Christian,
Is there a general rule for who would benefit more from Olympic lifting shoes. Would someone with long legs and a short torso benefit more than someone with short legs and a long torso? At risk of over complicating this question: Does femer vs. lower leg length matter as well?
Thank you!
[quote]Scottish 190 wrote:
Christian,
Is there a general rule for who would benefit more from Olympic lifting shoes. Would someone with long legs and a short torso benefit more than someone with short legs and a long torso? At risk of over complicating this question: Does femer vs. lower leg length matter as well?
Thank you![/quote]
Actually both body types will benefit but for different reasons:
Long limbs/short torso: For them the shoes don’t help during the pull (I train plenty of long limbed athletes who power clean the same or more in regular shoes as in Olympic lifting shoes) BUT it helps in the low squat position of a clean/snatch (and by extension squat and front squat). People with long limbs have a harder time maintaining more of an upright posture which can hurt their reception in the clean and snatch.
Short limbs/long torso: The shoes make less of a difference in the catch position then for long limbed individuals (although it still helps) because they have an easier time maintaining an upright lifting posture. However I find that it helps in the pull because you can more easily involve the glutes and hams in the explosion during the second pull. Note that yes, having a long lower leg relative to the femur does make it even easier to stay upright (the easier it is for you to be upright in the squat position, the less the shoes will help you take a solid catch position in the clean/snatch)
However the shoes are not just about helping you achieve better lifting position: they provide a lot more stability than regular shoes.
Thank you Christian!