Can anyone tell me about squating without shoes....

[hghanadrol1]

I know Aeliop loves doing this and I hope he chimes in on this thread...

Does anyone else have any information on this or any experiences with it?

 

[brineal]

i do squats and all deadlift variations in my socks...its really comfortable and doesnt make my ankles hurt like when i wear trainers but i only do it cause i dont have any lifting shoes..your gym will probably tell you not to do it also, so i would recommend keeping them unlaced next to the rack and put them on between sets, that way you only have them off for half a minute or so at a time..also wipe down where your nasty gym socks were lol

 

[thenatural3456]

yea same...i like doing squats and deads with no shoes...

i have pretty wide feet so my shoes are stretched out a bit so it just makes me feel more stable and square on my feet

 

[hghanadrol1]

What exactly is the benefit of doing this??

 

[PsyT]

i do it cause i dont want to buy lifting shoes and my running shoes will rock me forward with heavy loads and put the load on the front part of my feet (not good/safe!).

I do what the first guy said since my gym isn't really down with going barefoot (put them off only for the set then put them back on).

 

[xxsuprman22xx]

i go w/o shoes because my feet want to "slide out" of my shoes durring squats, gets quite uncomfortable on the toes. Its just more comfortable w/o them for me.

 

[mike913]

Does anyone know or think that squating or deadlifting barefoot increases your risk of collapsing the arches of your feet? This is the only thing that I could think of that may happen due to the fact that there is no support at all for the bones of your feet. Maybe there's not risk, since people that usually have collapsed arches got them due to running or hiking long distances over long periods of time (usually wearing the wrong type of footgear for their feet). I know when I was in the Army this was something we were warned about and were told to always get the right kind of running shoes and boot inserts for the the type of feet we had (personally I have somewhat high arches).

 

[aeliop]

Since you asked

I know Aeliop loves doing this and I hope he chimes in on this thread...

Does anyone else have any information on this or any experiences with it?

Your wish is my command

Before we go any further these are just my thoughts and opinions. I am not saying that I am right and everyone else is wrong nor do I have any scientific case studies to back my theories.

Balance
If someone held a gone to your head and threatened to shoot you in the head if you didn't walk a tightrope or a narrow balance beam with the ground 100 feet under you. With your life depending on it what would come the most natural to you walking with your bare feet over the rope or wearing Nike's? There is no shoe on the planet that replicates the bottom of your feet.

Feel
Shoes cover toes as well. These toes are essential to balance, gripping, and manipulating muscles in the foot. I always grip the floor with my toes and feet, flexing my quads, calves, gastrocnemius. Don't underestimate the importance of not only developing these muscles but using them to give you greater balance and control. Later on when I compete I use these same gripping, balancing, flexing, and controling techniques as stand barefooted on a stage.

Safety
Your foot is a custom made by you for you to balance yourself on. If your body is in balance and then you put it under the stess and durress of heavy weight, well that uneven surface that is a running show might put your body out of balance or alignment

Practical
If you have a nice pair of sneakers or running shoes that you wear to the gym
they are not made for 500LBS+ people. What I mean by that is that if you are 250LBS and lets say you are doing reps with 500LBS. I am just guessing it wouldn't take someone long to ruin all the gell, shock, and springs of a good running shoe.

 

[hghanadrol1]

Edit...Thank you Aeliop!!!

 

[xxsuprman22xx]

If you go barefoot, do you get more range or is it to keep overload from the toes and more even throughout the legs.??

I dont do it for any other reason other then comfort

 

[PsyT]

you get less ROM when deadlifting, same range of motion when squatting.

 

[hghanadrol1]

Aeliop, do you think there is a benefit to building the muscle up evenly, and putting stress equally on the leg muscles by going barefoot....

In my opinion, it sounds like it would since you arent really overloading the front or the back of your legs with shoes..

 

[hghanadrol1]

I would also like to thank everyone for chiming in on this thread...I trully do appreciate everyone's help and ideas and opinions...

 

[aeliop]

Aeliop, do you think there is a benefit to building the muscle up evenly, and putting stress equally on the leg muscles by going barefoot....

In my opinion, it sounds like it would since you arent really overloading the front or the back of your legs with shoes..

Even if you tried you couldn't overload the back of your legs doing squats. Backs of legs are much weaker then the front so the quads are going to handle the load. Heavy squats shoes or no shoes are like throwing hand grenades or shooting a shotgun, they are going to hit everything, it would be impossible to build those muscles up unevenly. The issue isn't even or uneven muscles, it is greater balance and control which would allow you to possibly develop better muscles.

 

[Pumped1]

Thats the only way you should do it.. With OUT SHOES that is..

i tried this about 8 years ago and never went back to wearing shoes...

you have so much more control when your flat on your feet..

i always take my shoes off for deads and squats.

IMO running shoes are the worst thing to wear when doing deads and squats because the are too soft and angled forward, not good for me at least.

 

[btech]

Going barefoot (or socks) > Chucks

??

 

[dragonfire101]

Good article and link to various shoes.

What Are The Best Weight Lifting Shoes for Squats & Deadlifts? | StrongLifts.com

Check these out if your gym won't let u go barefoot

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...11189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B0026MHO2C

 

[PHIL HERNON]

Well

I know the cavemen used to do it......I have not seen one yet with huge quads........

 

[mule]

if anyone is looking to do this you should transition into it slowly, do it to quickly can give you plantar fasciitis. here is a good article describing the transition to make

TMUSCLE.com | Go Barefoot to Get Stronger

 

[latimus]

I know the cavemen used to do it......I have not seen one yet with huge quads........

you have seen real cavemen

I also do this. Just feels better. and alot of shoes are on a weird angle and it just doesnt feel natural to me. seems like if you didnt have your shoe on tight enough or something and you were walking back with 495 on the bar bam u role or break an ankle. I would rather cut that out of the picture

puma's and sandals work pretty good though!