What kind of shoes should I wear?

For crossfit or just lifting weights in general, there’s 1 important accessory item that is essential to performance. Ladies, I’m not talking about the latest lululemon speed short, but Shoes. In this post we will quickly go over the basics about which shoes you should wear and NOT wear for weight lifting, and why.

Wrong Shoes: Running Shoes. The soft and chushy sole found in most Runner’s shoes acts as an enabler for bad form and technique in running and especially lifting. Running shoes will limit your strength & prevent good lifting technique.

  • Unstable. Soles are squishy so your behavior on each rep is unpredictable, making it harder to control technique in executing the lift.
  • Power Loss. The soles absorb the a lot force generated against the floor. So instead of driving out of the bottom, you are in essence sinking into the ground. You lose strength.
  • Dangerous. There is a higher risk of injury, especially with heavier weights, since the soles make it hard to balance yourself and are less stable.


Benefits of Good Lifting Shoes. Good lifting shoes have flat and solid soles (no give).

  • More Stability. Improves your balance under the bar because the soles are hard.
  • More Strength. Your muscles will sense the pressure of the weight better, which will make your legs contract harder.
  • Better Technique. Good lifting shoes will fix many technique issues i.e. you’ll stay back on your heels better, knees track over your toes, …
  • More Safety. If you have better balance and technique, … risks of injury drops dramatically.


Best Shoes for Lifting.

Back Squats.

  • Barefoot – improves small muscles in your foot and improves ankle mobility. Plus, it gets you closer to the floor, less distance for the bar to travel, thus you can lift more weight and be awesome like Jeff Allen. Try lifting barefoot at least once.
  • Chuck Taylor’s – flat soles with no give to them no matter what weight you are lifting
  • New Balance
  • Inov8
  • Any flat shoe…Nike Frees don’t count

Olympic & Front Squats.  (Shoes with heels make it easier to go deep)

  • Do You Need Shoes With Heels? Olympic weight lifters wear shoes with heels because these make it easier to hit depth on Olympic lifts like Power Cleans, Olympic Squats, Front Squats, Overhead Squats, …
  • If you’re serious about Olympic lifting, consider weight lifting shoes like
    • Adidas Adistar
    • Reebok Crossfit Oly
    • Do-Wins
    • Nike Romaleos