What Shoes are the Best Deadlift Shoes?
Wearing the proper deadlift shoes can make or break your deadlift performance.
This guide will help you pick the right shoes for you for the deadlift both in training and competition.
What are the Characteristics of a Good Deadlift Shoe?
A good deadlift shoe helps you reduce range of motion. A proper deadlift shoe reduces the range of motion that you need to lift the bar by positioning you as close to the ground as possible.
A proper deadlift shoe also improves foot grip and balance. A good deadlift shoe improves your balance and ability to grip the floor with your toes. It also reduces the likelihood that you will slip or lose your balance. Losing your balance could cost you the lift.
The right deadlift shoe helps you lift more weight by transferring the force you put into the bar into the lift.
A good shoe also helps you to use good technique. In contrast, using the wrong shoe can lead to technical errors that can cost you pounds on the platform.
Finally, the proper shoe allows you to enter a competition if you want to.
What are Some Good Deadlift Shoes?
Here are some good deadlift shoes.
Converse Chuck Taylors
Converse Chuck Taylors are actually a reasonably good deadlift shoe. They are also inexpensive and stylish. Many lifters use them for both the squat and the deadlift.
Converse keep your feet pretty flat and both your toes and heels pretty close to the floor. This helps you reduce the range of motion for the deadlift. The flat sole and good treading improves of this show improves your stability and balance.
Finally, Converse are a relatively flat shoe without too much padding or arch support. This means they won’t absorb the force you are trying to produce in the lift.
However, Converse do not put you as close to the floor or mimic a barefoot experience as much as some of the other shoes in this list. That could be a negative as they do not allow you to grip the floor with your toes as well.
Wrestling Shoes
Wrestling shoes make an excellent deadlift shoe.
First off, wrestling shoes help you keep a great grip on the floor. This helps you keep your balance and foot position throughout the lift.
Secondly, wrestling shoes have a very thin sole. This puts you as close to the ground as possible so that you can reduce the range of motion in the deadlift.
Wrestling shoes are slightly more pliable and flexible than Converse, so they allow more ankle mobility. This allows you to achieve more ankle dorsiflexion in the deadlift.
Wrestling shoes are light and mimic a barefoot deadlift. However, they also provide a little foot protection during the deadlift.
If you are a petite female, you might also consider purchasing kids wrestling shoes. I purchased boys wrestling shoes about 4 years ago for deadlifts and they have served me very well.
Wrestling shoes are also approved in most federations, including the USAPL.
While you may not be able to wear these shoes out in public like you can for the Converse, you might get some additional use out of them for other leg exercises.
Sabo Deadlift Shoes
Sabo Deadlift Shoes are one of the best deadlift shoes on the market.
They have Velcro straps that help keep your feet secure.
This deadlift shoe has a very minimal sole, meaning you will reduce the range of motion on your deadlift.
The sole is hard, yet flexible, allowing you to maximize ankle mobility in the deadlift while also helping you hoist more weight off the ground.
These shoes also have some support on the outsole which can help you keep your balance and keep you from slipping. This is especially helpful on the sumo deadlift.
These deadlift shoes also provide a bit more foot protection than the minimal wrestling shoe, which can be a pro in case you drop the bar on your feet.
These shoes are also approved for competition, and you will see quite a lot of lifters wearing these shoes in a meet setting.
The specificity of this shoe is also its only potential drawback. Because these shoes are primarily created for deadlifts, they should be reserved for competitive powerlifters looking to go the extra mile.
You should not wear them for any other uses really. For the casual athlete, these shoes might not be worth it.
However, for the competitive lifter looking to maximize their performance, these shoes might be a good choice.
Deadlift Slippers
Deadlift slippers resemble a ballet slipper with a firmer sole.
Deadlift slippers are really affordable, convenient, and they will not take up too much space in your gym bag.
They are approved in competition and they are the closest thing you will get to a barefoot deadlift.
They position your entire foot extremely close to the ground so that you can minimize the range of motion in the deadlift.
Deadlift slippers also provide good grip on the floor to help you keep from slipping. However, they lack some of the stability on the outsole that some of the other shoes on this list provide.
Unfortunately, this means that they will not provide the same slip resistance on the sumo deadlift as some others on this list.
Finally, this shoe also does not provide as much foot support for your toes in case you drop the bar on your feet. Ouch.
This is a great option for people who like conventional deadlifts, but not as good for those who pull with a sumo stance.
Now that we talked about some good shoes for the deadlift, let us talk about some bad footwear options for this lift.
Should you Deadlift in Running Shoes?
You absolutely should not deadlift in running shoes. Running shoes are not a good choice for deadlifts.
Running shoes position you a couple inches off the ground. This increases the distance the bar has to travel on the deadlift.
The heel portion is also higher than the toe portion. This can limit stability and balance, and can lead to some technical mistakes that make the lift less safe.
Running shoes also have a large amount of cushioning in the sole. This cushioning absorbs shock when running, but also absorbs some of your strength on the deadlift. This reduces the weight you can lift.
Running shoes do not have the right amount of traction at the right places to keep you from slipping in the deadlift.
And finally, you cannot compete in running shoes.
Should you Deadlift in Heeled Squat Shoes?
You also should not deadlift in heeled squat shoes. While these shoes have a firmer sole that helps you transfer the most force into the bar on squats, they are not ideal on deadlifts.
First, the sole on squat shoes are not grippy at all. You may even slip in a deadlift.
Second, the raised heel increases the range of motion you have to lift the deadlift bar, which makes the lift harder and limits the weight you can lift.
Third, the raised heel also may cause you to lose your balance or result in technique errors that make the deadlift more dangerous.
Save the raised heel squat shoes for the squat and invest in one of the deadlift shoes on the list.
Can you Deadlift Barefoot?
If you are not a competitive lifter, you may choose to deadlift barefoot.
You also need to check your gym policies, because some gyms prohibit you from exercising while barefoot.
Barefoot deadlifts allow you to minimize the range of motion of the lift more than any of the other options on the list.
You will be able to grip the floor with your toes very well and achieve good mobility and dorsiflexion of the ankles.
However, you will not have the same ankle stability and support that you would with one of the shoes on the list. This means that the intrinsic muscles of the feet will have to work harder to maintain a good position, but this may be helpful in the long run because it will lead to stronger feet and ankles.
One final drawback to consider is that barefoot deadlifting does not provide your feet with any protection in case you drop the bar on your feet.
Did this Guide to Deadlift Shoes Help You?
I hope this guide to footwear for the deadlift helped you. If it did, please leave a comment below.
