Best Shoes For Squats And Deadlifts
What goes into a Squat or Deadlift Shoe?
You’ve made the commitment to get in shape and CrossFit Torque is your gym of choice. Showing up each day requires dedication and passion. The results you get in return for said commitment is more than worth it!
If you want to get the best results, you need the best equipment to assist in you succeeding. There are many topics of equipment we could dive into: shoes, jump ropes, breathable shirts/tank tops, flexible shorts, knee sleeves, pull-up grips, athletic tape, wrist wraps, bandannas, and the list goes on and on.
So, let’s talk about the shoes you should think about investing in, to help advance your squatting and deadlifting game. Finding the best shoes to perform these movements in, is an important task. Unfortunately the typical running sneaker won’t cut it, if you’re looking to lift safely and properly and also gain strength (Don’t you want every second of your commitment to be beneficial?!)
CrossFitters originally rocked Chucks (Chuck Taylor’s) before some major hitters got into the game. Of course Adidas were the pioneers in the lifting shoe world, and Reebok, Nike and Inov8 were to follow. The goal is to find a shoe that will provide the best mechanical support for your lifts.
In no particular order, here are a few of our favorite kicks…
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A) Adidas: Men’s Powerlift 3.1 Cross-Trainer Shoe.
If you don’t know where to start, try here with Adidas; These are cost effective “go to” shoes. With a snug, comfortable and flexible fit for your actual size (never under-size, as cramped toes will surely send your shoes to the trash), they are stylish, come in a wide range of colors, and offer a good, solid heel. Users also generally report immediate performance benefit in both squats and deadlifts, working from a solid base for their feet.
Fellow Athlete Reviews:
The Upside: They’re Adidas. Enough said.
Possible Downside: A handful of reviewers have stated that the shoe is quite narrow, so if you have a wider foot, you may struggle a little.
B) Inov-8: Men’s Fastlift 325 Cross-Trainer Shoe.
Inov-8 offer you a slightly more cost-effective shoes reviewed here. Inov-8 make a claim to be the lightest weightlifting shoe on the market with no compromise as to durability. They also offer “meta-tech” flexibility as to the fabric, to allow for additional wearer comfort. Offering an elevated and firm heel, with a removable foot-bed, the Velcro laces and closure are both secure and comfortable – always a good thing when it comes to squats and dead-lifting. You can be pretty sure you’ll get what you need from these in the gym.
The Upside: Good quality shoes at a very cost-effective price.
Possible Downside: Limited number of buyers report it almost being like a regular gym shoe. This is after all down to personal choice and experience.
C) Reebok: Men’s CrossFit Lifter 2.0 Training Shoe.
Coming in for a few dollars extra, the CrossFit Lifter 2.0 is a popular choice for many. Sporting a cool look, users report them to be snug and narrow but not at the risk of compromising comfort and thus cutting short sessions in the gym. This shoe has a solid / elevated heel to help you handle more weight and also to push your knees out when performing your squats, enabling your heel to stay continually closer to the ground. Equipped with a nice breathable mesh, these are weightlifting shoes that can hold their own when compared to rivals.
The Upside: A good solid wide sole that allows for both application of effort while simultaneously supporting the arch of the foot.
Possible Downside: One or two question marks as to the longevity of the lining of the shoe and also the weight.
D) Nordic: Powerlifting Shoes for Heavy Weightlifting.
First up, playing on the Nordic namesake, these are something of a warrior weightlifting shoe. By that I mean that these are designed to take a pounding and then still hold up. Nordic even throw in a one-year warranty to back that up. Plenty of user activity that report that even after over a year of use, the shoes still look like they’ve just come out of the box. Not too many others can copy that! You get to benefit from a sturdy platform and solid heel, not too tall, to allow for effective, deep squats. That’s because it is firm and provides great support and balance for the user. Consequently you get good grounded feeling and the ability to rest back on your heels for your deadlifts or squats.
The Upside: Durability. These shoes could spend a day or two inside a volcano of your choice and still get back you looking box-fresh.
Possible Downside: The Velcro straps have been reported to fray, at least according to some.
E) Adidas: Performance Women’s Powerlift 3.1 Weightlifting Trainer Shoe
Back with our Adidas friends again, this time for the ladies in the room, the 3.1 is seemingly a great buy. Offering a range of benefits including, but not limited to, a lightweight synthetic upper coupled with a flexible toe design to keep things comfortable during your workout. A wide range of buyers tell us that the shoe is sturdy while at the same time offering a good fit – neither too big or too tight to compromise performance. Within just a short time out of the box, shoes are reported to fit naturally to the foot. Meaning better grunts for your dollar.
The Upside: High-quality shoe that allows the user to push more weight than they thought. Good value for money too.
Possible Downside: Possibly over-compensates by being too big by size – even for the need for a weightlifter’s shoe to have some leeway when doing some serious lifting or squats.
F) Inov-8: Women’s Fastlift 325 Fitness Shoe.
First up, you may be spending a little more, but, given the weightlifting community’s take on these, you won’t be going far wrong by doing so. A frequent go-to of many in the female lifting community, these sport an external heel cage and light-weight construction, this shoe has to catch the buyer’s eye straight off the bat. They also come with a supportive and breathable overlay. Buyers report, consistently, that they are comfortable, stable and well manufactured. So, there’s always that to keep in mind when weighing up your purchase options. Similarly, comfort is rarely reported as being a problem, and the heel lift is good enough to provide good power and balance to help you get the most out of your leg days. Comfort, strength and quality – that’s quite the trio for a weightlifting shoe.
The Upside: Light on the feet, light on the wallet too.
Possible Downside: One or two focus on size issues on arrival of their shoes – that the shoe was smaller than they expected.
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So there it is, some of our top shoe picks for lifting. Whatever you end up deciding to do, do yourself a favor and please don’t lift in running sneakers!
-TorqueNation Coaches
