Month: July 2015

Why Get Olympic Lifting Shoes?

There is a pattern of movement involved when you are performing Olympic weight lifting exercises such as the Snatch or Clean and Jerk. These exercises require that a great amount of force be exerted from your body and is supporter through the feet. Therefore your feet require proper cushioning and padding in order to manage that force. This will allow you to enjoy full benefits of the exercise and avoid injuries.

Why can’t I use regular shoes?

-The main issue when lifting in regular shoes is that they are usually padded on the sole which makes the body ‘sink’ into the shoes when you try to perform our lifts. This will lower your capacity to exert force and press up against the weight because the padding is absorbing lots of tension.

-Another problem is that you have a higher chance of injury due to the instability of in the design of other shoes. An ankle roll when doing heavy weight lifting can be extremely severe. This is because you are normally lifting weights that can cause significant injury if mishandled.

-Weight lighting shoes have a solid flat sole design and less soft cushioned surface, hence, they reduce the chances of ankle rolls and instability issues. Keep the cushioned shoes for activities like running.

Olympic weightlifting shoes: Tools of the Trade

One of the most essential equipment a lifter should own is a pair of Olympic weightlifting shoes. Weight- lifting shoes are secure and keep your foot in place to prevent it from moving. They offer firm contact with the surface and reduce sole compression.
Olympic weightlifting shoes are design from the ground up for the purpose of Olympic weightlifting. When you have a shoe that has a singular focus the end result is a quality product for a deserving sport.

Qualities of Olympic Lifting Shoes

Sole
The soles of the best Olympic weightlifting shoes should be made of rubber which is perfect for both support and traction purposes. It’s important that you feel tightly fixed on the surface with your shoes. If you feel like you are slipping then problems are likely to occur. Most of the best Olympic weightlifting shoes also tend to have a flat sole surface. This is a perfect design for the sport because it promotes greater stability.

Fit
When purchasing Olympic lifting shoes ensure that you buy ones that suit your body and will allow you to lift the maximum quantity of weight you can achieve. Make sure that the shoes are fitting your body well and that you are comfortable in them for long gym sessions. You must know your foot structure.
Do you have narrow feet?

-Do you have narrow wide feet?

-What is you “true” foot size? (Tip: Try on a pair of dress shoes. This is a good way to determine your weightlifting shoe size.)

-Do your feet sweat? (Important in determining if you should get a breathable shoe)

Heel Support

Check the support system the Olympic lifting shoes offer. Look out for firm heel support that makes you feel sturdy. This is particularly essential if you have weak ankles which tend to roll in or outwards when doing squats. You should get less ankle motion and have the ability to hoist more weight.
Also observe the heel high that is right for you. The best Olympic weightlifting shoes will have a heel high between 1/2″ or 3/4″ inches.

Olympic lifting shoes weight

Olympic weightlifting shoe brands offer somewhat different weight so be observant. Expect your typical weightlifting shoe to be heavier than typical running shoes due to the additional support required. In spite of the heavier weight, the shoes should not be too heavy to limit your movements.

Do You Waste Time When You Train?

Adapted from a blog by ERIC CRESSEY, July 1. 2015 “How Much Work Are You Actually Doing?”

Something to think about (both for those who train and for those who don’t have time – read “maybe you do have time”): When you “work”…do you waste time? What’s “work”? Think about Force x Distance. Also consider your load and range of motion….make sure they’re both appreciable. Then take it a step further and work w/out wasting time. Do significant work w/out a lot of standing around.

In the general fitness industry, this is a more common problem than we realize. There are a lot of people struggling to make progress because they think that they train a lot harder than they actually do. No fault of their own, however, as a lot of them have never been taught how much volume and intensity is needed for progress, and even fewer have actually gotten into a training environment that forced them to take on a challenging training program.

So, how do you know if you’re working hard or not? Is it sweat on your shirt, or wobbly legs as you leave the gym? Sure, those are somewhat subjective signs, but they’re a good start.

Speaking more objectively, though, lifters should be able to get in warm-up work and then 20+ sets of mostly compound lifts in 60-75 minutes. And, in most cases (particularly beginner and intermediate lifters), the weight used on these sets should increase from week to week.

If you’re not able to get that much quality work in over the course of that much time, there is a good chance you’re doing too much waiting around between sets, or you’re getting caught up doing some other low-priority training initiative.

From time to time, it’s useful to do a “training audit” to see where you stand on this front. Review your recent programs to see if you’re getting in enough quality work to continue making progress. Even accomplished powerlifters do this and realize that with all the heavy singles and long rest periods, they were actually getting in very little total work in training sessions.

You may also find that you’re doing so much work that you could benefit from a back-off period. That might come in the form of volume, intensity, or frequency reductions. The important thing is that you are cognizant of the hard work it takes to succeed. And, even more importantly, you’ll understand where you are relative to that benchmark.

If you read this article and think it might pertain to your training, take better advantage of your training time…work harder – you’ll see the results. For those of you who don’t have time to “work out”….consider that maybe you do – but you will have to “work”! We’d love to help – it’s our passion!