Are men's chucks too narrow as well?

i wear an $8 pair of airwalks that i found in some hell-hole of a place like walmart. idk if that would work for you though as my feet are long and skinny like a marshwiggle's.

my understanding is that you can get by with any flat, rigid-soled shoe. you want to be able to feel as if the entire sole of your foot is in strong contact with the ground, toes included. and you want an absence of cushioning as that absorbs (i.e. wastes) force and could be destabilizing.

other things to watch out for are slippy soles. you're supposed to brace your feet hard against the ground for some lifts, and a slip at a bad moment could potentially be a bad thing. coming out of the hole on a squat, for instance, or while using leg drive for your bench.

many people lift barefoot, if that's an option for you. i've also seriously considered lifting in my hiking/bad-weather boots

If you have the money for them, the crossfit Nanos 3+ have rather roomy toe areas while serving some sort of hybrid between flat shoes and a hard sole. I love mine (I got the 4.0 but I seem to remember the larger toebox started at 3 and I tried those on at one point, too). I have really wide out pinkie toes because I have refused to get anything that squished them for the most part (that's how your feet are SUPPOSED to be, anyway!). I can't wear women's shoes but meh, I don't tend to like the colors, anyway xP

As a reference, my lil sis who has gained a lot of weight, and barely fits into her own shoes anymore because of that, tried my nano's on and thought they were super comfy and was going to buy herself a pair to work in until I told her they were workout shoes and the sole would not be good for a long time standing. You can prolly get the 4.0s at a discount at any sports store by now.

Mine are something like this: static.fashionbeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/PUMASTATE.jpg

Honestly, I just use my cheap flat dress shoes after they get too beat up to wear at work. It looks a little funny, but they have grip, keep me from stepping on something sharp in my basement and give me a flat and solid base.

i sometimes squat in my runners because they do have a slight slope. in theory it's a big no-no, but i have a cranky left ankle and that changes things. i'd rather have the slightly mushy footprint than deal with the things that my spine and my pelvis do when that ankle just won't flex and the weight ends up in front of me on only one side. i'm not into tearing the tendon to force that heel down, either.

you could experiment first with putting the gym's smallest plates under your heels, just to see how it feels. the 2.5's are only about half an inch thick.

DDHFree wrote: »

Does anyone think there's a strong case for squat shoes with a slight lift at the heel? I am only in my 2nd week so I am really focused on form. I feel like I could squat better if the heels had a lift but of course I'm not certain. I have invested in everything that I need for my program; however, shoes are the last thing that I still feel I need to purchase. Just not sure if I should go for a pair Chuck Taylor or get a squat shoe.

I'd say you should work on making sure you can hit depth and have proper ankle mobility to squat without them before you go for the raised heel shoes. They're meant as an aid, not a crutch. Not addressing the issue of tight ankles will bite you in the buttocks later on. Also, you don't really wanna try to deadlift in squat shoes. It messes with your leverages. The closer to the ground your feet are, the better, IMO.

I go barefoot at home!

I like squats and deadlifts in socks, but so far the nike cross bionic aren't too bad. There isn't a whole lot to them, no lift or padding. Plus they were on sale.

The only signs I've seen at the gym are the ones saying people should put away the weights when they are done and not everyone follows that rule even. But I also was one to walk around the art building in college in just socks when doing long studio sessions for painting or drawing. I don't wear shoes at home either and I'd go without at work on occasion if I'd get away with it.

It's a strange rule. They don't want dirty feet or socks? Or they're worried you might drop things in your toes? My gym shoes aren't going to make much difference if I drop even a 5kg plate on my foot - ouch!

My gym shoes are pretty flat, but I do keep meaning to buy some converse or something better. The weight specific shoes are all quite expensive.