Increased dl by 15kg by taking off shoes…

[sammoore]

So I pulled 160kg for 5 (a rep PR) at the London pulling camp which felt pretty good. I then failed to pull 165kg next time round but I had a cold so didn’t think much of it. The man flu kicked in hard and I took a week or so out.

My first workout back and I dropped the weight to 160kg and made reps but it wasn’t pretty. I then pulled 165kg for 5 next time round but it felt disgusting and very much like I’d fail 170kg. For shits and giggles, I took my shoes off and pulled the weight again for a single and it felt light. I then pulled 170kg for a single and then 180kg for a double, and I’m almost certain that I could have pulled 180kg for 5 had I not ground out 5 at 165kg.

As a test I pulled 165kg for 5 again last night without shoes and it was definitely easier. What gives? Searching the board, Rips suggests that shoes should make the lift easier for everyone and that it’s probably a form issue.

[Michael Wolf]

This topic has been discussed dozens, if not hundreds, of times on the board, so I suggest you search around to read more.

I like pulling in shoes myself, and have done so ever since I switched from barefoot or minimal shoes over 5 years ago. I find I get into a better position both as far as being able to set my back, as well as having that additional quad off the floor. Some people find that they prefer pulling without lifting shoes or without shoes at all, although I still think it's a good idea for Novices to be taught the movement with shoes to start with. The solid, non compressible sole that fully and evenly articulates with the floor (unlike your foot) makes it easier for a beginner to learn to apply a lot of force down into the floor. It's not hard to experiment or make the switch as an Intermediate, if you want to.

All that said, your experience isn't really indicative one way or the other, even for just you. It's such a limited sample size of pulling, including subjective things such as what you extrapolate you could have done, based on how a single rep felt. Those aren't very reliable markers.

Bottom line: Experiment without your shoes, by all means, and if you like it better, go for it. I just wouldn't see it as an open and shut deal quite yet with the limited exposure you've had.

[sammoore]

Hello Michael,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm sold on pulling in shoes and would like to continue to doing so and was just looking to understand why it felt easier without/what sort of form issues would make the pull weaker in shoes. I appreciate I didn't include a video so was more of a general discussion. I will follow your advice and search the board and continue to experiment.

Cheers,

Sam

[Michael Wolf]

Ah Sam, you didn't really ask that though, so I didn't address that issue. I suppose that's what you meant when you wrote "What gives?" but I didn't read it that way the first time through.

The most common issue we see is people get forward with their weight on their toes instead of mid-foot when they pull in shoes. This is easily corrected, and I assumed would have been if you attended a pulling camp with Tom and Jordan, but perhaps you reverted back to the habit since then. Whatever the case, you simply rock your own weight back over midfoot. The bar does not move or change position - it's still directly over mid-foot - but YOU shift YOUR OWN weight back over mid-foot before the pull.

[Tom Narvaez]

Interestingly enough, I tend to notice the same form error in people with long femurs. Obviously, get your form in check, but alternatively your heel may be too high. Particularly if it is .75"+ and youre not a tall person.

[sammoore]

Ah that makes sense, Jordan did shout at me a few times for that. In hindsight I probably should have asked him why. Thanks for connecting the dots and I promise to be more direct with my questions in future!