Trying to figure out heel height

[tfranc]

M 29 6’ 220lbs

I use a shoe with a heel height of .6”, but after reading some recent threads, I realize I probably need a shoe with a higher heel.

I’m just not sure how much higher or if it matters.

I’ve got a short torso and long legs, and my femurs almost 2” longer than my shins. Do I need a heel higher than .75”?

Thanks for your time

If you feel like recommending anything specific I would really appreciate it as well

[Nick Delgadillo]

I seriously doubt it, man. I don't think that the .6 vs .75 will make much of a difference and I've never seen someone who NEEDED something taller than that for what we're doing. What issue are you trying to fix?

[tfranc]

I have a tendency to want to fall backward just a bit at the bottom of a squat right when I hit depth, unless I make my descent very careful and too slow. The weight shifts onto my heels and makes everything off. It’s been like that for years now. I think it may even be part of the reason I’ve had chronic hip pain and have never felt my squats go smoothly.

I assumed it’s because my femurs are longer than my shins. There were a couple threads in the coaches qna about guys with the same problem. They were recommended shoes with slightly higher heels than the lower .5-.6” heels they were using.

[Michael Wolf]

You can certainly try it out and see if it helps, but getting onto your heels is a technique issue, not a heel issue. A higher effective lift might make it slightly easier for you to get off your heels, but if you think .15 inches is going to be the difference between chronic pain causing squats and perfect squats, I think that is highly doubtful.

[Barry Charles]

You can certainly try it out and see if it helps, but getting onto your heels is a technique issue, not a heel issue. A higher effective lift might make it slightly easier for you to get off your heels, but if you think .15 inches is going to be the difference between chronic pain causing squats and perfect squats, I think that is highly doubtful.

Coach Wolf, if someone was in the market NEW shoes, would squatting standing on a shim (say a 2.5lb plate) under the heel or ball of the foot be a good simulation for "trying" a lower or higher heel before committing to a major purchase? Or, is your general advice, stick with what works and what you have adapted to? This is not an urgent question, just wondering in context of this thread.

[tfranc]

You can certainly try it out and see if it helps, but getting onto your heels is a technique issue, not a heel issue. A higher effective lift might make it slightly easier for you to get off your heels, but if you think .15 inches is going to be the difference between chronic pain causing squats and perfect squats, I think that is highly doubtful.

Thanks to you and Nick for the clarity. I think I’ll give a higher heel a try, though I’ve become attached to my shoes lol. Is there one you might recommend?

[Michael Wolf]

Coach Wolf, if someone was in the market NEW shoes, would squatting standing on a shim (say a 2.5lb plate) under the heel or ball of the foot be a good simulation for "trying" a lower or higher heel before committing to a major purchase? Or, is your general advice, stick with what works and what you have adapted to? This is not an urgent question, just wondering in context of this thread.

I'm not sure I fully understand your Q, Barry. Do you mean using shims of different heights to do light or BW squats to see how that effects things, or doing your heavy work-sets that way? I don't recommend the latter. The former is fine, though isn't a perfect simulation and I don't think would really tell you much about how the shoe will actually feel/perform.

Thanks to you and Nick for the clarity. I think I’ll give a higher heel a try, though I’ve become attached to my shoes lol. Is there one you might recommend?

The Nike Romaleos, Reebok Legacy Lifters, and Adidas Adipowers are all good. Having seen them all, I think they may all have an effective heel height of more than the standard .75, even if they say it's .75. Not a lot more, but somewhere between .75 and 1 inch would be my guess. They all tend to be a bit narrow, however, I think the Adidas more so than the other two.

[tfranc]

The Nike Romaleos, Reebok Legacy Lifters, and Adidas Adipowers are all good. Having seen them all, I think they may all have an effective heel height of more than the standard .75, even if they say it's .75. Not a lot more, but somewhere between .75 and 1 inch would be my guess. They all tend to be a bit narrow, however, I think the Adidas more so than the other two.

Cool thank you. I have big wide feet but perhaps any of these would stretch out

Last question - what do you think about the new do-wins or the adidas power perfects?
Wiggle | Adidas Power Perfect II Weightlifting Shoes | Training Running Shoes

[Michael Wolf]

The power perfects at the link look fine, though they appear to have a lower heel than the three I mentioned above. Probably a true .75 as opposed to the ~1 inch of the others. But I don't really know. They powerlifts have an EVA midsole, so you have to watch out for that, too. Probably doesn't effect lifts until they get quite heavy, but something to think about. They say it's a "high density" midsole, which makes me suspect a slightly compressible EVA.

[tfranc]

The power perfects at the link look fine, though they appear to have a lower heel than the three I mentioned above. Probably a true .75 as opposed to the ~1 inch of the others. But I don't really know. They powerlifts have an EVA midsole, so you have to watch out for that, too. Probably doesn't effect lifts until they get quite heavy, but something to think about. They say it's a "high density" midsole, which makes me suspect a slightly compressible EVA.

Thanks so much for taking a look. I’ve been wondering if those foam heels are bad or not.

I’m trying to resist the temptation to ask you one last thing but I can’t help myself I’m afraid. Please forgive me if you can.

What do you think of the new do-wins with the plastic heel? They seem like an inexpensive adipower
Do-Win Weightlifting Shoes - Black & White | Rogue Fitness