What kind of shoes are appropriate for doing exercises like squats and deadlifts? Basically all I use now is a pair of nike crosstrainers and well…they are just too soft, my feet move around in them too much.
Any suggestions?
Converse. Get the old school Canvas Chuck’s with the flat sole. This is what the Westside Powerlifters use along with many others, including myself.
They cost $35 at most shoe stores. These are the best shoes for doing squats, deads and other lifts. It’ll be one of the best investments you make.
I love mine. They are cool.
I agree with Nate. Chuck Taylors are the way to go. You need to have the flat base so you can push out against the sides when you squat. Those cross trainers open you up to having your feet “roll over” and cause major problems.
Go to a shoe store and get your size. Then buy them off E-bay. You can get them for 15 to 20 bucks…
Yeah I wear Chucks for every exercise except for when I bench and deadlift. I wear a pair of wrestling shoes when I do those.
this may sound dumb but alot of times If I am working box squats or going light I just go barefoot, don’t know why but it feels better then anything else. I was wondering if there are any benefits or negatives to this. Thanks BiggieBen
This sounds a lot like a T post I put out a few months ago… I asked about “what shoes do people wear doing DL and squats”… the general consensus was for Chuck Taylors.
I myself use some cheap ($15) NIKE AquaSocs I picked up on a trip to Orlando last year. Flat/NO sole, great for pressing my heels into the floor for maximum effort. Very similar to wrestling shoes but low cut.
[quote]biggieben wrote:
this may sound dumb but alot of times If I am working box squats or going light I just go barefoot, don’t know why but it feels better then anything else. I was wondering if there are any benefits or negatives to this. Thanks BiggieBen[/quote]
One of the reasons I asked this question is because I basically train at home and usually am barefoot for everything. So far it seems to be okay but then again I havent really done anything heavy like max attempts. I used to wear Chuck Taylors and kinda wish I kept them now. I may have to pick up a pair as it seems the consensus favours these.
Thanks for the responses.
I dont know about pressing your heels into the floor. The general concensus among all the strong people I know is to spread the floor. You have to have a shoe that will allow you to spread the floor without you foot rollling over. When squatting or sumo deadlifting you gotta have the Chucks.
[quote]barbender242 wrote:
When squatting or sumo deadlifting you gotta have the Chucks.[/quote]
I use Chuck’s for squating and wrestling shoes for deadlifts. But I sumo deadlift and never thought about wearing the Chuck’s for them, what about the added height for the deadlift? Or is that really irrelevant with the benefit of being able to push out and “spread the floor”?
I dont pull sumo, but my partners that does, says that their ability to spread the floor is so much better with the Chucks. I am a conventional puller, but I have short arms, so the wrestling shoes get me a little closer to the floor, and I need every fraction of an inch that I can get.
I am a newer lifter but i like the turf shoes I wear. They have a big flat sole with lots of little grippers on them. they are mid hieght and are comfortable to do pretty much anything in. The one disadvantage is that they are hard to keep still when doing many calf exercises.