Finally, the lifting shoes!

[PuliMorgan]

Coach Rip had admonished me for not wearing a pair of shoes in one of my channel videos: DIY Deadlift Platform for Home Gym - Compact, cheap and functional

Now that Amazon started delivering to my locality, I again bought a pair of RXN brand lifting shoes with 1" heel drop (I had bought and returned the same model a few months ago). Today was my first day with the new pair of shoes. I didn't have the "AHA" moment that many others have claimed to have experienced while using the lifting shoes for the first time.

1) Squat: I was thrown off balance during the first few reps due to the raised heel. But I got used to it quickly after taking out 2.5 kg from the bar. I may take a couple of days to get it right.

2) Press: I felt a bit unstable and my recently learnt Press 2.0 got all messed up. After struggling to get the reps right, I became so frustrated that I went back to the wrestling shoes for the third set.

3) Deadlift: I felt that I couldn't deadlift in the 1" lifting shoes. So I used the wrestling shoes and it went well.

What surprised me was the lifting shoes screwing up Press 2.0. Hope I will get used to it soon.

[Sib]

Coach Rip had admonished me for not wearing a pair of shoes in one of my channel videos: DIY Deadlift Platform for Home Gym - Compact, cheap and functional

Now that Amazon started delivering to my locality, I again bought a pair of RXN brand lifting shoes with 1" heel drop (I had bought and returned the same model a few months ago). Today was my first day with the new pair of shoes. I didn't have the "AHA" moment that many others have claimed to have experienced while using the lifting shoes for the first time.

1) Squat: I was thrown off balance during the first few reps due to the raised heel. But I got used to it quickly after taking out 2.5 kg from the bar. I may take a couple of days to get it right.

2) Press: I felt a bit unstable and my recently learnt Press 2.0 got all messed up. After struggling to get the reps right, I became so frustrated that I went back to the wrestling shoes for the third set.

3) Deadlift: I felt that I couldn't deadlift in the 1" lifting shoes. So I used the wrestling shoes and it went well.

What surprised me was the lifting shoes screwing up Press 2.0. Hope I will get used to it soon.

It might take a bit of getting used to if you've done it another way a long time. I find my shoes almost force me into the right position.

[TommyGun]

Love my shoes for squatting and pressing.
I take them off to deadlift. Can’t get in position with that heel no matter what I do.

[Petar Velchev]

Every foot fits differently in every shoe I guess. Personally I don't feel that I have to alter my lifting much between flat Vans and Nike Romaleos 4, the lifting feels basically the same. The Roms 4 are way more supportive ofcourse and I swear by them for all lifts. I think you might not be giving them enough time and judging too quickly, definitely stick to it for at least a couple of more sessions and make your conclusions then.

[m s]

Why did you buy a shoe with an 1-inch effective heel height? That is less than ideal for lowbar squats or deadlifts. Also you're Indian -- you probably have great dorsiflexion from a life long of squatting when taking a dump. A 1inch heel is silly for you.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Wrestling shoes for deadlifts are where it's at. I struggled for some years with some Adidas lifting shoes with a 3/4" heel that made by base as solid as Gibraltar for my squat, but always put my weight too far forward over my midfoot for deadlifts.

[Dalton Rankin]

Wrestling shoes for deadlifts are where it's at. I struggled for some years with some Adidas lifting shoes with a 3/4" heel that made by base as solid as Gibraltar for my squat, but always put my weight too far forward over my midfoot for deadlifts.

Ray Williams does all of his 1,000+ pound squat attempts in a pair of wrestling shoes; however, this is not advisable solely on the basis that he is one of the best powerlifters of my time. In your experience, Mr. Hurling, how is the arch stability in these? The obvious argument against deadlifting in flats is the lack of support in the midfoot, which also is where it needs to be. I have pulled in various pairs of shoes, but perhaps I should give wrestling shoes a try.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Wrestling shoes are rubber-soled socks. Make your own.

[PuliMorgan]

It might take a bit of getting used to if you've done it another way a long time. I find my shoes almost force me into the right position.

Yes, Squats and Presses are getting better.

Love my shoes for squatting and pressing.
I take them off to deadlift. Can’t get in position with that heel no matter what I do.

I switch to a pair of wrestling flats for deadlifts.

Every foot fits differently in every shoe I guess. Personally I don't feel that I have to alter my lifting much between flat Vans and Nike Romaleos 4, the lifting feels basically the same. The Roms 4 are way more supportive ofcourse and I swear by them for all lifts. I think you might not be giving them enough time and judging too quickly, definitely stick to it for at least a couple of more sessions and make your conclusions then.

I wasn't judging them. I was just wondering why I did not have that "why-didn't-I-get-the-lifting-shoes-earlier" moment that many people have written about in these forums.

Why did you buy a shoe with an 1-inch effective heel height? That is less than ideal for lowbar squats or deadlifts. Also you're Indian -- you probably have great dorsiflexion from a life long of squatting when taking a dump. A 1inch heel is silly for you.

1) Because I could not find any shoes with 0.6" heel drop (like AdiPower) in India. Getting them from the US during these "trying times" isn't an option either. I have been thinking about grinding down the sole on a surface grinding machine to reduce the heel drop by 0.4 inches - I have even designed a jig for holding the shoe in the machine. I will update on this experiment soon.
2) I haven't squatted to take a dump in the past 20+ odd years - "The middle class Indians" no longer follow this "sacred tradition" . I do have great dorsiflexion though - probably due to all those calf stretching exercises I did during my ultra-marathon days.

Wrestling shoes for deadlifts are where it's at. I struggled for some years with some Adidas lifting shoes with a 3/4" heel that made by base as solid as Gibraltar for my squat, but always put my weight too far forward over my midfoot for deadlifts.

Ray Williams does all of his 1,000+ pound squat attempts in a pair of wrestling shoes; however, this is not advisable solely on the basis that he is one of the best powerlifters of my time. In your experience, Mr. Hurling, how is the arch stability in these? The obvious argument against deadlifting in flats is the lack of support in the midfoot, which also is where it needs to be. I have pulled in various pairs of shoes, but perhaps I should give wrestling shoes a try.

I still feel more comfortable in wrestling shoes than in my lifting shoes even for squatting - either I am not strong enough to feel the difference or because of my anthropometry. I no longer squat in the wrestling shoes though.

Wrestling shoes are rubber-soled socks. Make your own.

May be, but the ones I use rubber "socks" have really hard, but thin non-split shoes. Its hardness must be close to that of the sole of a lifting shoes on Shore A scale by the feel of it.

[Yngvi]

Wrestling shoes are rubber-soled socks. Make your own.

I have done this, but with laces, instep support and metatarsal strap.