Olympic Weightlifting shoes for powerlifting style squat?

[KarstenJensen]

Hello Everyone,

Here is an exerpt I wrote to a friend of mine whom I consult with on his squat

I am glad that you are reasonably satisfied with the meet! I will think about the walk out! Here is another thing for your consideration: I know that you squat in weightlifting shoes. I have read (on sportivnypress.com) that the heels where created to allow the lifters to make contact with the floor even though the knees where way in front of the toes. It is my feeling (i have no science to back it up) that the weightlifting shoes are better suited for squats with a knee break (knees pushed forward). If I am not mistaken, your style is sitting back.

What is you experience? Are weightlifting shoes effective a god idea if you "sit back" in your squat trying to keep your shins vertical? Practical experience and/or reasearch is welcome :-)

Karsten

[Randall Strossen]

Karsten -

My two cents is that as a powerlifter he'll squat more wearing a shoe without a heel - it will allow him to get more glute (and lower back) into the squat, with less quad involvement (along with less pressure on his knees).

The heel is needed on a weightlifting shoe for what's called the receiving position - if the upper body isn't at least fairly upright in the bottom position, it's tough to rack a clean or control a snatch. The heel helps to maintain this position, while also keeping the foot in contact with the platform.

[KarstenJensen]

Karsten -

My two cents is that as a powerlifter he'll squat more wearing a shoe without a heel - it will allow him to get more glute (and lower back) into the squat, with less quad involvement (along with less pressure on his knees).

The heel is needed on a weightlifting shoe for what's called the receiving position - if the upper body isn't at least fairly upright in the bottom position, it's tough to rack a clean or control a snatch. The heel helps to maintain this position, while also keeping the foot in contact with the platform.

Thank you, Randall! I believe you are right!

[Zac K. Phillips]

I have some Rogue Do-Wins I took to a cobbler and had about a quarter of an inch shaved off the heel. I Love em. Very slight heel. He might try that, most Oly shoes have a bit more heel than necessary, at least for me. I'd say I squat somewhere between High bar and low bar, sacrificing weight for excessive depth I'm sure. A little deeper is more impressive that heavier in my opinion, and the shoes have helped me achieve that. It would really depend on your friends form/how he squats best and how his levers work(long torso? short legs? valgus?) as to whether the shoe he wears is going to make much of a difference of what the optimal shoe is. good luck!

[Paul MacManus]

really depends which federation.
If you look at videos from IPF worlds ( check out powerliftingtv on youtube for the official IPF videos of you weight class ), the majority of lifters squat in a heeled Weightlifting shoe.
I changed from chucks to Adidas weightlifting shoes a couple of years ago and found my walkout and stability much better. Also helps getting that last bit of depth.
I also find the heeled shoe good for leg drive and stability in the bench press.

Those squatting wide stance out of a monolift might have a different opinion.

[KarstenJensen]

Thank you Zac and Paul - that is very valuable information!

[Raymond Wright]

I had to have the heels of my lifting shoes lowered. Too high of a heel is just as bad as not enough. Each individual is different. A coach or trainer should always evaluate a new olympic trainee, to determine their flexibility. A person with very good ankle flexibility is better off to use as little heel height as necessary. When I was young, I could save a squat clean from being lost to the front by quickly putting one knee to floor and then recovering back to bottom position of the clean. Yes, this nullified the lift, but one who can do this has great flexibility. New trainee's(especially young kids), should only use as much heel as necessary. Just my experience, as too much heel seems detrimental to me.

[KarstenJensen]

Thank's Raymond!