Weekend Update: The Quest for Shoes
Taken from:
Full Squats for Strength & Development
By Keith Wassung
Equipment
If you are going to make decent progress in the squat, you have to be properly equipped and probably the most important gear is a decent set of shoes. I often see people lifting in shoes that provide little in the way of support for the foot and ankle, in fact most “running shoes” are mushy and cause the ankles to buckle slightly inward as the lifter is descending with the bar. Buy a pair of high-topped training shoes, preferably with the ability to tighten the lace around the ankle. If you use the shoes only for your training, they should last for years.
So there it is – a reason to go e-shopping. I’ve always just retired my last pair of beat-out indoor soccer shoes to weight lifting duty, but I’m about to make amends. Based on the balance needed for my newly acquired nemesis, overhead squats, I figure now is as good a time as any to invest in some supportive footwear.
Not knowing much about this topic, the only lifting shoe (non-olympic style tap shoes, that is) that came to mind was Otomix. I knew right away that I didn’t want these, however, since there’s a guy at my gym that wears them along w/ his gold wrist watch and neon yellow belt and he can’t lift worth a shit. I wouldn’t want to suffer through the possibility of unwanted conversation brought on by a shoe connection. I looked them up, anyhow, for the sake of curiosity and the price tag quickly solidified my position on Otomix.
So, I Googled “Best weightlifting shoe” and was pleased to see a “T-Nation” link in my search results. I clicked, read the thread, and learned that Chuck Taylor’s are a weightlifters’ favorite for their simplicity, flat insole, and the ability to tighten up around one’s ankle.
“Cool”, I thought, “But are they pimp enough?” I started another Google search in hopes of finding a really cool pair of Chuck’s. I saw a pair w/ hearts (too macho), a pair w/ camouflage (too girly) and even pairs w/ contrasting colors on the inside that you could flip down for the oh-so-coveted “preppy” look.
Finally, I came across these…
Xzibit A: Chuck's 1
I was sold until I found out that no one in the e-universe has my size. Black/Caramel: Not meant to be. Black on black on black: Stocked. I like them well enough and it seems like the leather would offer a bit more support over the canvas models.
Xzibit B: Chuck's 2
I haven’t yet clicked in my order because I wanted to give you shoe experts the chance to offer any valuable input you may have.
Runners up:
Xzibit C: Asics Whizzer
I like the brown w/ orange mid-tops (again, sizing issues) and the red w/ black low-tops, but that seems to defeat the purpose of looking for supportive shoes. I might buy ‘em anyway for general Kill Bill style ass kicking.
Xzibit D: The Pimpest of 'Em All
