Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Workout of the Day
Four sets of:
Shoulder Press x 4-6 reps @ 20X1
Rest 90 seconds
Strict Pull-ups x 6-8 reps @ 21X0
Rest 90 seconds;
and then,
Three rounds for time of:
95/65 lb. Push Press x 10 reps
Ball Slams x 20 reps
Anchored Sit-ups x 30 reps

Optional Finisher – Turkish Get-ups x 3-5 each arm

The Best Shoe For Lifting?
Written by Calvin Sun

I am often asked about what type of shoe is ideal for weight training. And more often than not, my response is “it depends.” As in it depends on what type of lifting you are doing. What you should wear when you front squat or back squat might not be what you wear when you deadlift or shoulder press. For someone new to weight training, or any performance-based fitness program, proper footwear can be a confusing subject. Just take a look around the gym and you’ll see there are numerous varieties of athletic footwear: Vibram, Inov8, Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Converse, New Balance, and many others. There’s also the various brands of Olympic weightlifting shoes available on the market now: Rogue, VS Athletics, Do-win, Pendlay, and the various models made by Adidas.

A good shoe should allow you to perform lifts at maximum efficiency with minimal risk. Your shoe should serve as a safe, stable base of support for any lifting you might do. As a lifter, you will do the majority of your training on a rubber floor or on a wooden platform. Having said that, I do not recommend running shoes for any type of lifting. Running shoes are for running (and even that’s arguable). Seems logical enough doesn’t it? The soles are squishy, compressible, and unstable. Definitely not ideal for any situation where you are moving a heavy barbell.

Olympic weightlifting shoes have recently gained popularity as a training shoe. I think weightlifting shoes are great for the Olympic lifts, of course. Cleans, jerks, and snatches all benefit from the elevated heel and the added lateral support from the metatarsal straps. Additionally, these shoes are great for back squats, front squats, and any skill transfer exercises like snatch balances and push presses.

However, I don’t recommend weightlifting shoes for the deadlift. We see this commonly in the gym; athletes see deadlift on the program and instinctively grab for their weightlifting shoes. Some of you might disagree, but trust me, you don’t want an elevated heel for a big deadlift. Deadlifting in Olympic lifting shoes tends to result in a variety of issues like poor setup, inefficient pull mechanics, and diminished performance at loads close to maxes. The problem with an Olympic weightlifting shoe is that the added heel tends to put too much of your weight on the ball of your foot and it throws off the angle of your shin. When deadlifting heavy, this tends to result in the quadriceps doing too much of the work relative to the glutes and the hamstrings. Also, for deadlifts, you want to be as close to the ground as possible, an elevated shoe will result in longer distance you have to pull the bar.

Stick to something minimalist when deadlifting. Vibrams, Invo8′s, Chuck Taylors, and even going barefoot are all good options. Still not convinced? Just take a look at the best deadlifters in the world. Andy Bolton (video above) and Benedikt Magnusson (video below) have both deadlifted over 1,000 pounds in deadlift slippers (basically ballet shoes for powerlifters). If deadlifting in Olympic weightlifting shoes allowed you to move more weight, believe me, these guys would be doing it.

So, shed the shoes or go minimalist the next time you see deadlift on the agenda.