What shoes are best for lifting weights?
When selecting shoes for the gym, the most important thing is being able to evenly apply force into the ground and maintain balance. Select a shoe with minimal cushioning and a wide toe box so that you can spread your toes and feel the floor beneath you.
When it comes to lifting weights, the most important thing is being able to evenly apply force into the ground and maintain balance. Everything that we do in the gym starts from the ground up. Having a stable foundation will lay the framework for any successful lift. This is particularly important for lower body lifts like squats, deadlifts, lunges, etc.
Think of your foot like a triangle with three points of contact: your heel, big toe, and pinky toe. When lifting weights, you want to apply force evenly through out your whole foot. Think about spreading your toes and pressing your whole foot into the floor. This will increase the surface area in contact with the ground so that you can evenly apply more force spread over a larger area.
When selecting lifting shoes, this is the main principle to keep in mind. Can I “feel” the floor and spread my toes to apply force? This is why typically the best shoes for lifting are something flat and with a wide toe box. Below are some common types of shoes and my assessment on their effectiveness when it comes to lifting weights:
The best shoes for lifting weights
Flat Soled Shoes (i.e. converse, vans, etc.)
Flat sneakers like Converse and Vans are traditionally great options for lifting because they are super flat. There’s not a ton of cushion between your foot and the floor so it makes it easier to push your full foot through the floor. The downside of these is that they are typically quite narrow, which makes it harder to spread your toes. I usually opt for these on a deadlift day!
Cross trainers (i.e. nobulls, metcons, etc.)
Cross trainers tend to fall somewhere between converse and running sneakers; not quite as flat as converse but not as cushioned as a running shoe. These are great multi-purpose shoes and can be worn for upper body days and most lower body lifts.
Lifting heels
Lifting heels are a great option for those whose ankle mobility prevents them from hitting depth in a squat. The inability to dorsiflex the foot often means that people are unable to get super deep into a squat, which prevents the quads from lengthening fully through full ROM. By adding a heel to your shoe, many are able to hit depth in the squat and better train their quads without being limited by ankle mobility. Lifting heels are awesome for squatting and other movements where ankle mobility may be a limiting factor (i.e. leg press, hack squat, etc.)
Running Sneakers
The extreme cushioned design of running shoes makes them less than ideal for a gym setting. Running shoes are designed to help absorb forces associated with more ballistic movements (like running and jumping). They are often very cushioned and although they have excellent shock absorption qualities, this is the very feature that makes them a poor choice for lifting weights. They can make you unstable on your feet because you’ll be unable to feel the floor beneath you. Stick to these shoes for cardio, but not for lifting.
No shoes
My personal preference is to lift barefoot, at least for the main lifts (squat and deadlift). This way there’s nothing between my feet and the floor and I can optimally spread my toes and apply force evenly through my whole foot.
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