is the problems with jumping and landing on hard surfaces with a bare foot (or minimal support). The human body is very good at avoiding things that cause injury or potential injury, jumping and landing with high velocity/forces on a hard surface are hard to do, if you do not believe me try weightlifting in bare feet on concrete. I think there is a level of hesitation and withdraw that comes from attempting such activities so I can not support the argument for functionality or benefit of such footwear.
Increase safety – I personally see the weightlifting shoes as safer due to its ability to produce a better more stable base, which unloads the tendons and musculature around the knee and ankle. It also allows for much better shin angle, which in turn allows for a more upright torso angle. A more upright torso angle in weightlifting is optimal in order to decrease lower back fatigue and efficient bio-mechanical positions. It may not seem directly influenced, but if an athlete has very tight external rotation for optimal receiving position in cleans (tight front rack) then increasing the back angle will place less strain on the thoracic spine, shoulder girdle, wrists, and elbows. This in my opinion is a must for decreasing injury and improving performance within our sport. Along with a better back angle comes lower risk of low back pain, and knee pain, which can be associated with high volumes of Olympic squatting.
Increased performance – as mentioned above, performance can be increased if position is improved and stability is increased.
Anyone who has bought shoes in our club has;
1. Enjoyed squatting more (big bonus for me as we squat a lot in our program)
2. Improved numbers – got stronger due to better position and stability
3. Increased efficiency in oly lifts
4. Loved their new shoes and wore them with pride
Obviously this is not mandatory to perform weightlifting movements, but it must be understood that it does make your efforts more efficient. The cost is minimal as the shoes will last years, not months like many running shoes and they are well worth it if you plan on taking CrossFit and weightlifting serious as we do a lot of it. You will undoubtedly get your use out of them.
Sadly shoes are not available in town anywhere so ordering them on line is the only option, here is are a few places to take a look at different styles;
Rogue Canada – Nike, Do-Win, and Adidas
- http://www.roguecanada.ca/gear-apparel/weightlifting-shoes.php
Risto –
- http://ristosports.com/
Power Firm – Do-wins
- http://www.weightliftingshoes.ca/
BC Weightlifting – Adidas
- http://www.bcweightlifting.ca/vikingequipment/
VS Athletics – VS athletics and Nike
- http://www.bcweightlifting.ca/vikingequipment/
