Weightlifting involves very complex exercises which, at advanced levels, usually involve carrying, pulling, pushing, and lifting excessive amounts of weight. Additionally, some weightlifting practices require complex motions while remaining in control of a loaded barbell. As you can probably guess, this is not a scenario where you want your weightlifting shoes to have poor stability, but rather the complete opposite.

Though multiple factors have an impact on the stability of a shoe, it ultimately comes down to the outsole height. The higher you are off the ground, the less stability you’ll have.

When dealing with big weights, it’s important to remain as close to the ground as possible. However, a totally flat outsole might not be convenient for some exercises. The higher you are off the ground, the more likely you are to lose lateral balance.

Regardless of the exercise you’re performing, if it involves no support, you want as much stability as you can get. Unstable powerlifting shoes are extremely hazardous in the lifting room and become more dangerous as you hit heavier. Losing control of the barbell not only creates the possibility of being hit directly by the loaded bar but it also exposes you to injuries. If your knees or ankles start tilting inwards or outwards because of an unstable weightlifting shoe, you’re guaranteed to have a bad time when lifting heavy.

But it doesn’t stop there. Stability is not just a matter of safety but also a matter of optimal performance. Poor balance can actually reduce your capacity to lift more weight. The lack of stability can affect your form, range of motion, and endurance.

In the opposite case, a solid and steady lifting shoe allows you to perform at your best. This is due to your positioning and impulse when performing an exercise. While deadlifting, for example, shoes should act as a firm platform to push your feet against the ground, helping you lift the barbell.

Stability is of utter importance during dynamic exercises as well, such as the clean and jerk, the barbell snatch, and barbell lunges.

The main elements that contribute to the stability of a weightlifting shoe are the sole grip, the ankle support, and the shoe height.

When it comes to performance footwear, weightlifting shoes are very similar to running ones. While there’s the traditional multi-purpose running sneaker, more specific activities like trail running require additional features. This is the cause of weightlifting. While it might all look like the same at first hand, there’s a wide variety of differences amongst lifting performances.

This doesn’t mean that it’s forbidden to train with other shoes. You might, eventually, get away with weight training in sneakers in some cases, such as Converse. Although the variations aren’t too different physically, there are certain key aspects that do matter. Keep in mind this is by no means necessary to train, but it’s something to consider; especially if you’re after the most optimal performance.

For instance, steady and heavy compound movements such as the deadlift are best performed with flat soles. The midsole shouldn’t be too thick or too high, and the outsole should provide an adequate grip to the training surface.

The better grasp you have on the surface, the better you’ll perform. Old school lifters often preferred going barefoot on deadlifts. This is because they believed every inch between you and the ground affected your form. This distance can also cut off some pounds you could be potentially lifting.

Squats, on the other hand, are best performed with a raised heel. Now, there’s a lot of controversies whether this is good or not. It all comes down to each person’s preference (and anatomy in some cases); what’s comfortable for you might be utterly annoying for others. Some heavy hitters will tell you their $200 raised-heel squatting footwear is the key to breaking personal records. On the other hand, you’ll also see gym veterans (and even Olympic lifters) rocking a good ole’ pair of Chuck Taylors.

So, what’s behind each shoe?

Raised heel shoes are what’s commonly known as a weightlifting design. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) defines it as “a shoe to protect lifters' feet from falling weights while also providing a stable, firm surface.” This is why you might have seen some footwear with a type of protective cap around the toe box.

As for the raised heel, it helps some users to drop the hip as much as possible while maintaining an upright back. Because of this, there’s a considerable decrease in stress to the lumbar spine, also activating more the quadriceps. They’re a really good way to hit those ass-to-grass squats. The heel is, usually, 3cm tall and should be no higher than that. Additionally, the raised heel helps prevent bad form as well as the valgus knee collapse.

Lastly, Chuck Taylors are the old-school favorites. If you want an unbendable rubber outsole that acts as a solid platform, Converse is where you go. They deliver a good squatting performance for beginners, and you don’t have to break the bank. Though, they suck for running; no debate on that. These won’t support your depth or your spine, but you can place two small plates below your heels to simulate a raised heel.

Just like the outsole cases we just mentioned, there’s a moment when you could use heel height and moments when you must not. Regardless of the exercise you’re performing and the type of shoe you’re wearing, you can’t have 7cm of a heel. That’s just asking for an accident.

Heel height is a key point in the realm of stability and form; get those two things wrong and your performance will suck, not to mention that you’ll be inviting an injury.

A heel raise, if any, should be no higher than 3cm. This is, of course, depending on the exercise you’ll perform. During deadlifts and similar practices, a raised heel is the last thing you want. Once again, we’re not telling you to get the most expensive pair of Olympic shoes available; just don’t wear the wrong ones.

A raised heel during a deadlift, such as the one in running shoes, decreases your vertical balance. By having your heels higher than your toes, you’re likely to lean forward when pulling the weight off the ground. If by any chance you start inclining forward when the bar is on the way up, we can guarantee you a painful result.

But heel height is not always a negative thing. Like we previously explained, it can be beneficial for your posture and performance in exercises such as the squat. Additionally, in Olympic lifting shoes, heel height often comes from raised heels.

Raised heels are not just a bulk of rubber that goes on the back of your outsole. In fact, what people often don’t know is that raised heels are, usually, made of wood or plastic. They are also equipped with a rubber outsole to prevent slipping.

Heel height can be a very useful tool for users with ankle mobility and flexibility issues. This heel platform relieves some of the pressure involving the muscles in the lower body (peroneal, soleus, and lateral gastrocnemius). These muscles often get the stiffest during heavy squatting. Lastly, the raised heel can help preserve a neutral arch on the foot.

Weightlifting shoes need to be able to endure heavy exercising. This involves both static and dynamic weight training. As soon as the elements of a design start deteriorating, performance becomes heavily affected. As you can imagine, durability and performance go hand-in-hand.

The durability of footwear is mostly related to the material it's built from, as well as the manufacturing quality. Weightlifting shoes are pretty much the same. Believe or not, deterioration in them can determine how much you can lift. It also determines your performance and potential risk of injury.

Each element degrades individually, but it’s important to understand the shoe degrades as a whole. This means every element should be in a similar state as the rest of them. If one element degrades much faster than the rest of the design, it will lose its quality and the potential usage the rest of the elements may still have. For instance, if the upper rips apart while the outsole rubber is in good shape, the design is unusable now and a healthy outsole goes to the trash.

Generally, the piece that degrades the fastest in a weightlifting shoe is the sole. This is no surprise, as it’s the part that handles the most tension. The heavier you lift, the more your sole will suffer. This doesn’t mean you should go light to avoid killing your powerlifting shoes; they’re made for lifting, after all. If, however, you’re using the wrong shoe for a heavy deadlift, you can considerably reduce its lifetime by squashing the sole.

One of the most important concepts of durability is proper usage and care. The example we just mentioned is a common result of what happens when people do weight training while wearing running sneakers. These sneakers are designed to provide comfort and protection to the foot during aerobic activities. Put them under hundreds of pounds, however, and they’re not so good, anymore.

It’s also important to know when your footwear has reached its time. Weightlifting shoes are, definitely, not the kind of footwear you want to push over its durability. We’re no longer talking about comfort or efficiency but rather safety. Worn-out footwear can put you in many of the unfortunate situations we’ve mentioned here, such as losing balance under a loaded barbell and potentially injuring yourself.

You must be wondering, “Didn’t you just tell us we need rigid, solid platforms for lifting?” We did. And we reaffirm that claim when it comes to certain exercises. However, weightlifting is much more extensive than you might think. At a simple glance, it all looks like the same: barbells, dumbbells, lifting, pulling and pushing. There are, however, more differences than you can probably notice.

For instance, a lunge is considerably easier to perform in a flexible shoe than a stiff one. And yes, a lunge is a weightlifting exercise, just as much as any other. Like we mentioned in the outsole specialty section, this type of footwear varies according to the practice. Yet again, this doesn’t mean you need one pair of each kind of shoe.

Ask yourself: is my training dynamic, or is it steady and heavy? In other words, what kind of mobility do you expect during your training?

If you’re going to be moving around in dynamic motions with a barbell on your shoulders, you’ll want a flexible design. Total stiffness will do you no good during mixed training that requires a lot of mobility.

That being said, there are heavy training shoes that are flexible. You don’t have to limit yourself to the benefits of just one type of footwear.

There are special designs for specific activities, but those are meant for people who dedicate precisely to those specific practices. Keep in mind we always target our advice towards the most optimal performance, as well as your personal health. This is why we may recommend such a large variety of footwear styles.

We’re not saying there’s no other possible approach to deadlifting than deadlifting shoes. If you want a design that is flexible when moving around but stable when lifting, that’s just fine. As long as they don’t bend around when you’re lifting heavy, they do the trick. Of course, specific footwear for each activity would deliver better results, but at the cost of convenience and expenses. On the other hand, knowing your safety is in a good place is always worth the extra penny.