YOUR SHOES BELONG ON AN EPISODE OF STAR TREK...

Let's talk appropriate shoes for their respective activities. Are you a one shoe fits all kinda person? The kind of person who goes on a run, crawls under a heavy squat, and strolls through Disney Land all in the same pair of asphalt pounders (running shoes)?

  I know, I know...they are so squishy and comfortable, it's like strapping the snuggle soft bear to your feet and going about your business. Mmmm, pillowy gooey goodness with every step! That may be well and good for leisurely strolls but those shoes have no place in the weight room! Yet what do I see all too often as I march into the gym ready to smash the crap out of any weight that stands between me and a PR (personal record)? To my horror, there will inevitably be some dude with some kind of "go big or go home" sloganed T duck under the squat bar with 3x the weight he should be doing, and...you guessed it...a shoe akin to footwear from an episode of Star Trek with little shocks and straps and enough cushioning to provide ride comfort for a Sherman tank. "More cushion more gooder"! (For those of you who haven't met him...that was my ridiculously stupid friend Steve). 

Ok Steve let me see if I can guide you through this one. In the weight room, when it comes to your shoes, LESS IS MORE! You want as little cushion between your foot and the ground. That means a very basic flat bottom hard sole shoe. Why? Because of a few things...

Stability

Your ability to apply force 

Ground reaction force

 First off, how stable do you think you will be with a 400lb bar on your back and pillows strapped to your feel? You need to be able to feel the weight and the ground. 

  Ok what about applying force? Think about this for a second. Is it easier to move a heavy rigid object or a heavy yet very soft object? A rigid object has no give so all of your force is applied to move said object. On the other hand, with a soft object you must first fully compress the object before your force can be exerted on actually moving it. So a lot of energy is wasted in that compressing portion. Apply that same principle to your shoes. It may not seem like much but that wasted energy can add up a lot less weight being moved. The weight that is being moved isn't being controlled very well, and this can lead to crap form.

  How bout ground reaction forces? A simple demonstration if you will...

Imagine you are trying to execute a deadlift in the sand. Immediately upon trying to ascend into your PR record book, you are met with our friend ground reaction force (who is nowhere near as dumb as Steve). In this case your force is absorbed into the sand until the sand is compressed enough to push back (GRF). 

  "Again oh mighty wielder of the keyboard, you've talked yourself in circles and none of us understand you"! Wow guys! that was kind of rude! but fine...I will spell it out.
The cushion in your shoes is acting like a shock absorber and soaking up all of the force you are trying to generate to move the weight, and also acting to dampen the force of the ground pushing back at you. There, are you happy?

  So... here's what you do...go to your closet, look way in the back, somewhere in there you should be able to find the perfect shoe. describe it? Most commonly it is black with a white sole and toe cap, and it has a little star on the side. Yep a pair of "Chucks"  (Converse Chuck Taylors). Just look at any power lifting competition and you will see the vast majority of these competitors wearing Chucks.
They have a stable flat hard sole and the best part is...they are cheap! And if you are a hipster, you have like twenty pairs of these sitting by your front door right now!

  Its time to go lift! So throw the Star Trek shoes in the garbage and grab your Chucks!