When I started lifting I was using running shoes for the gym, nike free run’s which as you can tell by the name are running shoes with very very soft, cushiony soles. They felt fine for me because I didn’t know any better. I then bought chucks and used them every day from then on after doing my research.
Recently I went to the gym in my old nikes, can’t remember why it just turned out that way I think it was because I was going to the gym after sport day and I forgot to bring my chucks. They felt disgraceful for my squats, totally unusable. So I squatted barefoot instead.
Coincidentally that day I started to go into overtraining and my subsequent sessions I was weaker and weaker. (i havent been sleeping enough). So I am not sure if my weak squats that session was effected by being bare foot or not. I remember squatting barefoot feeling awkward, but deadlifting barefoot felt AMAZING.
My school has sport on Tuesdays and I have weight training as a sport so we go to a gym in the area. I go to a catholic school, we have to wear white shoes on sports days. My nikes are white so I have to wear them. My chucks are black and I can’t afford to buy white ones. So in the gym as part of school sport I will just take of my nikes and go barefoot.
My point is, is squatting barefoot going to be the same, better, or worse than squatting with chucks?
[quote]Massthetics wrote:
My point is, is squatting barefoot going to be the same, better, or worse than squatting with chucks?[/quote]
I’d say it doesn’t really matter as long as your foot has solid support.[/quote]
I’ll go along with this, yep. I do think the barefoot movement kinda went overboard and a lot of people hyper-reacted to it, like a fad. That’s certainly not uncommon in the fitness world.
Are there some benefits to barefoot training? Yes, there can be. Eric Cressey brought up some points a few years ago:
Are there some potential downsides to barefoot training? Yes, there can be. Charles Staley brought up some points a few years ago:
Bottomline is, most people (especially those who aren’t competitive lifters) aren’t at a place in their training where the choice of footwear is going to make a significant difference one way or the other.
Yes, I personally lift in Converse. I’ve been wearing them since high school, before I got into lifting. When I eventually found out they were considered “a good choice” for a training shoe, it was a bonus. I do occasionally go barefoot and use barefoot training methods, but it’s almost more of a technique, rather than a must-do.
Given the choice between training barefoot/in socks on a potentially-slippery flooring (a valid risk to be aware of) or training in running shoes that have a “squishy” heel, I’ll go with the running shoes.
[quote]Massthetics wrote:
My point is, is squatting barefoot going to be the same, better, or worse than squatting with chucks?[/quote]
I’d say it doesn’t really matter as long as your foot has solid support.[/quote]
I’ll go along with this, yep. I do think the barefoot movement kinda went overboard and a lot of people hyper-reacted to it, like a fad. That’s certainly not uncommon in the fitness world.
Are there some benefits to barefoot training? Yes, there can be. Eric Cressey brought up some points a few years ago:
Are there some potential downsides to barefoot training? Yes, there can be. Charles Staley brought up some points a few years ago:
Bottomline is, most people (especially those who aren’t competitive lifters) aren’t at a place in their training where the choice of footwear is going to make a significant difference one way or the other.
Yes, I personally lift in Converse. I’ve been wearing them since high school, before I got into lifting. When I eventually found out they were considered “a good choice” for a training shoe, it was a bonus. I do occasionally go barefoot and use barefoot training methods, but it’s almost more of a technique, rather than a must-do.
Given the choice between training barefoot/in socks on a potentially-slippery flooring (a valid risk to be aware of) or training in running shoes that have a “squishy” heel, I’ll go with the running shoes.[/quote]
skimmed through the articles look like an interesting read, thanks. Will properly go though them later today.
I’ve lifted in chucks, olympic weight shoes, and regular running shoes. I only lift in running shoes now. Ideally, I would lift in olympic shoes for everything except deadlifts and calf work. However, I’m not going to drop another $70-100 dollars on shoes, and when I squated in running shoes I don’t have a noticeable difference in my ability to have good form and move weight.
Many people lift in running shoes. Not the perfect shoe, but they work. Olympic shoes were great though. Chucks were alright, didn’t really notice much with them other then it was harder to hit depth due to no heel.
[quote]staystrong wrote:
I’ve lifted in chucks, olympic weight shoes, and regular running shoes. I only lift in running shoes now. Ideally, I would lift in olympic shoes for everything except deadlifts and calf work. However, I’m not going to drop another $70-100 dollars on shoes, and when I squated in running shoes I don’t have a noticeable difference in my ability to have good form and move weight.
Many people lift in running shoes. Not the perfect shoe, but they work. Olympic shoes were great though. Chucks were alright, didn’t really notice much with them other then it was harder to hit depth due to no heel.[/quote]
Agreed on the weightlifting shoes. They definitely come with a significant enough price tag that I wouldn’t call it a must-buy for a new lifter, but if you spend enough time in the gym they’re worth considering. I love them. So nice and stable it feels like my feet are glued to the floor.
I’d recommend trying them before buying, though. Not everybody I know likes them. A good friend of mine who also happens to be a pretty decently strong guy actually prefers doing most of his lifting in runners for whatever reason. You may also want to experiment with heel height before buying.