Jump to content

Lifting Shoes - Arch Support? Adidas Powerlift 2.0 / Reebok Oly Lifter


Recommended Posts

Sup guys,

I know there's tonnes of shoe threads out there and I've read through them, appreciate all the reviews of the stuff out there but making a new one here as looking for views from people who might have similar situation with flat feet/collapsing arches. Looking for weightlifting shoes to help with support but also would appreciate the lifted heel as could be of some help with getting deeper in my squat with current level of ankle flexibility.

 

Right now I'm on SL5x5, so squatting 3x a week but have dodgy knees which can be inflamed by arches of my feet collapsing under pressure. Right now I'm squatting with orthotic inserts for support in my Nike Lunarglides (support running sneakers) and as the weights get heavier their supportiveness seems to get worse as they're a bit squishy on the heels. Also all the lifting in these insoles wears them down super fast making them less effective, don't wanna be paying $50 every 2~3 months for rest of my life rather would keep these shoes+insoles just for running and get a proper pair of lifting shoes for gym.

 

Have tried going back to using my chuck taylors and they felt pretty decent while squatting but had pretty bad knee pains the following 2 days.

 

Anyone ever had to deal with such issues with feet and can comment on what lifting shoe they're using + how stable they feel in them? I'm currently thinking of going to have a look at these shoes probably Monday/Tuesday -

 

It doesn't have to be nice and flexible like the Crossfit ones as I'll only use them for lifting and nothing else, durability/stability is my priority.

 

Tried to do a bunch of research but couldn't find much on this topic specifically besides Mark Rippetoe saying somewhere that anyone with flat feet should use lifting shoes as they have some 'metatarsal strap' for arch support. (Source : http://startingstrength.com/resources/forum/showthread.php?t=8916)

 

Any help appreciated,

Cheers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mate those reeboks aren't flexible... They are oly lifting shoes not really crossfit shoes. Trying to do anything in them other than weightlifting movements wouldn't be easy.

The Adidas ones heel isn't as stable as the reeboks. If your squatting really heaving I believe it would have abit of cushion which is not what I would want.

have a good look at them though and try them on, see what you think is best for you. Having options is always good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mate those reeboks aren't flexible... They are oly lifting shoes not really crossfit shoes. Trying to do anything in them other than weightlifting movements wouldn't be easy.

The Adidas ones heel isn't as stable as the reeboks. If your squatting really heaving I believe it would have abit of cushion which is not what I would want.

have a good look at them though and try them on, see what you think is best for you. Having options is always good.

Thanks man that confirms what I heard about the Adidas soles though I won't be lifting heavy anytime soon, good to have something future proof since I intend to buy quality and keep it for a while. Leaning towards the Reeboks more now especially the double opposing strap design seems like it would make for a better fit and that moldable inner sole might help form that perfect base of support

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just bought the Industrial Athletic shoes by Dowin off http://www.industrialathletic.com/shop/Weightlifting/Weightlifting+Essen...

 

Hopefully they arrive sometime next week. I'll post a review once I've squatted in them. 

The DoWin's feel pretty good, the heal isn't as high as the Power Perfects I think. Really grippy and firm. If you have fat feet like me your going to have a bad time if you wear them for to long! 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use the the adidas powerlifts for my squatting and they have had zero cushioning in the sole thus far up to 170kg. For me they have been the best investment for squatting I have purchased. You literally feel like you are planted to the ground . I also own a pair of adipowers which were about $300 and these are the modrrn upgraded version.( I have a shoe fetish ) I know a lot of guys use Nike Romaleos so check them out to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use the the adidas powerlifts for my squatting and they have had zero cushioning in the sole thus far up to 170kg. For me they have been the best investment for squatting I have purchased. You literally feel like you are planted to the ground . I also own a pair of adipowers which were about $300 and these are the modrrn upgraded version.( I have a shoe fetish ) I know a lot of guys use Nike Romaleos so check them out to.

How do the more expensive Adipowers compare to the Powerlifts? Worth the extra $100 or so?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haha Im to embaressed to wear them to the gym but have used them at home just doing sets and liked them . They are so bright though . They look red when you buy them but are a more orange . The plan was to save them until I hit 180 then start using them.

So not much difference then?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like my Adipowers, despite the neon red colour. The heel is stone cold rigid, nice heel cup, and one decent strap over the instep that you can really yank on.  They are pricey, though. 

I normally squat in Metal flats, which remove the heel from the equation but also have a good strap.

The Nikes are quite popular - and come in a respectable dark blue-black or bright fluoro green. Some people dislike the Romoleo's two straps, though. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Haha Im to embaressed to wear them to the gym but have used them at home just doing sets and liked them . They are so bright though . They look red when you buy them but are a more orange . The plan was to save them until I hit 180 then start using them.

So not much difference then?

Yeah a bit of difference . The shoe is made a lot more breathable than the powerlift so no more sweaty feet. The tongue is shorter and thin as opposed to the thicker annoying one on the powerlifts. the laces are much shorter also. The top strap is twice as wide for added security. The inside of the shoe feels narrower and a more stable fit. ( probably not good for fat footed people) the torsion system sole is without doubt stronger on the adipowers to .   They also have an extra eyelet higher up to really tighten the shoe to the foot. But other than that not much. The adipowers look way cooler just not on my pasty white legs lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cheers all, still having a bit of a hard time finding out about arch support specifically in these but I guess only way I'll know now is just trying them out in store. Will take my current shoes/inserts along and try compare the insides of the shoes they have in stock see how they go. Too reluctant to buy from the online places at this stage especially the international ones as need to try on and figure out whether they'll agitate the knees down the line before I spend few hundred on 'em


 

I use the the adidas powerlifts for my squatting and they have had zero cushioning in the sole thus far up to 170kg. For me they have been the best investment for squatting I have purchased. You literally feel like you are planted to the ground . I also own a pair of adipowers which were about $300 and these are the modrrn upgraded version.( I have a shoe fetish ) I know a lot of guys use Nike Romaleos so check them out to.

That's definately good to know I'll def try them out when I get to the store. The romaleos are unfortunately out of the question for me at this point. Inc shipping they'll end up around 300 NZD and then an extra $120 odd to customs. I know they are damn good and some olympic teams use them (the Chinese?) but can't justify that price range just yet!


I like my Adipowers, despite the neon red colour. The heel is stone cold rigid, nice heel cup, and one decent strap over the instep that you can really yank on.  They are pricey, though. 

I normally squat in Metal flats, which remove the heel from the equation but also have a good strap.

The Nikes are quite popular - and come in a respectable dark blue-black or bright fluoro green. Some people dislike the Romoleo's two straps, though. 

Really unfortunate that they don't sell more of these locally, would love to try on some of the more premium ones like adipowers/romaleos just for comparison sake but yeah..


Just bought the Industrial Athletic shoes by Dowin off http://www.industrialathletic.com/shop/Weightlifting/Weightlifting+Essen...

 

Hopefully they arrive sometime next week. I'll post a review once I've squatted in them. 

Cool that's one more local place to add to the comparison list though unfortunate about not being able to try before buying. Seems like they have a good return policy for it at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the AdiPower, I tried on the Powerlifts 2s, and the Rebook oly (first gen).

I think they are all solid choices if you are upgrading from a running/tennis shoe to a squat shoe, you be happy with either of those. 

Things I would consider is heel height. I THINK the powerlifts are only 1/2inch in heel height while the others are 3/4 inch. I did have an ankle surgery in the past and I need to get all the extra ROM I can from an elevated heel so the AdiPowers suit me better.

Weights that you planning to support in them - The heel on the Powerlift 2s can be compressed slightly where is on the AdiPowers they are rock solid. To be honest I don't think it would make that much of a difference in a squat unless you compete at an international level or something (I think). 

Durability - My previous Adidas oly shoes lasted me nearly 10 years (with a year or so or actual oly lifting in them, much greater wear and tear when you oly lift) so the cost of an extra xxxx? will be spread out over a few years for sure. 

 

A friend of mine has the Romanelos, she is very happy with them. I had a close look and they are made to last IMO. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know they're more expensive, but another point to consider with the romaleos is that they come with two inner soles. One standard 'training' sole which is just flat, and one 'competition' sole which is quite supportive and could be exactly what you're looking for. 

I used to get a little foot pain with prolonged training with the flat training sole, now I just leave the competition soles in all the time and my feet are fine. Though I'm not flat footed in the first place, I definitely think the support helps. 
 

post-91886-14166839469778_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know they're more expensive, but another point to consider with the romaleos is that they come with two inner soles. One standard 'training' sole which is just flat, and one 'competition' sole which is quite supportive and could be exactly what you're looking for. 

I used to get a little foot pain with prolonged training with the flat training sole, now I just leave the competition soles in all the time and my feet are fine. Though I'm not flat footed in the first place, I definitely think the support helps. 

 

Thanks for the pic that competition sole (that's the hard plastic one that pretty much doesn't bend right?) looks like a stronger version of my orthotic insert have heard good things about those in terms of support and stability. If I could try them locally would snap 'em up in a heart beat but don't think I'm up for the $400+ to get them from overseas especially without even being sure of fitment.

 

Contacted Sprint Fit about the shoes I've been looking at sucks they don't have the Reeboks in my size in stock (I'm guessing US8/8.5 will do me) and no word on when they will get them in but they do have the Adidas Powerlift 2.0. As OnlyHuman noted though, the Adidas Powerlifts don't have as high a heel as all the other weightlifting shoes which is odd. Another thing I'm scared of is that I saw a video review of a guy pretty easily squishing the sides of his heels with his hands.. although the heel is really rigid on the center it's not so solid around the outer edges which is where you really need the most support when you're flat footed otherwise there's potential for collapsing inwards and hurting the knee.

 

Been reading more about those Do Wins leeroid linked to but more than half the reviews talk about the sole peeling off which is kind of dodgy. So confuuuused *crazy**wacko* someone should open a WL shoe store in Auckland !

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bro just take to gym... Put on beside squat rack, lift and remove then leave gym in jandals.

that's what I do and they will last for ever.

these guys wear them from home to the gym, drive in them, walking across carpark in them, get in and out of car with them on etc. they not designed for that. So yeah they will breakdown and deteriorate eventually. Don't listen to those people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have the romeleo2s and they are the shit, but fkn expensive with the custom fees. if you want the reeboks you could just get them off ebay or something.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/REEBOK-CROSSFIT-OLY-LIFTER-PLUS-GYM-TRAINING-...

cheers ebays an option if they cant get the stock in store but gona have to do a bit of guesswork on my size which i wanted to avoid... thanks for the link wierd how for that one it's more expensive to get in from overseas than buy locally lol must have some kind of fixed region pricing deal going on there.

 

Bro just take to gym... Put on beside squat rack, lift and remove then leave gym in jandals.

that's what I do and they will last for ever.

these guys wear them from home to the gym, drive in them, walking across carpark in them, get in and out of car with them on etc. they not designed for that. So yeah they will breakdown and deteriorate eventually. Don't listen to those people.

true that i'll do that they not made to walk around in just gonna muck them up otherwise. you pretty much sold me on the reebok lifter plus but the shop dont have my size in stock and no reply about if they can get them in /sigh. they got a anniversary weekend sale going on right now probably keen on getting rid of store stock, might have to wait next week they'll probably be more willing to order in my size then when it's not on special lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So my asics running shoes and chuck taylors are size US 11.0 and my reeboks are US 10.0

i got a size smaller and I got really wide feet, when I tryed on reebok in shops they felt real tight and uncomfortable but I knew they'd stretch and you don't want any play really in these kinda shoes.

So if ordering online is get a US size smaller than what you normally are.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey thanks everyone for all your advice. I had a good look around, top shoes I was considering in the end were

  • Industrial Athletic Do-Wins
  • Inov8 Fastlifts
  • Reebok Crossfit Oly Lifter Plus
  • Adidas Powerlift 2.0

All within the same price bracket ($200 NZD) if bought locally. Ruled out the Adidas just didn't feel right. The inov8s looked very tempting (seemed pretty similar to the Reeboks) but wasn't able to try 'em on and from what I've read they are very minimalist in terms of arch support. Then it's just between the Reeboks and Do-Wins.. ended up grabbing Do-Wins because the customer service at Industrial Athletic was more helpful than at sprintfit. I couldn't try these on before buying but they had my (suspected) size in stock and promised an easy exchange if it wasn't right so I thought why not. Ordered yesterday afternoon and they came in like 1pm today... pretty fast for Wellington to Auck delivery. Thanks to Leeroid and Jimmybro too for the help in PMs and Tom for the recommendations on local store that I could try some out at.

NZD $175 + $10 shipping to non rural area

Anyway gonna try 'em out squatting for a couple weeks then put up a review later. My initial thoughts :

  • Bit snug around the toes but will stretch out to be perfect (ordered half size down from my Nike lunarglide 4 (running sneakers)
  • Insoles that come with them have good basic arch support and feature a cupped heel which gives a good fit but they are also removable if you want to use your own orthotic insoles if you need the extra support
  • In the pictures it looked like some cheap  as material was being used in the outer lining but it feels like pretty quality leather which is good, means it should last longer but also will have to take precautions like drying properly if they get wet.
  • Breathable my sweaty feet will see just how well that works after some squats
  • These feel higher than the 0.75" spec heels, though it makes sense on the site it says "Important: Effective Heel Height is 30mm (1.2") for a size 9 or 10.  They will incrementally increase and decrease for sizes over, and below these sizes."

Regardless of what you get, you should probably look in to buying from overseas and using YouPost for the shipping. Ends up being a LOT cheaper

Thanks had a look but pretty much everything ended up being more expensive than the local ones I was considering apart from the Adidas powerlifts.

post-94220-14166839477508_thumb.jpg

post-94220-14166839478106_thumb.jpg

post-94220-14166839478667_thumb.jpg

post-94220-14166839479239_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Glad you got it sorted mate. The important thing is that you found the ones best feeling for you. Let me know how they go.

Yeh thanks for suggesting I move on to lifting shoes mate, big change from plates under the feet I'll tell you that. Just back from my 1st squat session in them and was amazing. They didn't instantly give me more power or anything but heaps more confidence under the bar thansk to the stability. Once I put my feet down they were locked down and I could focus more on pushing the knees out without worrying about feet slipping or heels raising up. My bench isn't up to a challenging weight yet on my 5x5 schedule but still felt a difference there too in terms of helping create that stable platform. Can't say anything about how they compare to the others since never trained in those before but damn they rock vs running shoes or chucks

 

Also used Toms tip about taking alternate shoes and putting those on for driving/other exercises because they're really awkward for walking in

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey mate, glad you found something you like. Obviously too late since you bought them but for anyone else that sees this and has the same issue and wears Lunarglides.. they're not exactly a supportive shoe. They have a tiny bit of posting in the heel/arch but its pretty freakin soft ha so if you're a fairly big dude squatting a reasonable weight then you can expect that thing to just cave in instantly. I would have tried just a running shoe with a denser medial post before forking out for weightlifting shoes personally but aslong as you're comfortable with whatever you're in then its all g.

Happy lifting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...


  • Popular Contributors

    Nobody has received reputation this week.

×
×
  • Create New...