The best weightlifting shoes for women looking to perfect their squats and deadlifts (2024)

FAQs

How to choose shoes for weight lifting? ›

To get the most out of your weightlifting shoes, they must fit correctly. The first thing to look for is a shoe that has sufficient room for your feet and toes, while offering a snug fit. Your feet shouldn't slide around in the shoe and you want to make sure there is no lifting in the heel area.

Flat squat shoes can be used for both squat and deadlift whithout any problem . It increases the range of motion, effectively making it a deficit deadlift but there is less tension on the calves because your heel is raised.

Best weightlifting shoe overall: Nike Romaleos 4

The Nike Romaleos 4 is easily one of the most popular weightlifting shoes on the market. With a sturdy footbed and a higher heel drop, these shoes are designed to not only offer stability but also proper lifting mechanics.

A squat shoe refers to a hard-bottomed shoe with heel lifts that give you an elevated heel. They're used in both Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting.

No, deadlift and squat shoes are not the same. The main difference between deadlift shoes vs squat shoes is that deadlift shoes ideally have flat and thin soles while squat shoes come with elevated heels.

It's really straightforward: you want shoes with thin flat soles. Deadlifting exercises require you to be as close to the floor as possible, because it's easier to hold your balance and keep your position steady. It also reduces the amount of effort you need to make during the lift.

There is a benefit, however, to the lifting shoes' heel. The slightly raised heel puts your knees in a greater degree of flexion, adding a little bit of muscle mass to the lift. Added muscle mass may improve the overall training effect of the lift. Whether this is true for you is going to depend on your build.

The deficit deadlift has you stand on something to increase the distance you have to pull the bar to get to lockout. Thin, flat shoes do the opposite. Lifting in flat shoes gives you greater stability than lifting in, say, running shoes with a thicker heel.

They found no significant difference in performance between the two, although deadlifting with shoes required a little bit more work. “When you wear any sort of a shoe, you are about an inch higher than you would be if you were barefoot,” said Anna Swisher, a USA Weightlifting coach.

Why are flat shoes better for squats? ›

Going bare foot or using a flat sole shoe presents itself in a squat – allows for more torso lean (forward) due to a lack of heel elevation. This also forces this movement to be more hip dominance in the movement and recruiting more hip extensors – so think glutes, adductors as opposed to knee extensors.

Weightlifting shoes can offer a real benefit in some of the big lifts in the gym. They can also help if you have mobility issues, though shouldn't be used at the expense of working on any mobility deficiencies. You shouldn't feel limited without them or compelled to get a pair, though.

The lifted heel effectively increases ankle range of motion, allowing a deeper and more upright squat position. The thin, hard soles absorb very little force, which means more of the force you produce goes into moving the bar. The relatively wide, square-edged and hard soles create a more stable base.

Weightlifting shoes are one piece of equipment that recreational and competitive lifters often wear during squats as well as the Olympic weightlifting lifts (clean & jerk, snatch).

HOW SHOULD WEIGHTLIFTING SHOES FIT? They should be a tight fit, but not so much that your toes are scrunched up! They should be comfortable; a snug fit at the heel, and allowing enough room to move the toes around a little. Typically, they are known to be quite a narrow fit, so bear in mind if you've got wider feet.

Training shoes are designed to stabilize your movements from side-to-side while running shoes are designed for forward movement. Based on this, running shoes are often an unfavorable choice for multidirectional movement.

Barefoot weight lifting may have real benefits.

“When you go without a shoe, these muscles start working more, which ultimately give you a stronger and more adaptable foot,” said Dr. Bruce Moseley, an orthopedic surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine.