When it comes to weightlifting shoes, it is important to know which the right shoes that perform better for a specific activity in order to get the best from the training. Choosing the right pair of shoes for getting stronger is as essential as having the right pair of gauntlets or the right weight belt, so we have the perfect advice for you in this article.
When choosing the best shoes for weightlifting, it all comes to available budget and experience level. But as there are different models and designs that work differently in multiple activities, we are going to show you the many different models available, from Olympic weightlifters’ shoes to squat shoes and cross-trainers. This will give you the best advice on choosing the perfect weightlifting shoes for you.
What to Take into Account at First
When starting a new activity, most people are eager to get fit and always look for the best gear and most expensive tools that will help them perform better. However, choosing the right gear is not that easy, as it needs preparation, a proper budget, and most importantly – enough experience to buy the one that fits with your needs.
Despite that, it is also important to always take the best advice from people that actually know what they are talking about, as it is very likely that everyone will want to give you advice on buying the right gear for training. This may make you buy something that you won’t ever need or just something that doesn’t fit with your needs.
If you want to buy the perfect pair of gear for training, especially when it comes to weightlifting shoes, you will have to choose the ones that best fit with your training style and general gym activities. However, it actually comes all down to the price and quality; it is not recommended to buy cheap products that won’t last a week and neither it’s recommend to buy something that’s too expensive at first.
However, it is also important to know more about weightlifting shoes, as knowing more about them will eventually help you to choose the one that better fits with your training goals and budget. So, keep reading further to find out even more about them.
Why are Weightlifting Shoes Important
When we are doing weightlifting, most of the pressure the weights generates on our bodies stays on two or three parts. These are the supporting point, where we grab or put the weight; the part that we’re training, being biceps, triceps, back, pecs and especially our legs and our feet, as they get all the pressure from the weight, especially if we are standing up.
So, just for being one of the supporting points that make us able to balance and create stability while weightlifting, our feet need protection and proper support to avoid injuries.
That’s why it is important to use the right shoes, as running shoes are mainly made to support multiple stepping, back and forth, again and again, being softer and more flexible, they won’t be as stable and helpful to maintain the right position when weightlifting.
Using weightlifting shoes will make you have more balance and stability, plus, make you much less susceptible to heel injuries or toe pain, due to the firmer and harder sole, plus the harder and more durable materials this kind of shoes are made of.
Also, being harder and firmer, these shoes will help you generate the right amount of force and deviate the tension and pressure upwards, maintaining your feet positioned and eventually creating more power and strength. In contrast with running shoes, that will actually suck all the tension, make you more vulnerable to injuries and less effective when weightlifting.
Main Features of Weightlifting Shoes
If you are looking to buy one pair of weightlifting shoes, there are four things that are important and necessary to take into account. They will make all the difference between buying shoes that will help you at performing better or just the ones that will last the most, but in the end, it is totally up to you.
From heel height to durability, price and the design of the shoe, you will have to choose wisely before buying. Here you have more details:
1. Heel Height
This one of the main features to take into account, they can be almost all the same height and width as many other shoes. However, the height on weightlifting shoes can have a big impact on the effectiveness of the protection against slipping and wrong lateral movements. Especially when it comes to the taller ones, the minimum difference can have a totally different result, so it is important to choose one in mid-height, not too tall and not too small.
2. Design and Construction
The durability of the shoes you’d want needs to be good, but it all comes down to the materials they are made of. Also, depending on the materials and construction design, the shoe will be able to fit with different activities, while also working perfectly as multi-purpose shoes that will work both for weightlifting and many other uses.
For example, when it comes to special shoes for weightlifting, they tend to be harder and less flexible, giving more stability and much more stiffness in the heels. On the other hand, multi-purpose shoes are mainly semi-rigid, with much more flexibility and a sole that will help you generate much more movements and less sturdiness.
Weightlifting shoes work perfectly for activities as barbell lifting, bar lifting, bodybuilding activities and the ones that demand firmer feet and less mobility. In contrast, multi-purpose shoes are better for functional activities that tend to demand much more flexibility and movement, like CrossFit, calisthenics, cardio or gymnastics, but also work for weightlifting.
So, it is important to take this factor into account when choosing the best weightlifting shoes as it is the one that defines the use, depending on the materials it was made with.
3. Styles
Nowadays, most people tend to use the wrong kind of shoes just because they look great and fashionable. However, when it comes to weightlifting shoes, there is a very long list of styles and designs of shoes in order to offer the best quality for you to choose the one that you like the most. If you are a simple person, you will always tend to look for neutral black and white shoes, but if you are a more eccentric person, there are various color combinations for you to choose the most scandalous.
4. Prices
As we’ve said before, don’t ever go for the cheapest shoes. Yes, they may look fine, and they could be made of great materials and even last you long enough to be worth it, but that’s not always the case. Especially when it comes from brands that are not as quality-minded as Nike or Adidas which are always in search of the best balance between price and quality.
If you want to choose the right shoes, go for mid prices, with $50 or even less than $100 you can find some great weightlifting shoes for yourself. However, if you are a most experienced person and want some great shoes for these activities, AdiPower or Nike Romaleos won’t be a bad decision, if you have the budget of course.
Some people even prefer buying Converse for weightlifting, not only because they look good and can work as casual footwear, but because they offer great stability and heel support, while also being hard soled and very comfortable.
If you want to have a glance at the normal prices of weightlifting shoes, here you have a list with a price ranking of the most common and useful models:
- Adidas AdiPower – from $70 to $200
- Nike Romaleos – between $70 to $200
- Inov-8 FastLift – from $70 to $160
- Reebok CrossFit Lifter – between $70 and $150
- Adidas Powerlift – around $40 and $100
- Pendlay Do-Win – between $30 to 120
- ASICS Lift Trainer – from $30 to 100
- Converse – around $30 and $70
What to Do Before Buying
Always try them up. If you want those shoes to offer the best performance, stability, comfortability and flexibility depending on your necessities, the first thing you need to do is try them up before buying. Also, if you can try them while training, using the shoes of one gym friend or anyone else, do it! Even if it means trying those shoes of that one friend that smell really bad. If you want new shoes, that won’t be a bad decision.
This should be done in order to avoid buying some shoes that won’t make you comfortable at all or just won’t deliver the performance you’re expecting from them. However, taking into account the size and the model it’s very important, some of them have sizes that differ from the real one, so you’ll have to read the size chart carefully before. Also, the model you choose needs to be wide and long enough, as you don’t want to feel pain in your feet or toes after training.
At last, it all actually comes down to the intended purpose and normal activity you will use them for. As using these shoes for the proper activity and with care will make them have a longer useful life and eventually help you much more after a long time.