I think its a great compromise between a proper lifting shoe and a shoe that a crossfit guy may wear.
You guys know how I feel about compromise.
Either do something properly or not at all, not sure who this shoe is for, the casual lifter maybe?
Markos (is it cool if I call you that?)
You know how most powerlifters change into flat soles when they deadlift so they can get more posterior chain involvement? Rip's idea is that the lower heel creates a better balance between quad and posterior chain involvement in the deadlift, and is better suited to a low bar, shoulder width stance squat, which is what he teaches.
It'll either be a revolution or a bit of a flop.
whats recomended then? because in all honesty ive been training in brooks runners, i was a keen runner for a while and im just so used to them so since ive started weight lifting i sorta just kept the same shoes lol...
You owe me reps for this.
Basically runners have a cushy sole, which makes you unstable at the bottom of the squat. On the other hand, the heel prevents you from getting proper hamstring involvement in the deadlift.
Weightlifting shoes have two main features:
1) They have a solid heel (usually wood) which doesnt compress in order to keep the foot stable. This allows less flexible (ie most) people to get better depth in the squat and balances out quad and posterior chain involvement so you can exert more force against the bar.
2) They have straps which bind tightly across the foot, preventing any movement
Squatting in both kinds of shoes with any decent weight would be enough to show you that this is a pretty big deal.
However, over the years there's been a lot of contention over heel height.
Being designed for stability in OLYMPIC LIFTS, the standard heel on Olympic shoes (0.75-1") is too high, preventing proper posterior chain involvement in the deadlift and also for those who adopt a wider squatting style (ie shoulder width and wider).
Powerlifters (APF and WPO excluded) have traditionally owned two pairs of shoes - both weightlifting for squatting and a flat sole for deadlifting.
Mark Rippetoe (probably the biggest authority in the world for the slow lifts right now) has designed a shoe specifically for the slow lifts - it has a lower heek (0.5") which will supposedly create a better balance between quad and posterior chain involvement in both the squat and deadlift. Time will tell its success.