Do Strength Training Shoes Really Work?

A strength-training shoe can enhance performance and prevent injury when the lifter uses proper form. Recreational strength trainers and those who do much of their strength training on machines need not buy a dedicated pair of weightlifting shoes. Conversely, power lifters, Olympic lifters and anyone interested in serious squat and deadlift training benefit from specialized shoes.

Comparison

Running shoes and cross trainers have a thick, soft, gel-filled sole to protect your joints from the impact of running. Weightlifting derives its power from pushing off the ground, so a cushioned sole actually absorbs some of your force and reduces the amount of weight you can lift. The extra padding in running shoes’ heels also raises your heels off the ground, making you feel like you’re facing downhill. Taking the weight off your heels in a deadlift puts the line of gravity at an angle, making you off balance and placing your muscles at a disadvantage.

Features

Because weightlifting shoes don’t need to cushion impact, they have hard, flat soles. Olympic shoes have a wooden heel wedge that point the athlete’s toes down. Weightlifting shoes are snug, and many lifters wear high-tops to support their ankles and prevent them from rolling outward. Shoes may have a strap across the top to further stabilize the foot against sidelong strain.

Benefits

Good lifting form puts you in the most efficient position to lift the weight and is tantamount to safety. The angle of your ankles during a lift affects joints as high as your shoulders. When deadlifting, your weight should be on your heels, not rocked forward onto your toes. When squatting, on the other hand, you can get a deeper knee flexion if your ankles are slightly extended or pointing down. This is why Olympic shoes have an elevated heel and powerlifting shoes are flat.

Styles

Although athletic shoe manufacturers sell specialized weightlifting shoes, economically minded athletes often lift in flat-soled Converse All-Stars, or “Chucks.” Strength and mobility expert Eric Cressy advocates doing some barefoot training to strengthen small stabilizing foot muscles. If your gym doesn’t allow you to train barefoot, Vibram Five Fingers makes shoes that mimic bare feet.

Controversy

Strength Footwear makes “Strength Shoes” with a platform under the ball of the foot for plyometric training in dynamic running sports such as soccer, basketball and hockey. With the athlete’s toes raised off the ground, the ankle flexes more deeply, putting more load on the calf and theoretically improving power and calf strength. Two studies from Tulane University came to conflicting conclusions about the shoes’ effectiveness. One, published in the “American Journal of Sports Medicine,” found a higher incidence of injury no improvements in strength or speed with the shoes. Another, published in the “American Medical Athletic Journal,” concluded that the shoes did improve athletes’ power and didn’t cause injuries.