Squat Shoes?

So I was thinking of going out and getting a legit pair of squat shoes and was thinking about the adidas adistars. I know they’re weightlifting shoes, I’m just curious how well they’d transition over to powerlifting for squatting?

If you squat with a narrow stance, the heel will help you hit depth. For any stance wider than about shoulder width, I wouldnt change my Chuck taylors

I used to squat in oly shoes and recently switched to a pair of low cut chukka boots that I squatted in one day and liked. They are pretty much like dress shoes, but more sturdily boot, with maybe a 1/4" heel rise. Not sure what my oly shoes are, but it is significantly larger. They are the older DoWin Rogues.

My stance is medium, about shoulder width, and I think the extra heel on the oly shoes slacks my hamstrings a bit. Whenever I squat in the oly shoes now, I have a harder time arching my low back hard, my chest tends to cave, and I get bent over a bit too much. I’m thinking this is due to having less of an anchor in my hamstrings.

I was thinking about getting a pair as well, I prefer a arch in my shoes as I have a narrow stance. How about this pair, not a bad price either:

Also, would you see a problem doing jump/plyo movements in these shoes? As I usually do some sort of jumping movements before I hit the weights.

I know a few guys that use Risto weightlifting shoes and love them. Plus they look pretty badass. If you are going to dish out the money anyway, why not just go with a pair of Inzer’s or Metal’s.

I have honestly yet to find anything better than a pair of 20 dollar skateboarding shoes I got about 10 years ago. Chucks are ok too.

I wouldn’t use them for jumps and plyos. The raised heel might take away from some of the reactive forces from taking off and landing.

[quote]theuofh wrote:
I used to squat in oly shoes and recently switched to a pair of low cut chukka boots that I squatted in one day and liked. They are pretty much like dress shoes, but more sturdily boot, with maybe a 1/4" heel rise. Not sure what my oly shoes are, but it is significantly larger. They are the older DoWin Rogues.

My stance is medium, about shoulder width, and I think the extra heel on the oly shoes slacks my hamstrings a bit. Whenever I squat in the oly shoes now, I have a harder time arching my low back hard, my chest tends to cave, and I get bent over a bit too much. I’m thinking this is due to having less of an anchor in my hamstrings.

[/quote]

Hmm… you and me both. If I do rock bottom oly squats though, I need at least a little heel and have to flare my feet quite a bit. But that’s just assistance for me. I do find that the more flexible I get, the less heel I want/need and the less I have to flare my feet. I now squat with a medium stance and low bar for my power squat.

[quote]S C 0 0 Z E wrote:
I was thinking about getting a pair as well, I prefer a arch in my shoes as I have a narrow stance. How about this pair, not a bad price either:

Also, would you see a problem doing jump/plyo movements in these shoes? As I usually do some sort of jumping movements before I hit the weights.[/quote]

As soon as you try weightlifting shoes on, you’ll realise that doing jumps/plyos in them is probably not a good idea. They aren’t “athletic” shoes and have really stiff soles (the sole on mine is a chunk of wood).

One good thing to try is squatting with your heels raised on a couple of plates (maybe 5lb plates) to see how you like the feel. This isn’t all that safe, so I wouldn’t make a habit out of it but can be worth it to get an idea for how it is before you shell out the money.

[quote]StormTheBeach wrote:
I know a few guys that use Risto weightlifting shoes and love them. Plus they look pretty badass. If you are going to dish out the money anyway, why not just go with a pair of Inzer’s or Metal’s.

I have honestly yet to find anything better than a pair of 20 dollar skateboarding shoes I got about 10 years ago. Chucks are ok too.

I wouldn’t use them for jumps and plyos. The raised heel might take away from some of the reactive forces from taking off and landing.[/quote]

I bought a pair of Ristos at the Arnold this year and love them, but I think the heel lift may be a bit excessive. I think mine are at least 1.25 inches of raised heel, and I could probably get away with half that.

Agree on jumping, especially when you are first getting used to them. They aren’t the shoe for that.

The adidas “power lift” shoes sold by rogue have compressible heels, noticeably so around 400+ lb according to a comment left here:

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