Week 2, Day 2: Let's talk about shoes!

3-position snatch (hip, knee, floor): 4 sets @ working weight
Front squat: 3 sets of 3 reps @ working weight
Press (jerk grip, behind the neck): 3 sets of 5 reps @ working weight

Increase working weight from last week.

Tyler sporting the flashy Romaleos.

I've got a fair number of questions about weightlifting shoes, and I figured I should sit down and say a few words about my recommendations and things to look for. If you're not convinced you need weightlifting shoes, here's a good read for you: Why weightlifting shoes?

Basically, a good weightlifting shoe will both provide a solid connection between the lifter and the platform, and effectively increase ankle mobility to allow a deeper and more solid bottom position by providing a raised heel. So, when looking for a good shoe, these things should be big priority items. Cheaper, less effective shoes will be less stable (and even soft in the sole in some cases) and won't provide as solid a connection with the platform. Real weightlifting shoes made specifically for the sport of weightlifting typically have a heel height of about 3/4", but there are some exceptions. Alright, lets just get into it and look at a few different options and quality levels. I'll provide my recommendations, where you can find the shoes and how much they'll set you back, and maybe some other commentary thrown in.

In approximate order of recommendation:

1) Adidas Adipower ($200): These are probably the best shoe ever made. No, not just for weightlifting, I mean the BEST shoe EVER made. Okay, maybe that's a little of an exaggeration, but these shoes are pretty awesome. Adidas has been making weightlifting-specific shoes for probably as long or longer than anyone, and has long been recognized as your go-to for a top quality, international competition-worthy shoe. This is their latest and greatest, rolled out just prior to the 2012 London Games. This is the shoe that I personal use and stand by, and can honestly say that it is the most solid shoe that I have worn. The thing just hugs my foot, is super light, flexes appropriately for the jerk, and provides just the right kind of support for me. A disclaimer on these though: this is probably the most narrow shoe on the market. This is great if you have super narrow feet like I do, but may not be the best choice if you have really wide feet. They do break in really nice though, so it's possible that they would stretch appropriately for even the duck-footed amongst us. The downside to these puppies? The $200 price tag for sure. These shoes are NOT cheap. Are they worth it? I don't know, that's pretty subjective. I love them, but they are probably more shoe than any of us need for that price. There are plenty of decent shoes at a more reasonable price, but I am sure not giving mine up any time soon! If you want the best, it's probably either these or the Nike. You can get these direct from Adidas, but they've been out of a lot of the smaller sizes for a while now. Dynamic Fitness should be able to get you any size you need though (http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/). These guys have a local distributor (kind of...in Lake Tapps), so you could actually go try some of them on if you wanted to make the drive.

2) Nike Romaleos ($189): These are also a top quality shoe, very well made, and provide great stability and support. Again a pretty high price tag, but you really can't go wrong with these shoes and they should last for years and years. They do fit a little wider than the Adidas, but I think they are a pretty typical width for a shoe. I wore the older version of these for a while, and although they were definitely a very solid shoe, they didn't quite hug my feet as nicely as my Adidas shoes have. Also, they had kind of a "clunky" feel too them. Of course that's just a personal thing. If you watch any national or international meets, you will see these shoes or the Adidas on nearly every lifter. Again, probably more shoe than any of us need, and whether or not they are worth the high price tag I will leave for you to decide, but I highly recommend these shoes as well. You can get them from Rogue (http://www.roguefitness.com/shoes/weightlifting-shoes.php) and probably some other places, and they come in some pretty wild color combinations to impress all your friends.

3) Pendlay Do-Win (new style, $129): I haven't really heard much about these, but they appear to be a pretty well made and solid shoe, and I've seen them on a lot of the Team MDUSA guys and they are some of the best lifters in the US right now. The old style of Do-Win with the glued two-piece sole had a reputation for not being well made, and I think every pair I had ever seen had the sole pulling apart at the toe after only a few weeks of use even. These shoes look like a much nicer design, and I'd be surprised if they had similar problems. I believe Michelle L. has these shoes, and maybe she can speak to their performance better than I can. The older Do-Wins were known to fit super wide. I don't know if they've carried that on in this new style or not, but I'd guess that they did. These shoes are much more reasonably priced and may be a really good value. You can get them from Muscledriver USA (http://www.muscledriverusa.com/2013-Pendlay-Weightlifting-Shoes_c_715.html) and they too come in some different color combinations so you could color-coordinate with your singlet.

4) Risto Sports Olimpico ($139.98): I have yet to see a pair of these in person, but Risto has been known in the past to make pretty nice shoes. They are quite proud that these are hand-made in South America from all fair-trade materials and such, so you can rest assured if you buy these that you are buying a shoe that is not only made of top quality leather, but also socially responsible. Gretch has an older version of these, and the only real fault I've seen with them is that the velcro strap on hers has lost most of its ability to hold, but that may be because she likes to velcro her shoelaces in there too. This new version boasts a full leather construction, interior and exterior included. Some folks have commented that they look like bowling shoes, but personally I kind of like the styling. These should also be a pretty solid shoe, and if they weren't know for being one of the widest shoes out there I probably would have gotten a pair for myself to try by now.

5) Wei-Rui Warrior ($69.99): Now we get into a real budget shoe. I have not seen one of these in person, but I have read many favorable reviews on them touting them as one of the best entry-level shoes on the market. Certainly one of the best "bang for your buck" shoes according to what I've read. You can get these from Max Barbell (http://www.maxbarbell.com/products/warrior-wei-rui-weightlifting-shoes). They also sell some other models. I bought a pair of their VX3 shoes for myself before I got my Adipowers, but they just didn't fit me quite right. Definitely a wider shoe, but they appeared to be decently well made. Ron now wears these, and the only fault I've seen in them is that the sole has started to delaminate at the toe in his, similar to what the old Do-Wins used to do. The Warriors are just a one-piece rubber sole, so you shouldn't have this problem. The downsides to the one-piece rubber sole though is that once the tread on the sole wears they can allegedly get kinda slick, and the compressed rubber sole is quite a bit heavier than the classic wood heel or the newer fancy resin materials. Still, this should be a great shoe for the money and should provide some solid performance.

6) Adidas Power Perfect 2 ($119): I have heard some good things about these, and a few high-level (Olympic-level) lifters were wearing these in competition before the Adipower came out. Minh has these, and they look like very well made shoes to me. One huge caution on these though is that they look very similar to the Powerlift Trainer, which I would urge you to avoid at all costs! The Powerlift is a much more cheaply made shoe, with a sole made from a material that will actually give under really heavy squats. I think the heel might even be lower in the Powerlift. Anyways, the Power Perfect is supposed to be a quality shoe, and might be a really good option if you have a narrower foot but don't want to drop the coin for the high-end Adipower, or just aren't crazy about the blazing red/orange color "option" of the Adipower. You can get these from Dynamic Fitness (http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/).

7) VS Athletic ($84.99): These used to be known as the "poor mans weightlifting shoe" and provided decent performance for the price. I've heard that the Max Barbell Wei-Rui Warrior is a better shoe for the money, but included this one here because it is at least another option. The VS Athletic is known to have a SUPER high heel. This could be good or bad depending on who you are and your needs. If you have absolutely terrible ankle mobility, these may help compensate and put you into a better bottom position, but these shoes are WELL outside the norm for heel height in a weightlifting shoe (actually, double the height from what I've read). You can get these direct from VS (http://www.vsathletics.com/store/VS-Athletics-Weightlifting-Shoe.html), and I've also seen them on Amazon.

8) Reebok CrossFit Lifter ($149.99): This might piss a lot of people off, but I really don't like this shoe. Now, before you get all upset that I don't like your new flashy shoes that you just spent a bunch of money on, remember that this is all just my opinion, and I am giving my review for shoes specific to the sport of weightlifting. This shoe certainly has a purpose in the world, but I don't think it is an ideal shoe for strictly competitive weightlifting and there are shoes much better suited to the purpose for much less. Similarly, I would not recommend doing really ANYTHING other than snatching, cleaning, jerking, or squatting in the other above-listed shoes. Weightlifting shoes are not made for running, skipping rope, jumping on boxes, swimming, climbing mountains, etc. They are made for weightlifting, plain and simple. Now, the Reebok shoe may be a great shoe for you if you want to combine one or more of these activities in a workout that includes some snatches and clean and jerks and are looking for a compromise. I've even heard of people running 400s in these (obviously not sprinting a max-effort 400), which is something I would never even consider doing in my Adipowers. What makes these shoes a decent compromise between weightlifting and other activities is probably what makes them less than ideal for weightlifting-specific activities. They seem to have a little more flex throughout the sole than a lot of the other shoes, which is not necessarily a good thing. Nonetheless, these have gotten some favorable reviews and may in fact be a decent shoe. I just don't like them for some reason. Maybe because they seem over-priced for what they are. Maybe because of the marketing. I don't know. Anyways, you can get these from Rogue Fitness (http://www.roguefitness.com/shoes/weightlifting-shoes.php), and in all kinds of flashy colors.

9) Last but not least, if you really can't afford to plop down the Benjamin's for a fancy new pair of weightlifting-specific shoes, the next best thing may already be in your closet next to your slacks and ties...that's right, your classic dress shoe is almost a perfect weightlifting shoe disguised in patent leather! They have the raised heel we are looking for, provide a good solid base for a solid connection with the platform, and are actually fairly light. The heel is even often times made of wood, which is the classic way to make a raised heel for a weightlifting shoe and as much as I love my Adipowers, I'm still a little sad that everyone has gone away from making the soles from wood. There's just something timeless and awesome about the wood heel. If you feel the same, then maybe you would feel right at home in a classic dressy weightlifting shoe! The downsides to dress shoes are of course the limited color selection (you typically get black or brown, and that's it), they don't breathe so well, and depending on the sole they may be somewhat slick on a platform. Still, these are a better option than lifting in your squishy Nike Frees or those stupid Vibram Five-Finger things, and you probably already have them or can run to your nearest thrift store to pick up a pair for less than a ten-spot.

Well there you have it. This is really not meant to be a comprehensive review, but more just a survey of what's out there. Another great resources is http://wlshoes.com/. They do have some more comprehensive reviews of a lot of these shoes up there, and I highly suggest reading through them before making a purchase. Hopefully this helps someone, and at least maybe exposed you to some more options that you may not have been aware of.