Just got some Oly Shoes!

[Jim Ouini]

Discontinued Adidas Ironworks from Dynamic Fitness.

coolcolj sold me on them when he talked about sitting back and how stable they were.

I called yesterday and they arrived today. Good service, I must say.

I tried 'em on around the house, they fit perfect and don't look THAT bad

$100 shoes, 10c squat here I come! I'll try 'em out Friday.

 

[mekannik]

Have fun and enjoy them. But just a couple of reminders....

1) Do not wear them outside (i.e. on asphalt, in the rain) - - - save them specifically for in the gym.

2) Look out for unlevel surfaces. These are even less forgiving then running shoes - little to no lateral support.

Does your gym have a specific oly lift area (wood flooring with rubber drop zones on either side)?

 

[Jim Ouini]

DP

 

[Jim Ouini]

Oh yeah one other reason I got 'em was because Rippetoe said in his book that they'd make a 'radical' difference in your squat. So that sounded like something I could use

Have fun and enjoy them. But just a couple of reminders....

1) Do not wear them outside (i.e. on asphalt, in the rain) - - - save them specifically for in the gym.

2) Look out for unlevel surfaces. These are even less forgiving then running shoes - little to no lateral support.

Does your gym have a specific oly lift area (wood flooring with rubber drop zones on either side)?

I actually have a bad right ankle so I'll definitely keep point #2 in mind. And yeah I always change my shoes in the gym (even when they were regular old Nike's).

Sadly, there isn't an oly lifting area at my gym. It's just a squat area (not a power rack) with the rubber flooring.

 

[Guinness5.0]

Is there much elevation at the heel?

 

[Jim Ouini]

About an inch, maybe a bit less.

 

[bignate73]

you'll like em. you should feel "stapled to the floor" as i like to think of it. but the stability for pushing straight down is awesome. i switch mine up with OLY squats and OLY shoes, and PL squats and Chucks.

 

[blut wump]

Sounds like a great investment. I'm looking forwards to reading how they are in action.

 

[Jim Ouini]

you'll like em. you should feel "stapled to the floor" as i like to think of it. but the stability for pushing straight down is awesome. i switch mine up with OLY squats and OLY shoes, and PL squats and Chucks.

That's pretty much how I plan to use them: oly shoes on squat day, my regular flat soled shoes on deadlift day.

Sounds like a great investment. I'm looking forwards to reading how they are in action.

I'll report back after Friday's workout - if my squat doesn't go up by 50lbs and butt 2 inches from the floor I'll be a bitter man

 

[AlwaysOn]

are these better than chuck taylors?

 

[Guinness5.0]

are these better than chuck taylors?

From what I understand, chucks are great for those who use a REALLY wide stance (PLs) whereas the Oly shoes are better for a more normal stance.

I don't have first-hand experience with either- just going off what I've heard.

 

[bignate73]

basically with a PL squat or DL you want to be as flat footed as possible. chucks give you lateral support since your stance is so wide and you are "spreading" the floor you need that on the sides of your shoes.

OLY shoes have an elevated heel. you are pushing downward and don't require lateral support, just a flat stiff based shoe since your forces are generally directed downwards.

 

[StealthPower]

If your a PL dont worry about the OL shoes.

If your an OL dont worry about the chuck taylors.

Plers need a flat area for the feet with little give in support. OL shoes with the raised back help a ton in getting into proper positioning with the OLs.

Kc

 

[Dial_tone]

I never squat without mine.

 

[bignate73]

i squat both ways, because its a goal of mine to make both go up. helps both my power cleans and both conventional and sumo DL's.

 

[Jim Ouini]

First workout with the new shoes (squat, clean pull)

I was hoping nobody at the gym would notice or even know what they were. Well after warming up I walk into the weights area and some guy who kind of knows me sees me, points and yells 'Hey new shoes?!'

Anyway, they felt great when I was just warming up squats. Like bignate said I felt stapled to the floor, that's what impressed me most, the stability. Unfortunately, my squat was kind of broken today so it was like putting Ferrari tires on a Pinto. It's all good though

For cleans they were real nice, really helped me with the drive off the floor, I think. But after a long workout they felt kind of stiff, like walking around in dress shoes all day.

Verdict: 2 enthusiastic thumbs up