I’ve been squating, benching, and deadlifting in good ol fashioned chuck taylors since I started lifting competitively. I started in chucks because they are cheap and they are a proven performer. Now that I’m starting to get a little stronger and slightly more competitive I’m thinking about getting a pair of olympic/powerlifting shoes for squats and bench. My questions are whether or not olympic/powerlifting shoes are worth the $70-150 price tag? Will I have to adjust my squat technique?
I am also considering a pair of wrestling shoes which are pretty cheap. What do you guys think?
My squat stance is not extreemly wide… maybe slightly wider than shoulder width and I don’t have a problem with my knees coming forward.
For bench I like to arch pretty high and pull my heels back behind my knees to get more drive.
I have olympic lifting shoes, and I love them for squats. I have poor ankle mobility coupled with relatively long femurs, so they let my knees come forward further which keeps my back a bit more upright. Other people with different builds may not need them, but they certainly help me.
One thing you can try is squatting with your heels raised under plates or a board. This isn’t all that safe, so I wouldn’t recommend doing it regularly, but once or twice to see how if you like it is worthwhile before you spend the money on the shoes.
For bench, I don’t think it matters much one way or the other.
Absolutely worth the 130 I paid for mine. They will probably suit you if you are a narrow-stance squatter. I wore wrestling shoes before that and still wear them for DL when I do it. I wore my oly shoes once while benching and didn’t really like it.