Proper Footwear

Your feet are the only parts of your body touching the ground, they are the base. So When it comes to an overhead squat for example, would you rather be lifting on a mattress or on a solid stable surface? Most running shoes are very similar to the mattress. They are built for comfort and to lesson the shock your body undergoes when you run long distances. They are not ideal for supporting your body while you Olympic lift, especially a high and soft squishy heel. Olympic lifting shoes on the other hand are of course designed to lift in. They also have a raised heel but it is completely solid (usually wood, or hard plastic). That solid heel will help to compensate for a lack of ankle flexibility and also put you in a better position to start and receive weights. I am not a rep from adidas or do-win but I do want you to get the best possible results and help make your lifting more productive. You dont want your shoes to be an issue. Now given that we do Crossift and that usually means that some workouts will have us both running and lifting in the same workout that is where the more “minimalist” shoes come in. To me they are a good balance of a more stable sole than a running shoe but not as restrictive as an Oly shoe. Examples would be the reebok Crossfit nanos, or inov-8 f-230/f-195, or new balance minimus line. These are good all-around shoes for workouts that have a mix of running and lifting. So again Im not trying to slang shoes but just give you some ideas and info. I recommend having running shoes (for running wods of course), oly shoes (for lifting) and minimal shoes for WODS that have a mix of the two. If you have any questions ask Matt Booth as he has tried every single color of every single shoe ever made with Crossfit or lifting in mind and a few pairs of runners as well. He is a wealth of info. Thanks and keep your feet happy!