If you look around the box at the array of shoes people wear you will find that people wear all different types. With Reebok honing in on the Nano’s they are the most commonly ones that are seen on many crossfitters. There is also a shoe that people wear that is specific to Olympic lifting. Olympic weightlifting shoes are not just any ordinary shoe. There is a purpose for their unusual design and sleek look. Some of the shoe features that are different from other shoes are a hard, flat sole, an elevated heel, straps, and a snug fit around your foot. The best thing about the olympic shoe is that it increases your hip and ankle flexibility which help you get lower in a squat. In this blog post, I will touch on some of the benefits of each feature of the shoe.
The reason for these hard, flat soles is to get as much force off the ground as you can. Some exercises that benefit from the amount of force you get from the ground are squats, snatch, clean, and jerk. When you wear regular shoes, you will notice that most of their soles are slightly squishy, so that means instead of getting 100% of the force of the ground, you are only going to get about 90%.
The elevated heel is the game changer portion of the shoe. Have you even noticed how much easier it is to squat with a raised heel? You can get deeper, knees stay out, and your ankle flexibility is amazing. That is what the elevated heel does for your squat. People who have tight ankles and hips will see an improvement in their ability to squat while wearing Oly shoes. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t work on the flexibility and mobility in those weak areas. You need to keep stretching and pushing to get the knees, ankles and hips to stay loose and flexible.
Keep this in consideration, you need to really look at the workout to see when you should wear them. Think about the movements in the workout. Weightlifting shoes will definitely help in squat-based movements where you need extra stability, range of motion, or position thrusters are a good example. The question is, how much do you need that help compared to how much the shoes will impede you in the rest of the workout? Sometimes you won’t be able to wear them at all. For example, running in them is still pretty difficult. So if you have a workout that includes running, you’ll need to wear to your normal shoes.
Getting Oly shoes might have some benefit IF you are doing strictly olympic weight lifting movements. If you are considering doing a WOD in them, be sure to determine if you are going to feel comfortable and confident in Oly shoes throughout the workout. Learning to lift with and without them is critical for performance because not every workout is going to enable you to wear them from start to finish!
Here are some TOP Oly Shoes to check out on Reebok or Rouge !
1.) inov-8 FastLift 335 and 370
2.) Risto Olimpico
3.) Reebok CrossFit Lifters 2
4.) Adidas AdiPower
5.) VS Athletics
As always ! Happy Lifting ! Lift BIG, Lift without FEAR, Leave the EGO at the door and pick up the weights !
References
http://www.tabatatimes.com/why-weightlifting-shoes/
http://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/benefits-of-olympic-lifting-shoes/
http://breakingmuscle.com/olympic-weightlifting/weightlifting-shoes-why-you-need-a-pair-what-to-look-for-and-when-to-wear-them
http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/sportivny/library/farticles015.html