Hey Matt,

I have seen a lot of RAW lifters and equipped lifters switching to weightlifting shoes or olympic weightlifting shoes...whatever you call it. I have worn the Adidas flat sole soccer shoe and am now wearing the New Balance Minimus. What are the advantages of wearing the olympic shoe while squatting?

- Malcolm

Malcolm,

I love the Olympic shoes. What I see as the benefits are:

1. Easier to get depth
2. Great if you have bad ankle mobility
3. Very solid sole (way better than the Adidas and Chuck's)

I've never used them when I lifted equipped. However, the thing I noticed is that my knees come forward a little more with the Olympic shoes, which is absolutely fine when squatting raw. Still, I can't comment on geared squatting because I've never used them.

- Matt Rhodes