Weightlifting Shoes:

Why do lifters wear shoes? Well for two man reasons. Firstly, to give you a solid base of support, and secondly to give you an added heel height.

Before I talk about the base of support I have to talk about the lifting platform. A weightlifting platform is always made of wood. Either solid wood or strips that are fashioned together. This gives you a solid base to drive against. 

Which leads directly into the first point. Weightlifting shoes have a solid heel, meaning there is no cushioning under your heel. This is important for a lifter. When you are driving your feet into the ground you don’t want to be wearing cushioned shoes, or sneakers. Why not? Well with the amount of force applied through the feet into the ground in the pull, a cushioned shoe is designed to absorb that force. Which is counterproductive to trying to lift a maximum weight. So that’s the solid base of support.

The heel height on a weightlifting shoe is to help a lifter keep the heels flat on the ground while in a full squatted position. Those who have flexibility or Achilles issues are well accustomed to how difficult it is keeping the heels flat when in a deep squat. Most lifting shoes come with either a 0.5 inch or 0.75 inch heel.

A number of Manufacturers currently make Olympic lifting shoes; here is my take on a few of them.

Reebok:

The oldest shoes I currently still use today are a pair of vintage Reebok Weightlifting Shoes. Although they have become my Squat shoes, they have served me well all over the world for almost 20 years. (Yes 20 Years) Due to their stake in Crossfit Reebok are probably the number one go to shoe currently for those doing Olympic lifting at a Crossfit Box. From what I can tell they are very good shoes, and great for those starting out. They are relatively light, and have a flexible toe, in order for athletes to combine jumping exercises with lifting.

Above are my Original Reebok Weightlifting Shoes, still going strong at almost 20 years old.

Adidas:

I spent most of my years competing in a pair of Power Perfects from Adidas. They were my favorite shoes of the 90’s and I lifted my best ever lifts in them. I loved the simple minimalistic look. Adidas have always been a leader in Weightlifting shoes. I currently have a pair of Adipower Shoes. They have a 0.75-inch heel. I have spent most of 2014 lifting in the Adipower shoes. (Pictured Above) Adidas’s answer to the Reebok Cross fit shoes is the Power lift 2 line of lifting shoes. They are lighter than the Adipower shoes, and also have more flexibility in the toe. The Power lift 2’s however only has 0.5-inch heel height.

Pendlay:

Pendlay Do-win, MDUSA Do-win Rouge Do-win, all essentially the same shoe. Made in the USA and under the great American Pendlay name. I have been using a pair of Pendlay’s for about 4 years and have recently returned to competing in them over the Adidas Adipower Shoes. I am very sentimental over my wood heel and I just like the feel of the Pendlay’s more. Also the Pendlays have almost NO toe flexibility. Coming from someone who has a tendency to end up on his toes I have found that by limited flexibility in the toe has been beneficial to my lifts.

There are a few other makes and models of lifting shoes out there, Risto Sports to name but one. However I feel that these three are the top choses for any lifter.