Lifting Shoes?

This my seem like an odd question, but what kind of shoes are you guys lifting in? Currently, I use a decent pair of running shoes, but I suspect the contours of the sole are messing with my knees when I squat or deadlift. I know there’s only subtle differences between most athletic shoes, but would I be better off using basketball or cross-training shoes?

Give me your experiences and insight.

Looking at pictures of the Westside Barbell Gang, I have noticed that most of them seem to wear Chuck Taylor’s. I assume Converse are the same thing.

chuck taylors with inserts for arch support.

[quote]Matgic wrote:
Looking at pictures of the Westside Barbell Gang, I have noticed that most of them seem to wear Chuck Taylor’s. I assume Converse are the same thing.[/quote]

Yes. Get a pair. They are perfect for weight training. I have some and love them. Otherwise, I will train barefoot for squats and deads.

What Nate Dogg said.

I love my Chucks but I’m going to buy me a pair of low top cleats for my sandbag and sled work in the grass.

Thanks, guys. I’ll definitely heed your collective advice and pick myself up some Chucks. What had started as a minor concern is now a full-blown problem. I’ll be using arch supports as well considering I have such abnormally high arches you could fit oranges underneath my bare feet.

Thanks again for the help.

i like anything flat no support. usually indoor soccer shoes.

I say this in every shoe thread, and NOBODY ever responds…What about Otomix? Those are some bitchin shoes.

Adidas weightlifting shoes can’t be beat. I paid $154 for my Adidas Equipment (the best in my opinion) and they have lasted five years. They show no sign of giving out anytime soon. You can find them at http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com. They make shoes starting at around $60.

I’ve seen pics of CT lifting in a pair of bright blue OL shoes that I believe come from a Canadian company. They run around $100(I don’t have their website.) If you can’t afford those Reebok has some that are like $65. I don’t know where to find the either. I would highly recommend one of these shoes, unless you are into PL.

[quote]

I’ve seen pics of CT lifting in a pair of bright blue OL shoes that I believe come from a Canadian company. [/quote]

Boots

I use the adidas mentioned above.What is most important is figuring out if you are a quad dominant or hip dominat squatter…or what you WANT to be within biomechanical reason. Quad dominants usually find the best performance with a shoe like the Adidas/Inzer type shoe.Hip dominant types tend to like Chucks wrestling shoes or barefoot. Think like this : heel=quads, flat=hips…

[quote]rainjack wrote:
I say this in every shoe thread, and NOBODY ever responds…What about Otomix? Those are some bitchin shoes.[/quote]

I bought a pair of Otomix in '98. They’re pretty good, but pricey. I only wear them on Sq/DL days, and they are still in pretty good shape.

When it comes time to replace them, I’ll seriously consider the Chucks.

LA

Love my Otomix. Sometimes you can find them on DPS nutrition for about half price.

Right now i’m using a pair of Chucks, but my fav’s are a pair of military surplus jungle boots. you can get them for $20.00 at

I love 'em

La’
Redsol1-PWO, hormones don’t matter much because it’s the nutrition that directly regulates protein anabolism

Adidas Sambas…

If you dont’ want to spend a lot of dough.

B.

What about skater shoes? I thought that I read somewhere they were pretty good too?

[quote]Snoop wrote:
What about skater shoes? I thought that I read somewhere they were pretty good too? [/quote]

If you want to squat big weights, anything that durable, has a flat sole, and won’t roll over is good. Personally I wear Umbros because my Chuck Taylors fell apart in 3 months so I don’t respect the brand that much.

If you’re a PLer you might want to consider getting deadlift slippers.

I wouldn’t recommend wrestling shoes because I would be worried about them rolling over. At least for squatting, I know a lot of people use them for deadlifting.

I wear my well broken in Timberland boots. I’ve never liked lots of arch support and my running shoes squished so much my feet were slipping when I did leg presses.

snoop, skateboard shoes can be great for lifting as long as they have flat sole. I wear circa lopez 50 and they are really comfy and stable, vans old skool are really really good too, about the same price as the chucks but twice as durable.