Do I Need Weightlifting Shoes? How to Know Whether Lifting Shoes are Right for You
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This article is brought to you by guest author, Harry Nelms. Harry has been weightlifting since 2016, has represented Wales at the Commonwealth Championships in 2023, and is an experienced coach, working with a range of athletes up to and including GB level.
We all want to lift more weight, and lift it well.
And whilst we all know that hard work is important, and don’t want to rely on shortcuts…anything that could get us closer to that goal, faster, is worth exploring, right?
If you’re just getting into strength training, you might have noticed people wearing different shoes in the gym, or in videos online, and wondered what these clunky shoes are for.
(Psst: if you’ve not started weightlifting yet, but you want to, this article guides you through getting started!)
If you’ve been training a little longer, or have set foot in a weightlifting or CrossFit gym, you’re probably somewhat familiar with weightlifting shoes - AKA ‘lifters’ - already.
But if you’re here, I’m assuming you’re still on the fence about a few things. This blog post is here to help you get off that fence, answering all of your questions and more…
'“What do lifters actually do?”
“Do I need them?”
“When is the best time to get them?”
“Are there downsides to wearing lifters?”
“What colour should I get?”
(Ok, maybe I can’t help you with that last one, other than to say: PINK, always.)
Ready to learn everything you need to know about getting your first pair of lifting shoes?
Let’s go!
What are weightlifting shoes?
Let’s start with exactly what ‘lifters’ are. To put it simply, they’re a pair of snazzy (and sometimes expensive) shoes that have a flat, stable base in contact with the ground, and raised heel.
Georgia currently uses Reebok Legacy Lifters, which feature a classic raised heel and firm sole
They are shoes that have been designed with weightlifting - and in particular, squatting - in mind. There are two distinguishing features to look for in a weightlifting shoe: the outsole and the heel lift. Why?
the flat, stable outer sole offers a more optimal surface to generate force off of than a traditional trainer
the raised heel mimics an increased range of motion in the ankle, enhancing your ability to get into the positions required to lift well, such as the front squat and overhead squat
The outsole is the flat, hard base. These are typically wider than the outsoles of other shoes, to provide as much surface area as possible for force production, and to provide stability when catching lifts such as the snatch or the split jerk. It’s common for the outsole to be inflexible, stiff, and made of a non-compressible material, to allow the maximal transfer of the force to the floor from the foot whilst reducing the average load experienced by the foot in the shoe. There are exceptions to this - for example the Inov8 FastLifts (Georgia’s first weightlifting shoe!) have a flexible sole.
The heel lift has the purpose of improving the mechanics of your squat. Increased range at the ankle means your knees can track over your toes, your hips can sit above your ankles, and you can maintain a more upright torso, which all results in a more efficient squat, because the barbell stays closer to your centre of mass throughout the movement. More efficient movement means lifting more weight. The midsole and heel lifts in a weightlifting shoe are, like the outsole, reinforced, in order to keep the heel in place.
Why are lifters important?
Lifters have been structurally designed to provide the maximum amount of stability, ability to produce to force, and support - which is why you’ll find they’re worn widely within the sport of weightlifting, as well as other related sports such as CrossFit and powerlifting.
Georgia cleaning 113kg at the 2024 British Championships - with lifters helping her achieve this upright squat position
The physical benefits of lifting shoes include allowing less mobile individuals (such as myself) the ability to achieve strong, deep and biomechanically safe squat positions, as required when performing cleans and snatches…or at least improve upon the positions we’re able to achieve without lifters.
The increased range in ankle movement provided by lifting shoes can also reduce the likelihood of trying to overcompensate through the hips, back and shoulders - which is, at best, uncomfortable, and at worst, precedent for injury. Limited ankle dorsiflexion (knees over toes) often results in seeing the ankles roll in, putting more strain on the knees (in addition to being an ineffective, weaker movement pattern).
The benefits aren’t just physical though. Lifters have also helped me with my nerves around competition. I liken it to being no different to drag queens - putting on our favourite unitard and heels and hitting the stage, albeit I go for a more ‘natural’ look with my make up, but each to their own. It’s certainly a preferable way for me to manage nerves than picturing everyone naked.
Do I need weightlifting shoes?
Well, yes and no. The jury is out, and by ‘the jury’ I mean ‘coaches’ - nationally and internationally. As a coach to athletes up to and including GB weightlifters, my view is that if a beginner can get a pair of lifters - new or used - GREAT! This doesn’t mean we’ll rely on them entirely - but they are a brilliant tool.
The shoes can help you with:
Finding and maintaining your balance throughout the lifts
Correct muscle recruitment during the squat
Getting into better positions by reducing the amount of ankle mobility required
Efficiently transferring force
Having strong, stable catch positions
Sounds great, right? So surely it’s a simple, resounding, ‘YES!’ to lifters?! Not quite…
Reasons you might NOT use lifters…
They’re expensive
Lifters are a tool - but they won’t solve all your problems!
Weightlifting shoes aren’t cheap, unfortunately; if they were I would likely have a pair for every day of the week (with a pink pair for Wednesday - IYKYK). Furthermore, taking into account weightlifting can still be pretty inaccessible as sport to a newbie; you need a licensed coach, you need a gym with the right equipment, enough space, and that’s before you get to important factors like having the patience to learn three technical, and incredibly frustrating movements - prioritising having a good coach over shoes should always be the number one.
Solution
That does not mean that if you can’t get weightlifting shoes, you’re doomed to a life of looking like a collapsable deck chair when you lift and rolling your ankles onto the floor just to get into an overhead squat. Again, the shoes are a tool, not a requirement. Use the analogy of putting a nail in a wall to hang a photo; you’d have a better job of putting the nail in in one go with a hammer, but you could do it with a plethora of other items (some whose purpose was definitely not to put nails in walls – such as a TV remote), it just takes a little more patience and determination. If you are learning to weightlift without lifters, I would recommend finding a shoe that has a “sturdy” base to it rather than a traditional trainer with a spongy base - I have previously used Converse Chuck Taylors, which are quite popular among powerlifters, and have done the job. There are an increasing number of ‘hybrid’ shoes available now, such as Reebok Nanos and Nike Metcons - developed for CrossFit - which I’ll come onto in a moment.
Mobility
Unfortunately, the weightlifting shoe does not solve all our problems; I still have to work for a living in order to pay my rent. Additionally, the raised heel can, and will, mask any underlying issues with your own mobility. These limitations will eventually present themselves as injuries down the line and so being aware of your body’s mobility limitations, and appropriately and actively addressing them - alongside use of the lifters - will keep you training maximally for longer.
Everyone remembers their first pair of lifters; mine were the Adidas Power Perfect II. Transitioning from trainers to lifters felt a little ‘goofy’ at first but I quickly adjusted to them. My squat became far better; I had better depth, a more upright posture - meaning I recruited my legs muscles better - and my stiff ankles and hips from years of running were no longer the problem. I did my first 100kg snatch in these. They were perfect…until they weren’t.
The quick progression that I saw when I switched to lifters meant I no longer felt like I needed to work on the mobility issues that had previously held me back, because the shoes had fixed them. But without addressing my stiff joints, I developed chronic knee tendinopathy. Being young, and blissfully unaware of what I needed to do in order to make that go away, I did what any logical person does when they experience horrific pain in their joint: I maxed out more often.
Solution
I’ll repeat myself again here: lifters are a tool. Don’t use them to cover up and neglect movement limitations. If you can improve ankle mobility AND use lifters, you’ll be in an even better position (literally and figuratively) than if you can just about scrape by with the increased depth that lifters afford you. Use your warm ups and incorporate accessory work that addresses mobility and stability together. Georgia and I both do this - with myself being naturally very immobile, and her being naturally hypermobile, but lacking strength and stability in these positions. Using exercises such as cossack squats and ATG split squats is a perfect way to improve your stability and mobility, alongside using your lifters for your main lifts. This is why we include specific warm ups and accessory strength work in our Squat Programme - find out more here - and use code ‘LIFTERSBLOG’ for 20% off!
Reduced proprioception
Georgia hitting barefoot snatch warm up sets with 25kg before putting lifters on for her main sets
With a firm, sturdy sole and raised heel, you have much less ‘feel’ for how your weight is distributed throughout your foot, which is a key part of effective weightlifting. Particularly as a beginner to intermediate lifter, many mistakes boil down to weight distribution - being too far in your heels, being too far onto your toes and shifting excessively back and forth. With a clunky shoe on, it’s much harder to actually FEEL these errors to be able to correct them.
Solution
Whether you’re a beginner or an elite athlete, there’s always room to incorporate barefoot training. I often use it in my warm ups, taking the opportunity to feel my whole foot in contact with the floor as I push away in my pull, and then putting my lifters on as I add some weight to the bar. A bit like how you don’t want to rely solely on lifters for mobility, this approach means you get the best of both worlds.
“I’m a CrossFitter - should I use lifters?”
Wodapalooza - Miami, 2022
As a CrossFitter, you don’t NEED lifters. You do need a decent pair of shoes though - ideally a hybrid shoe such as Nanos or Metcons which have a firm enough sole that you can lift safely, and also have a reasonable heel lift. The more recent Nike Metcon models even have removable heel inserts which you can use or remove depending on the workout and whether you need the extra heel lifts!
Whether to get lifters as well as your everyday hybrid shoe is largely going to depend on what level you want to do it at, whether you’ll get much additional benefit from lifters, and, of course, cost! To re-iterate, the purpose of lifters is supporting and optimising your ability to produce force and achieve effective positions when performing exercises that involve squatting with heavy weights. If you want to achieve your best performances on max lifts and WODs involving heavy squats and Olympic lifts, lifters will give you the best opportunity to do so.
Handling variation in CrossFit
There are caveats to this, though. Even more so than as a weightlifter, you simply cannot rely on the heel lift and support from lifters as a CrossFitter - let me give you an example of why. If, like the owner of this website (the wonderful Georgia Radley) you’re at the CrossFit games in 2021 and your workout is a 5km run followed by a 3 rep max back squat (on astroturf, might I add), every fibre of my being would be telling me, “Well that’s simple: wear running shoes for the run and lifters for the squat - particularly as its on unstable ground. Sorted.”
Georgia at the CrossFit Games 2021 as part of team Blueprint CrossFit
But SURPRISE, you’re not allowed to change your shoes after the run (why, CrossFit, why? A can of worms for another day…) so you must pick one pair and stick to it (this seems perfectly fine and absolutely not a health and safety red flag). At this point, you’re faced with two impossible situations. You cannot run a 5km in lifters - you’ll hurt your knees, your back and everything in between, run slowly, fatigue your legs more from the squat…on top of damaging your precious shoes! That’s not happening and it’s not safe. Squatting a 3RM, on astroturf, in running shoes is also not ideal, but with awareness of the added stability component, and sufficient mobility and stability to be able to squat well without relying on lifters, Georgia was able to choose the running shoes and hit a respectable 3RM back squat without incident. This decision would have been much tougher for an athlete, like myself (mainly because I don’t run) who previously relied heavily on lifters for that range of motion . And yes, this example is taken from the CrossFit Games, but you can apply it to training and competing at any level. Lifters can help you in CrossFit, but they can’t save you.
You can hit big numbers without lifters
To further demonstrate that you don’t NEED lifters to lift well - or heavy - let me share a few examples of elite-level lifting in hybrid shoes.
Gui Malheiros hitting a heavy snatch comfortably in hybrid shoes - not lifters!
Gui Malheiros famously won the weightlifting events at the 2021 Games wearing Reebok Nanos with comfortable 138kg (305lb) snatch making him an immediate fan favourite.
Japanese national team weightlifter Toshiki Yamamoto, would often confuse crowds when he stepped out onto the weightlifting platform to snatch 155kgs in a pair of Nike Metcons. Japanese weightlifters are renowned for their mobility, and Toshiki never struggled with hitting the required positions - in fact, the raised heel worked to his detriment during the snatch portion of the competition; a flatter shoe made his pull more effective, and improved his stability in the overhead position. As such, Metcons worked perfectly for him. He did, however, swap out the Metcons for weightlifting shoes when it came to clean and jerk as the more upright torso position in the clean and jerk dip allowed him to shift more weight!
Similarly, Georgia snatched her first 90kg in Metcons following a burpee box jump and snatch EMOM - but, like Toshiki, feels a greater benefit on the clean and jerk.
The point being that there will always be individual nuances, and whilst most people will benefit - if to a varying degree - from a pair of lifters, they’re not a requirement, especially in CrossFit. If your budget is limited, you’re mobile enough to squat in a hybrid shoe, or you’re simply not that bothered about ‘having all the gear’ as a CrossFitter, I’d recommend opting for a hybrid shoe before adding a pair of lifters to your training bag - so lace up your Nanos, Metcons, or other hybrid shoe of choice, and in the mean time, you can always keep an eye out for sales (Georgia got hers for around £50 when Reebok were doing a clearance!) and good second-hand offers. Remember: having a good coach and working on your mobility are things you can do without another pair of shoes.
Made up your mind yet?
At the end of the day it comes down to individual preference, and lifters are an investment. Expensive at first, but they last longer than standard trainers. Some of us use the same pair for years and grow strangely attached to them (not naming names…).
Here’s 4 key takeaways to help you finalise your decision, whether that’s getting a pair of lifters now, later, or never:
If you’re not 100% sure on getting lifters yet, or just can’t afford them right now, make sure you’re using some kind of shoe with a stable base, just for safety. The spongy sole of a running trainer has been the culprit of far too many sprained ankles for me to recommend using ‘any old shoe’.
If you can afford some, get some as soon as you can. It’s never too soon to start reaping the rewards, and if you’re ever thinking of competing, you’ll probably want to get some lifters. If you’re stepping onto the platform in those shoes, why not start training in them sooner rather than later?
Look out for sales. Especially when brands are bringing out their latest model, the old one is usually on sale - and it’s often just as good, with lots of people preferring previous versions of various shoes to the latest versions! This is how Georgia got hers at such a good price.
Get a used pair! Facebook groups, such as UK CrossFit Buy + Sell, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Vinted are all good places to keep an eye on. They’re a great place to find hybrid shoes, too.
Want to lift with us?
The programme is run on the app 'Fitr' with video demonstrations and further technical pointers in exercise descriptions.
I’ve yet to meet a weightlifting coach or athlete who doesn’t value a strong squat. As well as a strong front squat being required to stand up your cleans, a strength reserve across front and back squats will always serve you well, in both weightlifting and CrossFit.
Neither myself nor G are lifters with huge strength reserves - our clean numbers are up there with high percentage front squat numbers. As a result, we’ve both had to work hard over the years to keep pushing our squat numbers up, figuring out a LOT about what does - and doesn’t - work during that time!
We’ve poured all of this knowledge and experience into creating Squat Version 1 - our first 8-week squat programme. It’s designed to be the perfect addition to do alongside weightlifting, CrossFit, or other training styles, to build your back squat, front squat and overall leg strength. Whilst this programme is not guaranteed to add kilos to your total, it’s going to give you what every weightlifter trains for - stronger legs - which, provided your pull is strong and technically sound, will transfer to your olympic lifts.
Even if you already have a big strength reserve from previous sports, more strength will always benefit your lifts, as well as your overall health and longevity - there’s no such thing as being ‘too strong!’
Looking for a more bespoke option? Myself and Georgia each have availability for individual online coaching. Alongside a personalised programme, your coach will send you demo videos, break down the movements for you, and provide video feedback on your lifts.
Click here to find out more or apply now at this link.
If you’ve got questions, you can get in touch with me here, or Georgia here. We love hearing from you via social media, where G is always sharing content to educate and empower you to become your strongest, healthiest self!
Oh, and don’t forget to check out Georgia’s FREE guides here and other workout programmes here
