The Best Shoes For Weight Training

Athletes spend large amounts of money for the latest advances in training knowledge and equipment. They spend lots of money on high-tech shirts and shorts and running shoes.

Too often, though, they overlook the value of event-specific shoes for weight training. This is a poor choice, considering the availability of shoes that will help your weight training instead of hindering it like running shoes will.

Converse

For as little as $30 to $40, you can purchase a pair of Converse's Chuck Taylors that meet the needs of good weightlifting shoes. While they were originally developed as basketball shoes, "Chucks" possess the characteristics that make a shoe ideal for strength training. They have a flat, almost solid sole, unlike the raised-heel, "marshmallow" soles of modern running shoes. They provide adequate support for the ankles and heels and they lace nearly to the toe. This allows you to adjust the tightness of the shoe to fit your individual foot.

Look at the Chuck Taylor All-Stars for weight-training shoes if you are a young athlete in high school or are otherwise on a limited budget for training equipment.

Adidas

Adidas shoes offer a variety of suitable models for weightlifting. When no one else was importing weightlifting shoes into the U.S. in any quantity, Adidas did so. According to Mark Rippetoe and Long Kilgore, Ph.D., authors of the legendary weight-training book "Starting Strength," serious athletes in the U.S. owe Adidas a debt of gratitude for sticking around. When no one else bothered trying to fill this small niche market in the 1970s and 1980s, Adidas stuck around with models like the AdiStar.

Consider the Adidas AdiStar weightlifting shoes if you are a more serious strength athlete and are considering competition weightlifting or strongman events. The smallest difference in equipment can make a huge difference at this level, making the extra investment worth the return.

Nike

Since the rise in popularity of "functional" fitness, major athletic shoemakers like Nike have increased the availability of weightlifting shoes. Nike offers a range of shoes to fit various price points, from the less-expensive T-Lite V RX training shoes that run about the same as a pair of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, while being weightlifting-specific, to the Zoom Sparq S9 shoes that are twice as expensive.

The Nike products provide a great middle-of-the-road selection for you if you are serious about your strength training but don't see competition in your future.