[quote]mcl wrote:
Ratchet wrote:
I like my Puma’s that are damn close to wresting shoes… very thin flat bottoms and comfy.
I bought some cheap Champion tennis shoes (about $20) that have been serving me just fine. Very flat, very comfortable, good traction. I’ve got size 13 feet, so some of the trendier shoes (e.g., Chuck Taylors) are out for me.[/quote]
You can order Chucks from an online retailer like Zappos with free shipping both ways, in pretty much whatever size you’d like. (A very tall friend of mine picked some up in a size 15.) I haven’t been able to go back to running shoes.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
Artem wrote:
I’ve read that you should squat in shoes with an elevated heel. I’ve been squatting in running shoes with no problems. Is the elevated heel thing more for powerlifting? Do I need to get some Chucks?
elevated heel is for oly lifting.
and you don’t even need them for that. As far as lifting goes chuck taylors are the king of lifting shoes. The flat, thin sole and just the show design in general is perfect for squats and deadlifts.[/quote]
I don’t have any Chucks and I wear size 12/13, but I have some old skate shoes with a flat bottom. Would those work?
[quote]Drizzt wrote:
I think anything with a flat bottom would work. I actually squated with just my socks on today.[/quote]
Barefoot is the best way to go for a lot of reasons, but some gyms (ugh, shitty rec center gyms) require shoes. Chucks are the next best things in that case, except for maybe those Vibram Five Fingers, but I can’t personally vouch for those.
[quote]Artem wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
Artem wrote:
I’ve read that you should squat in shoes with an elevated heel. I’ve been squatting in running shoes with no problems. Is the elevated heel thing more for powerlifting? Do I need to get some Chucks?
elevated heel is for oly lifting.
and you don’t even need them for that. As far as lifting goes chuck taylors are the king of lifting shoes. The flat, thin sole and just the show design in general is perfect for squats and deadlifts.
I don’t have any Chucks and I wear size 12/13, but I have some old skate shoes with a flat bottom. Would those work?[/quote]
Count me in on using an elevated heel type shoe, usually a smaller boot. I have EXTRMELY flat feet (think Fred Flintstone) with totally collapsed arches.
I LOVE the feeling of squatting and doing deads barefoot as far as my control/the extra ‘power’ I feel from being so connected to the floor, but I realized I was being hard headed. Something without the elevated heel over even a small period of time like a few weeks = bad news for my hips and knees eventually. They just started to feel really beat up from it, like an arthritis type thing in my hips and a bad pulling on the inside of my knees.
Kubo
Edit- I don’t know if this is the case for most flat footers or if it is just the severity of mine. My wife works at a chiropractic office and they make custom orthotics there by using a foot scanner. The pressure points should usually be on the toes, underneath a lil, down the outside some and then on the heel. My red ‘pressure spot’? One giant red square right in the middle of my foot- nothing else even registered on it, lol. The doctor said my feet were far and away the worst she’d ever scanned. Booooo!
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
Artem wrote:
zephead4747 wrote:
Artem wrote:
I’ve read that you should squat in shoes with an elevated heel. I’ve been squatting in running shoes with no problems. Is the elevated heel thing more for powerlifting? Do I need to get some Chucks?
elevated heel is for oly lifting.
and you don’t even need them for that. As far as lifting goes chuck taylors are the king of lifting shoes. The flat, thin sole and just the show design in general is perfect for squats and deadlifts.
I don’t have any Chucks and I wear size 12/13, but I have some old skate shoes with a flat bottom. Would those work?
is there a ton of cushion? cushion is bad.[/quote]
There’s not a ton. They’re just pretty standard Vans skate shoes with a worn out bottom. Why is cushion bad?
So, I’ve been squatting in running shoes. Should I switch over to skate shoes? I also don’t think anybody would mine me squatting in socks. My gym’s owner is pretty cool with me. Which one should I do?
Also, I’ve seen videos of lots of bodybuilders squatting in construction boots. What’s up with that?
From what I understand, they use them because they don’t compress really at all with the heavy weight. Those Vans won’t hold up well with 300+ extra pounds in them. Chuck Taylors are dirt cheap. I get a new pair every 3-4 months for $32 at Marty’s. I’ve seen them in a size 12 in stock there, as well.
After starting the thread and reading a lot of the research, I’m going to go with barefoot and/or socks. I think just bare feet are great. Plus I’m a college student, I dont have 30$ to spare for a pare of chucks. I need to spend it on food haha.
[quote]Artem wrote:
So if the gym doesn’t have a problem with it, is barefoot the best way to go? It seems like it would be harder to keep proper form like that, no?[/quote]
Think about how man was constructed from years of evolution. Barefoot. It should be natural to you barefoot.
Whether or not it is, I have no idea. I wouldn’t step foot in a public gym without shoes on. I’m not a fan of fungus, and have enough skin exposed at that place as it is. But those that I’ve talked to that went barefoot liked it.
[quote]Artem wrote:
So if the gym doesn’t have a problem with it, is barefoot the best way to go? It seems like it would be harder to keep proper form like that, no?[/quote]
Not at all - I find it easier, but it might be because my shoes are very slightly too large. Again, squatting is the proper movement that’s most natural for your body, and bare feet are the most natural thing for your feet. Hence, bare feet win.
