Do You Really Need Squat Shoes? 

Hardcore squatters elevate their toes. It's not about the weight on the bar, it's about being able to do what others can't.

Great video guys! These days I do full ATG squats with a pause every now and then at the absolute bottom, hamstrings pushed up against my calves, Clarence style. Never felt better and the leg development is exactly as you have described it, very pleasing.

Great video guys awesome to see a coach's perspective. Alan thrall had a video on this a while back as well but he explains it layman terms

Fantastic subject overview!

Great conclusion lads! Another well enjoyed video, keep it up boiiz 💪

Increasing heel height in weightlifting shoes is underrated. I did daily ankle dorsiflexion stretches before training for years, as a 187cm tall lad. Still had multiple knee and hip issues caused by lack of dorsiflexion (compensation), and some due to low hip internal rotation. I put a hard vinyl wedge inside my romaleos for additional heel height, instant improvement in quality of lifting and quad recruitment, way improved confidence in cleans too and no more pain. No sense in fighting your genetics, put the damn shoes on.

Thanks for even more in-depth video had asked the same question in one of the live streams. Got the shoes after you guys' recommendation, have been training in them for about a month now the obvious things are improved stability, ROM. But it is also just more fun to squat in them!

great work boys

Depends on what part of may training I’m in personally. I love doing super high rep squats for conditioning. 5x20, 10x10 that sort of thing. And when I do them I forgo all equipment including shoes. Being a 350lb strongman with good mobility my girth inhibits my squat depth more then my ankles.

I normally squat barefoot and open my hips nowadays. I'm considering weightlifting shoes to help with my stability in the push press primarily but I'm sure they'll help with my squatting too.

less toes = more kilos

Yes

Lets see if i am squating wrong my entire life. I am a bare foot squater. Love your channel guys

Crescendo is a process, not a destination. You can’t arrive at a crescendo, crescendo is the building-up, it’s just not the peak itself

Learned to squat without shoes when I first started lifting, but when I switched gym the owner would not allow us to lift barefoot, and the soft running shoes or chuck taylors never felt comfortable for squat, so I bought squat shoes. Never looked back since, I geniuenly feel like they added 10k-20g to my max on their own, and I don't ever see myself doing front or baxk squats with anything other than a hard sole

I have horrible ankle mobility on my left ankle, had surgery to remove a bone that was getting in the way (very small bone in the joint). However now I still need to do mobility work and havent been able to improve the situation, I can tell I walk differently and I'm sure it's affected my hip and knee to adjust to the reduction in movement. My dream is to squat barefoot ATG, I see shoes as a crutch and putting weight on the squat seems pointless until I actually improve mobility and achieve the squat barefoot.

I haven't done weightlifting in a long time, even though I still do cleans, but I still have my shoes in case I ever do decide to snatch yet I'm completely comfortable going barefoot for low bar high bar and front squat

Yes. Next question.

When I got weightlifting shoes to squat, everything changed and changed for the better in my squat.

I have a very flat right foot and suspect squatting in converse messed my knee up. I switched to weightlifting shoes, and my knee has been feeling better. I tried squatting just the empty bar in converse the other day, and my knee felt bad the day after.

Are there are any good 'minimalist' weightlifting shoes that you'd recommend? I've been wearing minimalist shoes for maybe 3 years and the squat shoes i bought many years ago (but haven't used very much) now cause my knee pain when i wear them - i think it's because my feet are put into an uncomfortable position

Always Squatted in trainers or socks but I wanna give weightlifting shoes a go to spice training up and see what they are all about. Any you recommend? Keeping an eye out for the sales coming up

Lol, I don't get to use my expensive weightlifting shoes because I thought organising the training is just way simpler when I walk to the racks next to the tatami and squat barefoot after judo training. It's not optimal placement of weight training, and I did like squatting with weightlifting shoes, but it is what it is.

what shoes would you recommend for a beginner lifter? Is there a particular brand that is good bang for the buck?

These boys are very funny

That’s interesting and all. But can you tell us the effectiveness of wearing a squat plug for squats?

I own a pair of PowerPerfect IIs that I use when pushing maxes, but that's infrequent now (because I have no comp aspirations now) and I do a lot more volume with a lot more pauses without shoes. I think there's some nice general life adaptability from being able to do a heavy loaded squat deep with different types of shoes and barefoot, but gotta have the knee-tracking dialed in. I'm okay with floor AIDS, cause I train in a private gym though.

What is the tree's name?

Would you say that the elevated heel kind of simulates a longer tibia and balances the tibia to femur ratio? I have long femurs and I feel like I have to squat with weightlifting shoes. When I squat with regular shoes my butt shoots back and I feel like the bar is trying to throw me forward.

I got long legs and decent flexibility but even the usual 3/4 inch heel doesn't seem like enough. I gotta use at least 1 inch shoes like Position USA to have a better looking squat. I am just a bodybuilder trying to get quad hypertrophy.

Romaleos 2 🐐

Is there much benefit going flat foot for squat in powerlifting to also help make your deadlift stronger? With both movements being done flat footed

Does the heel height vary in proportion to the shoe size? If not, then squat shoes would be less effective for someone with big feet 🤔

I have long femurs and quite tall 6’1. I currently use adidas powerlift 4 shoes but I think I would benefit from higher heel shoes. What do you recommend? I’m thinking of dowin weightlifting shoes.

2:33 Fridge power belly cameo

When did the tree get eyes?

What about if you have middling ankle flexibility. Is there any basis to choose to squat bare feet because if you always squate wearing shoes, the ankle range of motion will never be tested and so decrease?

Do I really need to wear a weightlifting belt?

Konstantin pozdev had huge quads

3:32 the comedic timing

Great explanation but you need aid this with some visuals as your talking

Can't be contracting that there flooraids.

That's Layne squatting right?

Eoin your squat is a thing beauty

What do you think of deadlifting barefoot or with socks?

!!!!!!

i went from a .75'' heel to .9'' and my squat went down.

Why would squatting with stable flat shoes limit your squat PR if you don’t have mobility issues? Because of lack of quad development?

as a taller man 185cm I use flat shoes for my squats and always have, but I am powerlifting with a low bar position. I tried the heels for a couple months and I never felt comfortable or as strong with them so I let go of them and gave them to a friend. Only time I would say it benefits me is for high bar work as an accessory, and I do prefer that mimicking my comp squat plus I don't need to be carrying even more pairs of shoes in the gym lmao

Floor aids 😂

I can't bring myself to spend a hundred bucks. It's high maintenance and first world...shoes for this shoes for that. I blew an intercostal the other day but I'm still wearing my teslas for the sake of simplicity

3:32 thank me later bois

I dont use weightlifting shoes, I use barefoot shoes. I have an unusually wide foot in the first place and am limited to the widest barefoot shoes so virtually all weightlifting shoes crush my feet amd cause pain or their so long in the toe that my feet slide back and forth when squatting. So, barefoot shoes.

Second

Training at a commercial gym has given me the ick seeing people train in socks, absolutely gross.

I was just being cheap. No other reason. 😅

I wear broken sneakers for squatting because I refuse to spend any money on gym equipment. I even stole my towel from a hotel.

no thanks i will keep deadlifiting my squat

This question should be answered in a more ornery manner like when Mark Rippetoe covered the same topic 😂

In the training hall he is known as The Fridge; in the lecture hall he is The Crescendo