This topic has been addressed before, but apparently not for a couple of years, so I thought I’d throw it out there again.
How many of you use Olympic weightlifting shoes for squatting? Which shoes do you use? What do you see as the main benefits/disadvantages of using them?
I’ve just purchased a pair of Adidas Power Perfect II and am excited to try them out, it’ll be my first time in weightlifting shoes. I’ve not done this for reasons of flexibility or since I think it particularly suits my anatomy (I’ve got super-long femurs, so good luck, knees!), but rather since I finally need a pair of decently stable training shoes and am also beginning to do more and more weightlifting exercises (front squat, power cleans, high pulls etc.).
Adistars - oldish version. Use them for high-bar/oly squats and bench. Don’t like them for low-bar squats. Why? Doesn’t feel right. Use Metal shoes for the latter. My advice to you is to try to be skeptical about the new shoes because you can suffer from a placebo effect during the first sessions.
Yeah, I thought about that, too. If I receive my shoes by this Friday, I’ll give them a try for my next squat training and see what happens. As I said, I have a super long femur, so I always need to focus on sitting back in my squat. But I understand that the heel of the Adidas shoe is better-suited to doing just this because of added support. We’ll see – worst-case scenario, I’ll reserve them for front squats and oly exercises.
been thinking about the rogues with .5 in heels instead of the normal .75 in, tryout for my first pair of weightlifting shoes that aren’t chucks or vans style shoes
I use pendelay’s. I think they are great, for a higher-bar type squat. I feel like I can keep much much more upright with the slight heel. I get way better use of my legs and less shitty “squatmorning’s.” Plus, the shoes are crazy solid. Even in chucks, I feel way more wobbly under the weight and when I am setting up. With the Oly shoes, I feel planted, like I’m not going anywhere.
I’m not sure how much of a heel mine have, I think they are a .6, but I plan to buy a pair of addidas shoes with a .75 as soon as these are worn out. I really feel like the upright posture and solid base are 100% worth it.
I use the rogue 3/4" shoes. I can’t imagine not having them. I used to wear chucks, but the rogue’s solid sole allow me to be way more stable and the heel lets me get more quad in to the movement. I squat with a close stance & somewhat highbar.
I used Oly Shoes for basically my entire lifting career so far with my Squatting but once I met my new training partner he talked me onto using Chucks and I had a real hard time using them but, after a month or so of form adjustments and getting the movement down I am twice as powerful in them and my knees dont hurt as much.
however, if you find adistar (the orig white ones with wooden block) id buy those. BTW if anyone on here knows someone selling a size 10-11 of adistars let me know!
I like my Wei Ruis a lot. I got the pair with the wooden heel that’s around 90 bucks. They’ve helped me out a ton. They’re really the only affordable ones that are any good out there as far as I know.
I bought Adipowers awhile back, found Oly Shoes to be mostly a waste of money for me personally. The Adipowers are well built, durable and you’re definitely stable despite the elevated heel (hell, they better be for $200). So as far as Oly Shoes go I guess they’re fine, I just personally find that I squat more weight and feel less discomfort later if I squat in Chuck’s.
Still use them when I want to do an olympic-type squat as a ME variation on a given day, but I always box squat in the Chuck’s, and like I said above, definitely squat more in the Chuck’s. Wide stance, proportionally “long” femurs as well.
I wore the Power Perfect 2’s until my squat went over 400#, then I could feel a little too much “wobble” in them, especially when coming out of the rack. My girlfriend has the pink Risto Olimpico model and she loves them. Considering she raw squats 300+ @ 132, I’d say they are getting the job done. We both wear our shoes for any squat work- high bar, low bar, front squat, etc. You just need to make minor adjustments to your form for each variation.
If you are in the market for a pair of Olys I highly suggest you do a little research first. All of them fit different and have nuances that may make them less than perfect in the fit. And since they are basically an online only item, shipping them back can cost a fortune. Try the site http://wlshoes.com for some info on many of the current models, and ask around on forums about the fit and sizing of the shoe(s) you’ve narrowed your selection down to. This should help in making sure you get the best one for you!
I use a set of Adipowers and I use them for High, low and front squatting. I love those damn things. I have long femurs also and they help me reach depth with less stress on my hips and ITs, one problem I would mention is the walkout feels sketchy sometimes.
[quote]MrTorres wrote:
I use a set of Adipowers and I use them for High, low and front squatting. I love those damn things. I have long femurs also and they help me reach depth with less stress on my hips and ITs, one problem I would mention is the walkout feels sketchy sometimes.[/quote]
I feel the same exact way! I actually felt more comfortable with walk out because my feet didn’t feel like they were trying to roll over on their sides.
I recently made the switch to oly shoes and have no regrets. I’m currently using the Rogue Dowins with a 3/4" heel. They were $120, but well worth the money. They provide tons of support and stability and my feet feel like they’re glued to the floor whenever I squat. I only use them for squatting, but will consider using them for benching.
I also switched to a high(er) bar position and moved my stance, as well as my grip, in and feel a lot more comfortable when squatting. I get a lot more bounce out of the hole than I did when I squatted low bar, medium-wide stance, and with a flat-soled shoe.
aw, hey, around 20% of people benefit from placebo response. that is pretty freaking terrific! i’d be happy if my squat went up whether it was due to my belief in myself, my ritualized set-up, my particular color of socks, or my brand new shoes - i wouldn’t give a crap!
So I got my Power Perfects in the post on Friday, sadly immediately following my squat training for that week. I’ll fire them on today for some power cleans and on Tuesday for some snatch-grip deadlifts, however, and will report back at the end of the week.