Finally, the lifting shoes!

Coach Rip had admonished me for not wearing a pair of shoes in one of my channel videos: https://startingstrength.com/resourc...unctional.html

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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

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Originally Posted by Sib

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.

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Yes, Squats and Presses are getting better.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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I switch to a pair of wrestling flats for deadlifts.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by 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.

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Originally Posted by Dalton Rankin

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.

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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.

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Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe

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

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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.

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Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe

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

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

Stick with the shoes for squat, press and bench. I find it makes everything easier. For deadlifts, I wear very thin soled indoor soccer shoes (basically the sole/heel/insoles of wrestling shoes) because I actually prefer the extra stretch I get in the hamstrings when I get down there. I consider it part of getting, tight and locked in under the bar. But for everything else, I prefer the weightlifting shoes. Theres probably a learning cuirve for everyone.

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Originally Posted by FatButWeak

Stick with the shoes for squat, press and bench. I find it makes everything easier. For deadlifts, I wear very thin soled indoor soccer shoes (basically the sole/heel/insoles of wrestling shoes) because I actually prefer the extra stretch I get in the hamstrings when I get down there. I consider it part of getting, tight and locked in under the bar. But for everything else, I prefer the weightlifting shoes. Theres probably a learning cuirve for everyone.

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You are right about the learning curve. I finally got my shoes in last week, and have noticed I'm having to relearn my form on the squats and deadlifts to a point. One of the cues I was subconsciously using for determining squat depth was the feel of my ankles to tell me when I had gotten deep enough; that's changed with the lifting shoes so I'm having to fight not going too deep. On the deadlift, I have to consciously work now to keep the bar from going forward (1" from my shins) due to the heel shifting my body angle and consequently the load forward ever so slightly. Not sure if I want to back off the weight a little and work back up while retraining form and cues with the new shoes or practice on them in the evenings separate from my workouts.