The Importance of Weightlifting Shoes and the Story Behind the Need

The reason behind the evolution of weightlifting shoes lies in the evolution of the technique by which weights are lifted. The two techniques, moving the body under the barbell and the arrangement of the starting posture of the weightlifter before lifting, are the two key elements that have brought in the need to have a specific shoe for lifting.

Weightlifting has been around for a hundred or more years and the technique used for weightlifting has been evolving since. If you are not familiar with weightlifting, the first thing you must know about lifting is the importance of the descent under the barbell. The lifter first lifts the weight up to his chest (this does not require much technique) after which he performs a snatch, which includes descending under the barbell and snatching it after going under it.

The descent makes it easier to lift a heavy weight. The lower the descent, the less height required to lift the weight, the heavier the weight one can lift. It's that simple.

In order to perform the snatch, the lifter must go lower to the ground while keeping his trunk vertical. This is done by splitting the legs, the front foot moving forward in a straight line and the other foot rearwards. This requires the bending of the rear foot because the rear foot rests on the ball and toes of the foot. The front foot needs to be flat on the floor in order to provide stability and avoid injury to the foot. But the problem came up when weightlifters started going extremely low by increasing the split and it was called the 'deep split'. The deep split requires a light bend in the ankle of the rear foot and also requires the front foot to move a lot more forward, causing the shin to be in a forward angle. However, this did not allow the weightlifter to place the front foot flat on the floor.

The deep split made the weightlifter lose a great deal of stability. Later on there came the 'squat', which was done by simply moving both the feet to the sides and bend the knees, hips and ankles to go extremely low to receive the barbell. This position also required both the feet to stay flat on the floor. Weightlifters then realized that a shoe with a raised heel would allow the front foot to lie flat on the floor while allowing the knees, hip and ankles to fully bend. This allows the muscles of the lower extremities to be used to their maximum capacity without losing balance.

As you can see, the reason behind the weightlifting shoes is an extremely valid one and one must not compromise on his or her health by wearing a shoe that is not designed to perform the task of weightlifting. By getting yourself a pair of weightlifting shoes you will find it easier to lift weights without injuring any part of your body.

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