Oh boy am I going to start a war here.
But that’s not the intent.
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Since this is my column, I’ll give you my opinion on stuff and you can take it or leave, it, but at least hear me out before you dismiss it.
I’ll do the same.
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What shoe to wear while training is a big topic of discussion in many circles and parts of the interwebs.
Looks like I am adding to that now, and for today’s discussion we are talking about Powerlifting shoes.
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Your shoes make an enormous impact on your performance and they allow you to maximize some things if chosen well, or they could make some issues worse if poorly chosen.
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What should we look for in a Powerlifting shoe?
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- A sole that is firm and has little cushioning
- A hard outside edge at the sole
- One that fits
- One that allows us to maximize our power transfer and root
- That’s about it.
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All of these things can be done with a flat or heeled lifting shoe.
BOTH flat and heeled shoes that are chosen well will allow you to root harder and create more tension than if you wore something with a soft outsole.
The shoe is your link to the ground.
All athletic force is transferred through the ground.
The wrong shoe will absorb force and can also make you unstable.
Think squatting double body weight in a pair of Nike Shox. That’s a bad scene.
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Your shoe should also allow you to root your foot into the floor as hard as necessary for as long as necessary. Your root is one of the most important aspects, if not the most important aspect of any and all of your lifts.
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A well calibrated coaching eye can catch many flaws in a lift and trace it right to the root. That’s a good article topic for another day, just go with me here.
A bad root or a loss of a component of it will cause a flaw, and the wrong shoe will exacerbate this.
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What’s a Root?
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C’mon?
We all should know what this is by now. I’m talking about rooting your feet into the ground.
We do this my spreading our toes apart, driving the big toe, pinky toe and heel into the ground and then twisting the heel together and the toes away.
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When you do it right, you should feel the arch in your foot flex, increase and maybe cramp up.
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If you are not doing this you need to learn how and master it. Your shoes should also allow you to do this to a higher degree.
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Let’s get into the The Worst Powerlifting Shoe Ever:
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DISCLAIMER: Wear what you want. It’s America. And I am going to be covering the most popular shoes we see in Powerlifting, not street shoes and fashion ones.
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Many people like Weightlifting shoes for Powerlifting.
OK.
Awesome.
Lifers are great for squatting and even good for benching. But for deadlifts, not so much.
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And to all of you equipped lifters squatting in gear and Weigihtlifters, please stop.
Flats will make things so much better. Again, a topic for another article.
Just go with me here.
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How about Wrestling shoes?
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Not a fan. They don’t allow you to root very hard without the ole ankle roll.
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Flat Skateboard or basketball sneakers?
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Yup.
I am a pretty big fan of these for equipped lifting, and for some Raw.
Raw looks good with these or lifters on squats, and then these on the other two.
Equipped?
All three lifts are good in these.
Confused yet?
Don’t be.
I’m fixin to clarify it all now.
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Well, what is my choice for The Worst Powerlifting Shoe Ever?
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Don’t hate me kids.
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I think the worst powerlifting shoe ever is the good ole American Converse Chuck Taylor-All Stars.
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The prototypical powerlifting shoe.
Hate ‘em.
Why?
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Well, first off the hipsters stole them and the last thing I want to look like is a hipster.
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Next, Chucks last about three weeks and then fall apart. The old ones that were made around the corner from TPS right here in Malden did not. And at $50 and up for a pair, I’m all set.
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Third, Chucks have a narrow outsole. Yes they are better than many brands you could choose, but I’ve always felt that when I rooted hard, I either “spilled” over the sides, or rolled my ankles. I’ve seen this in countless other lifters too.
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Fourth, toe curl.
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If you put a pair of Chucks on the floor, right out of the box you’ll see that they do not sit flat on the floor. The toes curl up.
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This design makes it exponentially much harder to root your toes down.
As a matter of fact, when I tell a client or athlete having toe root issues with Chucks on to take them off and lift barefoot for a moment, they see what I am talking about.
Don’t believe me?
Try it yourself.
Fifth:
The soles are slippery. This needs no explanation. Slippery shoes are not an asset for anything.
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Except Bowling, and who still bowls?
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I’ve got other reasons, but they are nitpicky. Let’s agree that if your tools make it harder to do your job, you need new tools. I feel Chucks make it harder to use your feet correctly.
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Well then, what is the best choice?
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As I said, the shoe should be an aid and an asset to your lifting.
That means its construction should allow you to maximize everything you are attempting to do.
As the shoe goes on the foot, perhaps it is a good idea to allow it to maximize the things the foot should be doing…..
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The Addidas Samba is a great choice. Unless you have wide feet.
Sambas have an ultra flat sole, a hard outsole that allows you to root and a super sticky gum sole.
That’s a winning combo.
Plus, they are almost indestructible.
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OK, here it is.
My favorite all time shoe for Powerlifting in is going to be Vans.
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Yup.
Vans.
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Why?
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Well, Vans do everything I listed, in my opinion, better than any other shoe on the market.
Plus, the are stylish and indestructible.
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Van’s have a wider and stiffer outsole than most other shoes.
This wider and stiffer outsole allows you to really get aggressive with your root.
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A stronger root equals more pounds lifted with less injuries.
And, they sit dead flat on the floor.
Zero toe curl here kids.
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Flat as a pancake.
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Curls are for the girls, not your shoes.
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Getting those toes splayed and smashed into the ground is easy with Vans.
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In my opinion, Van’s do everything better than Chucks.
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In the end what you choose is up to you, and I didn’t list Weightlifting shoes here because, while I agree that for many they are the right choice for Squats, you can’t (or shouldn’t) use them for all three lifts.
If you Squat better in heels, use them!
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For me, I want to bring as little as I need to the meet, or into the gym. Using one pair of shoes for the day and ones that do a better job, is an easy choice for me.
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Now will someone send this article to Vans so I can get some free damn shoes please?
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AND:
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PLEASE JOIN US ON NOVEMBER 16th.
We will be hosting the 2019 RPS Boston’s Strongest Push Pull at TPS for charity.
We’ve got 35 lifters coming for a morning filled with awesome bench presses and deadlifts.
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There will be music, food, raffles courtesy of EliteFTS, Spud Inc. and Acumobilty, highly experienced judges, a solid platform crew and lots of family friendly fun.
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It’s $10 at the door and lifting starts at 9:00 am.
Help us raise money for Everett Pop Warner Football and the Calddagh Fund.
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I hope to see all of our local readers there.
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Did you miss last week’s log?
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Oh, yeah, follow us on Instagram too.
@TPSMalden
@tpsmethod
DM ME QUESTIONS THERE TOO!
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Vincere vel mori
C.J. Murphy
November 7, 2019
