I think heel elevation can feel like a strength dip when you are a posterior dominant barefoot lifter. But I think that’s because now the heel elevation shifts more load onto the quads (which are frequently less developed in a posterior dominant lifter). So essentially it’s going to put you into a weaker position. This is actually a good thing I think when it comes to hypertrophy, and in the long run will build stronger legs should you decide to go back to barefoot/no heel elevation you should see less of the hips shooting up because now your quads will have greater development from all that time squatting in a mechanically more challenging position for them.
Yep - you’re absolutely right. I am very posterior dominant (generally as I’ll train my posterior to anterior on a 2:1 ratio for its carry through into my primary sports) but as you say, that butt wink in full depth range on the squat is a dead set giveaway of a strength deficiency. I could get around it by improving ankle mobility to allow a slightly more upright torso angle in the bottom position OR developing greater quad strength but realistically it won’t tie into my long term goals which I’ll tell you for context. Present: 200kg back squat single (now complete) Future: Retention of 180kg back squat capability, getting my iron cross back & getting back into competitive Muay Thai. The new goal is a bit like pissing into the wind as on paper none of the movements are particularly complimentary but I find the concept of capability quite interesting. But to circle back to your comment, it does mean to pull it off I’ll have to play heavily to my strengths. Now a question of my own, that’s quite an astute spot that most would miss, even good coaches - what’s your training/coaching background?
Depends on your body type. Myself, with longer femurs, the heel elevation allows me to get more upright with better ankle mobility so I can actually get better posterior activation.
I’ve started weightlifting about 6 months ago but I come from a powerlifting background (nothing professional) where I’ve always looked to lift on wide shoes, I just gave this one’s a chance for my first weightlifting shoe, just waiting for them to arrive !
@@nKrandom honestly they are pretty good, everything feels solid, been using them almost everyday and I don’t have any complaints, I ordered one size up cause my feet are pretty wide, maybe they’re 1/2cm larger than my feet but just tied them up pretty good and nothing moves. i’ll definitely recommend them. (i haven’t owned any weightlifting shoe before)
Had to send them back, the toe box was too narrow. Less room than my Do-Win shoes. Beautifully made, though. If you had narrower feet than me (I live in the sub tropics and spend 99% of the time barefoot) they would be good.
I agree, they could be wider but I suppose they're not trying to make it too foreign for people used to normal lifters. I'll have to give the Do-Win's a try sometime. Out of curiosity, where in the sub-tropics are you? I'm heading toward that clime in a couple of weeks.
Whatever your size in the Primus Lites, go 1-2 sizes up for the L1’s as they come up WAY tighter (though they will give a little with wear). Otherwise the L1s are much narrower than the Primus Lite and also stiffer, no ground feel and heel lift (last 3 you do want for most lifts)
So, no, TYR is not disrupting anything; if anything, they are struggling to sell the L1. Another thing is that none of the claims you’ve made have any foundation in science; it’s all based on bio truths. If you have a wide foot like I do and can’t find a lifting shoe that fits wide enough even with sizing up, then the l1 is a great shoe. It’s a niche market, so the marketing hype is real, but barefoot gimmicks aside from the L1 are worth the investment if you are a wide-foot individual. The barefoot gimmicks come around every couple of years when a company gets carried away with claims and sued. (Vibram five-finger shoes come to mind. ) Aaron from Squat University has already gotten flack for his claims because he’s failed to provide any evidence for any of his claims. So I’d try to wait till these shoes go on sale I got mine for 100 dollars. They always on sale they haven’t been 250 dollars for awhile now.
That's untrue, I recommend you read the published research by Dr Kris D’Aout and PhD student Rory Curtis’ at the University of Liverpool for more information on the 60% increase in foot strength. Then spend some additional time reading papers on the correlation between foot strength and stability. I do however agree that more research needs to be done to back up a lot of claims we see companies making, particularly as the aforementioned research looks specifically at walking in minimalist shoes. For example, can one expect the same results from using the TYRs over the same timeframe or do they need to spend time in minimalist shoes overall and are the TYRs able to allow the expression of that increased foot strength despite being stiffer than traditional minimalist shoes. To say however the claims have no foundation in science is incorrect, the real question, as above is whether the research that has been carried out can be applied to the TYRs as they claim. As for barefoot as a whole being a gimmick, anecdotally, I don't think it is at all and I'd imagine a lot of people agree with me.
