I don't understand it myself. Every seminar or camp at WFAC, we have to have this same conversation with people who have paid us to come.
Member
People not buying weightlifting shoes
Rip,
Can someone explain to me the Millennial resistance to buying a pair of f#$%#% weightlifting shoes?
It's not like it is 1990 and when finding the damn things was practically a quest for fire.
I ask as I've taught the basic lifts to maybe half a dozen men, and one woman, over the last five years or so. I'm certainly no great coach and haven't handled the volume of people a professional would.
But despite keeping up with their lifting the entire time I knew them only one, the lady, bothered to buy proper shoes.
It's not like they are that expensive and all of these people had jobs.
Am I just routinely dealing with morons?
And I've heard just about every possible excuse from "my Converse work fine" to "bringing an extra pair[of shoes] to the gym is too much trouble."
What is the deal with this?
TMPHBITEU
I don't understand it myself. Every seminar or camp at WFAC, we have to have this same conversation with people who have paid us to come.
Starting Strength App Developer
Worse than that is people who lift barefooted, in commercial gyms. Its just fucking gross.
Member
I recently graduated but there was a gym room in college that was purposed for weightlifting and powerlifting. No treadmills or no machines.. just racks, barbells, bumper plates, and a roman chair.
That room would get pretty crowded, sometimes reaching capacity, but pretty much everyone would be wearing weightlifting shoes, save for a couple novices and one guy I can remember wearing converse.
In commercial gyms I've noticed a lot more reluctance. People, even young guys squatting and deadlifting over 400, don't want to appear over invested or something, but will still take steroids and come in with a big bag of lifting gear.
I think part of it is that in competitive WL countries there's just more homage paid to the sport, so its all good if you want to take it more seriously, but here in the US its like borderline anti-social to wear a pair in a commercial gym.
Member
Great line.Originally Posted by tomskarda
As for reasons, consider the folks:
1. Who eat steak well done; until they accidentally eat one medium rare.
2. Who drive on cheap tires; until they put good ones on their clunker.
3. Who drink Jim Beam; until they drink ANYTHING else.
Lack of experience. I posit that if they squatted in a pair, they'd rush to purchase.
✓ Member
See also:
-people who can but won’t power clean on NLP
-people who won’t eat enough on NLP
Member
I'm glad the subject has been brought up as I'd really like to get a pair. I'm currently one of those who are stuck lifting in Converse, because I have a 4E width foot, but all the lifting shoes I've seen when searching online are regular width. None of the stores in the area sell weightlifting or powerlifting shoes that I've found so far. If I buy a regular width shoe, I have to be able to try it on first. So my question to you all is how do lifting shoes sizes run compared to others in their respective brands? That way I could try on Brand X or Y shoes in the store to find out what is comfortable to my foot so I know what to order. Thanks.
As for the lifting barefoot thing, I've done it once in my garage, but I don't like it because I've had a 45lb slip on me once and came down on the outer part of my foot just forward of the ankle. Having my shoes on, even just the canvas in between, was just enough to protect my foot and allow the weight to slide off vs bouncing off my foot if I'd been barefoot.
Member
The Rogue Do-Wins should work for you. They're pretty much the widest lifting shoes on the market, even though they don't advertise a specific wide width shoe. They have a leather version if you end up needing to apply a shoe stretcher to them.
But yes me and my wide feet had "hatred of online shoe shopping" as one of the top reasons I avoided buying lifters for a long time.
Member
Hi Steve,
Here's a list of all brands of shoes that fit me versus the sizes of my do-wins and adidas. Maybe this can help you or someone else order the right size the first time around.
Regular shoes:
Adidas, Pumas: 12
Vans: 11.5
Converse: 11
Do Wins: 11.5
Adidas powerlift: 12
Member
Thanks for the tip Elle, how do I need to order, should I order my exact size or do I need to go up a size as I normally do when getting regular fit shoes?
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