Elevated heel shoes or wedges for squats?

[Cinder]

I'm deciding between a good "squat" shoe or just use wedges. Having the heels elevated feels great for me personally.
The wedge I'm interested in can hook on to leg press machines,vertical leg press, and hack squat machines.
It's a bulky product to lug around, but it's the same price as top rated squat shoes.

I'll add some unnecessary comments...lol.

1. I do not do bb squats anymore, only hacks and pendulum squats for me.
2. I'm not a fan of the "creator" for how he gets social media attention, but the product looks good.

 

[traininsane11]

I’ve used both on their own and together for MAX QUAD.

But since only doing machine stuff now (hacks, pendulum, legs press) I don’t use either as I didn’t feel the shoes make that much difference on an angled platform and not used a wedge on a machine before

Will be very person dependent but since changing my training style I can engage way more quad with just normal flat trainers than I ever could with any purpose built thing to force forward knee travel but that’s not to say it wouldn’t be even better if used them again I just currently can’t be arsed

So yes both work well I’ve found

 

[luki7788]

I can honestly say that squat shoes completely changed my training.

Heel wedges are not even close. They simply can’t compare.
The stiffness of a proper squat shoe sole is on a completely different level. It gives you an incredibly stable base, which improves force transfer from your legs into the floor.
As a result, your biomechanics improve, your quads are easier to isolate, and everything just feels more stable.
Because the force is distributed much more evenly across your foot, thanks to the flat, rigid sole, knee discomfort also tends to become much less of an issue.

For me, squat shoes have been a complete game changer, especially if you’re tall and have long legs.

 

[d4ve]

I came to bodybuilding from powerlifting, and I powerlifted at a time when heeled squat shoes were super popular - so tbh I never really considered training quads without them.

That said, I don't love that I "have" to use them. I'd rather my ankle and hip flexibility be more accommodating to lifting in flats. But I have wide hips and long legs, so I use what I need to use to get good quad work.

 

[d4ve]

I did buy the Torq wedge...so far I don't really like using it. I'm not saying it's not a good product, but it feels like I'm using it as a crutch when I could / should work on hip mobility. And it seems really gimmicky to see so many guys under 200 lbs. using it - they should be plenty mobile to hit their quads without it on most leg presses and hack squats.

 

[pimpman]

Man I know technology advances but back in the old days none of this crap exist and guys still get massive legs I personally stick to traditional old school regular stuff and have no problem and save money at the same time and having to log around all this extra things into the gym. My gym bag is heavy enough with everything that in it as it is. Don’t care if it just on leg days it just adds more to deal with that’s just me to each it own I don’t judge anyone

 

[monsterzombie666]

I'm deciding between a good "squat" shoe or just use wedges. Having the heels elevated feels great for me personally.
The wedge I'm interested in can hook on to leg press machines,vertical leg press, and hack squat machines.
It's a bulky product to lug around, but it's the same price as top rated squat shoes.

I'll add some unnecessary comments...lol.

1. I do not do bb squats anymore, only hacks and pendulum squats for me.
2. I'm not a fan of the "creator" for how he gets social media attention, but the product looks good.

Since having the heels elevated feels great for you personally, I'd certainly go for the shoes over wedges, for the fitted stability alone.

I've always worn flat-bottom wrestling shoes for legs, so I'm on the other end of the spectrum when it comes to foot angle

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

Definitely shoes over wedges imo and I have used both.

My favorite pair is the TYR L2. I am a barefoot shoe guy in all my training except when I train legs and need that extra shin angle that the heel gives. I like the L2 because it has a wide natural shaped toe box, which not only gives you the heel, but allows you maintain proper natural toe splay and better force distribution through the foot. Most squat shoes have a notorious small / tight toe boxes.

 

[buck]

Never was a fan of elevating the heel a lot as it changed the biomechanics of how the body actually squats. Likely placing more stress on the knee which over years/decades leads to more wear or damage.

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

Never was a fan of elevating the heel a lot as it changed the biomechanics of how the body actually squats. Likely placing more stress on the knee which over years/decades leads to more wear or damage.

I agree with you, but if your hip structure and or mobility prevents you from executing a proper squat pattern, it can be worth trading one for the other. Executing a bad form squat with shit hip mobility and structure can be more detrimental to both health, and the targeted muscle, than any additional wear on the knee or ankle.

 

[Cinder]

Definitely shoes over wedges imo and I have used both.

My favorite pair is the TYR L2. I am a barefoot shoe guy in all my training except when I train legs and need that extra shin angle that the heel gives. I like the L2 because it has a wide natural shaped toe box, which not only gives you the heel, but allows you maintain proper natural toe splay and better force distribution through the foot. Most squat shoes have a notorious small / tight toe boxes.

I heard the TRY L1 were better because of laces?

 

[AllOkJumpmaster]

I heard the TRY L1 were better because of laces?

I never wore / tried the L1, that may be correct for those that want that. I love the L2, either way, you may prefer the L1, but don't think you can go wrong with either model.

 

[buck]

I agree with you, but if your hip structure and or mobility prevents you from executing a proper squat pattern, it can be worth trading one for the other. Executing a bad form squat with shit hip mobility and structure can be more detrimental to both health, and the targeted muscle, than any additional wear on the knee or ankle.

Those things can certainly be an issue. But it seems that those with hip or knee pain/issues . Got them from just using more weight then most. Being overweight causes more issues then anything. And those that spend decades lifting heavy weights usually all talk of knee, hip , shoulder pain. So trying to lift the most ergonomic way seems best unless shear mass regardless of the consequences is the goal.

 

[narta]

I have my Reebok legacy lifter 2 for the last 4 years after the first model and they may outlive me lol. they have a 22mm heel, slightly higher than others but for a 6'4" person like me with longer femur they are god send for lifting mechanics and stability

 

[Splitzz]

Wife got me my first set of squat shoes for Father’s Day, can’t wait to try them out today for legs. Going to be a game changer

 

[FrenchBench22]

I started using a wedge not too long ago and found it made a great different for my quad training.

But I got tired of carrying it around, and can't really use it on leg press. I ordered the Torq wedge to experiment with it, as it can be fixed to leg press platforms for example. But I also recently got squat shoes and find them far more superior, stable, and convenient than a wedge. So I'd say squat shoes are a game changer for me, and I wish I got them earlier.

 

[ThatGripGuy]

Lidls work boots are squat shoe. Looking to Hatfield Squat 500kg this year and have leg pressed 920kg using said boots (not the shoe version).

 

[Simon90]

Massive fan of squat shoes.

I bought them thinking nothing of it, and was pleasantly surprised!

I use them on machines too. Just hits the quad way better than without.

 

[Bio]

I'm deciding between a good "squat" shoe or just use wedges. Having the heels elevated feels great for me personally.
The wedge I'm interested in can hook on to leg press machines,vertical leg press, and hack squat machines.
It's a bulky product to lug around, but it's the same price as top rated squat shoes.

I'll add some unnecessary comments...lol.

1. I do not do bb squats anymore, only hacks and pendulum squats for me.
2. I'm not a fan of the "creator" for how he gets social media attention, but the product looks good.

Since you don't squat, I would try the wedge for leg press. I'm interested in this as well! You might try the shoes and the wedge for hacks and see which one feels best. I like the blocks that go behind the back as well, for the allowing for a deeper stretch on machines.

 

[Cinder]

I started using a wedge not too long ago and found it made a great different for my quad training.

But I got tired of carrying it around, and can't really use it on leg press. I ordered the Torq wedge to experiment with it, as it can be fixed to leg press platforms for example. But I also recently got squat shoes and find them far more superior, stable, and convenient than a wedge. So I'd say squat shoes are a game changer for me, and I wish I got them earlier.

Which shoes do you like