your foot will definitely get stronger doing it barefoot if your not used to it and your deadlifting 500+lbs with shoes then jump to barefoot and try you might hurt your ankle. You should gradually build up if you like barefoot, I don’t though. A lot of people like it its not better or worse then with shoes.
Also you might get some funny stares if your completely barefoot, I did once when I tried it yet no one seemed to care with socks though might be fact I have big hairy feet.
[quote]echelon101 wrote:
However I was questioned by someone as to whether it was actually a good idea. This is owing to the fact that a shoe gives structural support to the foot, ie not allowing it to spread.[/quote]
Like many posters, I squat without shoes and it’s just fine. Consider it this way: Nike created structural support for the shoes; a million years of evolution designed the structural support found in your feet.
Go with experience over the lab/marketing guys. You’ll be fine.
[quote]sillybubba wrote:
John Cena is also a big barefoot proponet for squats and DL’s.[/quote]
It’s stupid to make a comparison with John Cena. He is superhuman. He powerslams the Great Khali in bare feet.
On a seperate note, I like curling with my bare feet. I feel if I squeeze my big toe every 3.7 seconds, I can get a better contraction on the opposite side’s bicep.
[quote]Der Candy wrote:
On a seperate note, I like curling with my bare feet. I feel if I squeeze my big toe every 3.7 seconds, I can get a better contraction on the opposite side’s bicep.[/quote]
Duh, like it should be 3.68sec if you’re doin it right!
[quote]Oldfart wrote:
I think you’ll find a better body by doing them in your socks or barefoot (if you trust the floor)
Too much time is spent in our shoes and we lose that contact with the ground. By using just your socks you’ll find that you’ll strenghten your feet and help build a more responsive foot/ankle/etc.
When I started going barefoot on these lifts I noticed I felt like I had a better contact with the ground when running. One of my track coaches even had us do some sprints in just socks. It helped to really focus on where we were on our feet (try running on your toes with no shoes vs the balls of your feet).
I think anyone who hasn’t tried it will be amazed at how different their feet/ankles feel after 1-2 months of lifting in your socks.[/quote]
Funny… back in junior high and highschool, I always did the 100m in socks. I always liked it more. Right now I’m doing squats and deads in orthopedic shoes. For some reason I never thought of wearing socks for lifting.
[quote]bushidobadboy wrote:
Socks are great, as are my Vibram FiveFingers.[/quote]
I just read the other thread where you posted about them. Guess I’ll give them a try.
[quote]Der Candy wrote:
sillybubba wrote:
John Cena is also a big barefoot proponet for squats and DL’s.
It’s stupid to make a comparison with John Cena. He is superhuman. He powerslams the Great Khali in bare feet.
On a seperate note, I like curling with my bare feet. I feel if I squeeze my big toe every 3.7 seconds, I can get a better contraction on the opposite side’s bicep.[/quote]
… I’m really not even sure he’s joking.
I’d love to lift barefoot or in socks but those parts of my gym that aren’t covered in rubber mats are covered in bits of broken floor tile. If I tried to lift barefoot I’d most likely ram a floor tile shard into my foot, get gangrene, and die.
My compromise is martial arts shoes, about as close to barefoot as you can get outside of ballet slippers … and without having to take the crap that would come along with that sort of thing. 
I started dead lifting in just socks a couple months ago and noticed an immediate improvement in stability during the lift. In shoes, I felt like my feet would roll in slightly and that I was tilting forward into the movement instead of being able to pull solidly from the heels. As soon as I took the shoes off, these problems fixed themselves. I’ll never dead lift any other way again. Haven’t tried this with squats.
[quote]echelon101 wrote:
I have started to do these two exercises in their various forms (front squat, hack squat, snatch deadlift, normal dead etc) in socks dispensing with my trainings.
The difference in feeling is that I feel more connected with the ground so I can really focus on pushing the weight through the quads and into the lower back and visa versa.
However I was questioned by someone as to whether it was actually a good idea. This is owing to the fact that a shoe gives structural support to the foot, ie not allowing it to spread.
Obviously I don’t want to end life as a cripple because I was doing 110kg deadlifts and 80kg squats in my socks instead of shoes. Any sourced knowledge would be much appreciated.[/quote]
I deadlift and romanian DL in bare/socked feet also… i do it for the same reasons.
I reckon that the foot is a whole lot more advanced and effective at shock absorbtion than a pair of reebok or nike.
Just my 2 penneth kenneth.
If my gym let me on a consistent basis I would do my squats & DLs barefoot - as it is I sneak in a few sets here & there in socks when the gym is less than crowded. Just feels better.