low arched foot case

[dingas]

Hi Mr Rippetoe,

In the book (BSS) you say that running shoes aren't good for squatting and therefore not good for training because the gel in the shoes "reduces the power transmission and prevents foot stability".

I have a low arched foot and suffer from plantar fasciitis, which is being treated. My therapist says I might have to wear a shoe pad because of the plantar fascittis will never completely heal due to the low arched foot.

I'm in the 6 week of SS but doing chins instead of Power Cleans because didn't get to the chapter of PC's in the book and no one can teach me.=\

My questions are
a) if the a shoe pad will affect the power transferences in the same way the gel from the running shoes do.
b) will heavy squats help or worsen my low arched foot
c) I'm doing (very very) light calf raises (2x12) after each workout to help the rehab(Right now I'm holding a 10lbs plate). Would you agree or suggest other exercise? And how to put some weight on the calf raises? Or would u suggest to stop them?

Thanks in advance for your time coach

[Mark Rippetoe]

Why are you not 1.) doing cleans, and 2.) not wearing weightlifting shoes, whose metatarsal straps reinforce your arches?

I have addressed the PC issue elsewhere, and I feel that unless you're doing them you're not doing SS. Heavy squats done in good shoes will not bother your feet, or everybody that squats heavy would have bad feet, and they don't. The fact that yours are already flat make an even stronger case for getting some good shoes. And calf raises may in fact aggravate the situation. I would spend money on shoes instead of orthotics, and I'd also tape my arches before I trained. If I were you.

[dingas]

Thanks coach Rip.
I intend on doing the power cleans, I'm just not doing yet just because I've got some issues that I'm addressing in the dead lift and in the book you say it might be a good idea to wait before try to learn them. And somewhere in this forum you said it's a good plan to do chins instead of rows while not doing PC's since the chins are a pre-strengthening exercise. But I'm planning on starting them on the next workouts.

I'm using the adidas superstars like these.
I got no weightlifting shoes (yet) basically because just recently, reading the book, I got why they're so important, and where I leave (Lisbon, Portugal) I have no clue where to buy them!:S

Are you suggesting that I never use orthotics or just for strength training? And how should I correctly tape my arches? It's not common to do it here and so no-one knows how to.
Is this correct?link for taping
Should I tape both or just the one with plantar fasciitis?

Lastly, can you please explain how calf raises might aggravate the situation? Not that I want to keep doing them, but just to understand because many day life situations I do some sort of the movement in the exercise.

Sorry for wasting your time, but many thanks!=)

[Mark Rippetoe]

1. Fix your deadlifts according to the book, and you should have no issues.

2. These Adidas don't have a metatarsal strap, and therefore do not function like WL shoes.

3. Nobody in the world has access to WL shoes in the department store, so don't feel so bad about being Portuguese. You have to order them on the web. See http://www.vsathletics.com/index.php...87226dd5f756a5

4. I'm not suggesting that you never use orthotics for training. I am suggesting that you use proper footwear for the sport you're training so that your feet are not bothered by the training.

5. That taping link is not what I have in mind. Just wrap once or twice around your instep/arch perpendicular to the length of your foot to reinforce your arch.

6. If you have flat feet, tape both so that the other one doesn't get hurt too.

7. Calf raises stretch the aggravated tendon too much and rupture any recently healed tissue, keeping the healing process from progressing. But hey, I'm not a podiatrist.

8. Please describe for us the fascinating ways in which your life includes calf raises.

[bango skank]

3. Nobody in the world has access to WL shoes in the department store, so don't feel so bad about being Portuguese. You have to order them on the web. See http://www.vsathletics.com/index.php...87226dd5f756a5

Coach:

So you recommend these here shoes: http://www.vsathletics.com/product.p...od=1301&xSec=9

Those are probably the ugliest shoes I've ever seen in my life, and I gotta look good for the girls while I do my bicep curls in the power cage... but if you recommend them I can endure the shame (even if they don't match my suede tommy hilfiger weightlifting belt).

Seriously though, are these great shoes? The steep angle of the heel looks kinda severe and I have almost exclusively trained in Chucks or barefoot.

It's either those or the Adidas Ironwork II (http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/products/shoesFR.html), but who wants to pay $162 for shoes that don't have wheelies in them?

[Mark Rippetoe]

I understand your reluctance to forgo the wheelies. Adidas are good shoes, but they are lasted for a narrow foot. If you wear a D or E width they are uncomfortable or unwearable. The VS shoes are wide and cheaper but ugly. There is Canadian maker that produces a very good shoe at an intermediate price, and everybody I know that has them says they are very good. And very handsome as well.