Wide Shoes

I have hard to fit feet even in regular shoes - wide feet (3E to 4E), high instep, and low arches. In speciality shoes where the selection is lower it is even harder to find shoes that fit. I recently picked up a pair of NOS Romaleos 2 that are the best fitting of everything that I've tried and I tried a lot. Even those were tight at first but have stretched some though I still don't have to pull the straps much and I can't use the competition insole because it is thicker than the training insole. The Do-Win new model were close but had stitching that rubbed along small toe. The Reebok Lifter PR was sort of ok and the material felt like it would stretch to make some room over time. But neither of those fit as well as the Romaleos 2.

So, given how difficult my feet are to fit I'm thinking about possibly buying and putting aside another pair of Romaleos 2 before they completely disappear. Before I do that wanted to ask about other possible current production shoes to try. I've heard the Sabo shoes can be wide - anybody tried those and the Romaleos 2? Any Sabo models wider than others? Any other shoes to consider?

You don't need wide shoes, trust me - I thought the same. Just buy whatever weightlifting shoes you desire a size larger. I have size 46 2/3 - 47 1/3 for Adidas and the size 48 Power Perfect 3 have a perfect fit.

Thanks for the reply. Do you mean "don't need wide shoes" in terms of weightlifting shoes? I know from years of experience and blistered feet that you can't just size up for regular shoes (sneakers, dress shoes, etc.). To make them fit for width you need to go long enough that the heel is loose.

On the lifting shoes does it work better because you can use the straps to compensate for the extra length (lock the foot at the back of the shoe)? I'm normally a 10 / 10.5 (US size - 43-44 Euro) and tried just about every lifting shoe in 10.5 and 11. Some of them I couldn't even get my foot into and many of the others that I could were not just uncomfortable but painful.

Yeah, if you have an E-width foot, you need a shoe that fits them, and one size up does not work. The DoWins are the widest on the market right now, as far as I know.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CanuckInOsaka

Thanks for the reply. Do you mean "don't need wide shoes" in terms of weightlifting shoes? I know from years of experience and blistered feet that you can't just size up for regular shoes (sneakers, dress shoes, etc.). To make them fit for width you need to go long enough that the heel is loose.

On the lifting shoes does it work better because you can use the straps to compensate for the extra length (lock the foot at the back of the shoe)? I'm normally a 10 / 10.5 (US size - 43-44 Euro) and tried just about every lifting shoe in 10.5 and 11. Some of them I couldn't even get my foot into and many of the others that I could were not just uncomfortable but painful.

---

I meant in terms of weightlifting shoes, especially Adidas. They appear to be smaller than the size they have. If they are painful at your pinky toes and you can feel contact with your big toe, chances are you just need a bigger shoe. My Adidas fit perfectly and I have a very solid stance in them. If you REALLY have wide feet, things are different of course.

A grownup knows what size his feet are, HW. If you can wear Adidas, you have A/B/C-width feet. As you already know.

I really do have blocks of wood for feet and getting shoes to fit is difficult. Soft sided shoes (sneakers, boat shoes, etc.) that aren't really wide enough can be made to work more easily as they stretch. Shoes with structure (dress shoes, hiking boots, weightlifting shoes) won't mold as easily or as far and so need to fit more accurately from the start to work. I've been dealing with this issue of my wide feet for a long time now (I'm 55) and in my younger days bought shoes that were too long to get more width with lots of bad results. Increasing the length really only works to a point before you get too long and your heel now floats in the back of the shoe. For me that "too long" point is generally around US size 11 but it depends on the shoe design. The increase of the This is why I tried all of the shoes I tested in sizes up to 11 as well as my correct length of 10 / 10.5 (varies by brand and model of shoe).

From those that I tried, the Romaleos 2 were the best fit for me and even those were not really comfortable but workable. They have stretched slightly and are now ok. The Do-Wins were second in fit. The Adidas were not workable at all. The other two shoes that are supposed to be wide but that I haven't tried are the Chinese Antas and the Russian Sabos. The Antas are modified clones of the Romaleos 2 though from video comparisons they are somewhat narrower than the Romaleos 2. I haven't seen any good width comparisons on the Sabos.

At this point, without further information, my two best choices are to get another pair of the discontinued Romaleos 2 shoes before they completely disappear and put them aside or just buy a pair of Do-Wins (currently my second best fit) in the future when my current Romaleos 2 wear out. I'm inclined to buy the Romaleos 2.

Thanks