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Nike Unisex Romaleos 4 Weightlifting Shoes

The Nike Romaleos 4 aren’t running shoes cosplaying as lifting shoes. These are made for gym sessions, period. The shoes’ heels are tall and stubbornly rigid; there’s almost no give underfoot and two straps cinch the midfoot section into place for added stability.

Sabrina Minhas, a podiatrist and assistant professor at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, said the Romaleos 4 shoes are ideal to wear while heavy squatting and Olympic weightlifting. “I generally don’t want the foot sitting on a highly compressible surface,” she said. “Rather, I want a firm, predictable platform underneath their foot.”

Fata-Chan said the stiff elevated heels make it more stable for you “to sit comfortably at the bottom of a clean or a squat while decreasing the demands of ankle mobility to get to the bottom of the lift.” So, you could feel more comfortable and work harder wearing these.

Meanwhile, Mikel Daniels, president and chief medical officer at WeTreatFeet Podiatry, likes how little room the Romaleos leave for movement under a heavy load. Miguel Cunha, founder and podiatrist at Gotham Footcare, said lifters with narrower feet will especially like these, thanks to the shoes’ close fit and firm TPU heels. Lastly, Danielle Clavelle, a powerlifting and nutrition coach at Calgary Barbell, likes the Romaleos shoes for lifters who want a high, rigid heel that encourage a deeper range of motion during squats.

By that count, five experts chose the same shoes, so suffice it to say these are a solid pick.

The tighter forefoot area is the only red flag the experts raised. Daniels said he’d hesitate to put someone with a broad forefoot, bunions or a history of neuroma symptoms in the Romaleos model.

TYR Unisex L-2 Lifter Weightlifting Shoes

“For someone with a wider forefoot, I would look at the TYR L-2 Lifter,” Minhas said. “I like the wider forefoot design from a podiatric perspective because a lifting shoe should be secure without compressing the toes.” The shoes are great for any serious Olympic lifter and boast a 21-millimeters toe-drop, a rigid base and two straps you can pull tight across the midfoot section to secure it to your liking.

Daniels appreciates that TYR didn’t solve one fit problem by creating another. “The wider toe box in this shoe does not come at the expense of heel security,” he said. “The heel and midfoot still feel controlled without having to overtighten the straps.”

Compared to the Romaleos model that has a restrictive, tight fit ideal for people with narrow feet, these shoes are the better starting point for someone with a broad forefoot who wants a high heel, Clavelle said.

Priya Parthasarathy, a podiatrist and partner at US Foot & Ankle Specialists, also recommends the L-2 for anyone implementing serious squats and lifts into their fitness routine, since the rigid midsoles and heel counters support balance and alignment and keep the back of the feet from wandering during exercises.

Adidas Unisex Adipower Weightlifting 3 Shoes

The Adidas Adipower Weightlifting 3 shoes essentially build a small ramp into the back with a 22-millimeter toe-drop that tips your weight forward just enough to expand your range of motion and depth of squats.

Daniels recommends it for “serious squat training, Olympic lifting and lifters who need more help achieving depth because of limited ankle dorsiflexion.” He said the heel height and firm platform allow the torso to remain upright in deep squats and more stable receiving positions in cleans and snatches. He described the fit as generally medium width — roomier than the Romaleos through the forefoot, but without the broad, almost squared-off feel of the TYR.

All of that is why Greg Nuckols, head of content at Stronger by Science and a former world-record-holding powerlifter, called the Adipowers a staple for competitive weightlifting.

Nike Metcon 10

Adidas Unisex Powerlift 5 Weightlifting Shoes

Your first lifting shoes shouldn’t feel like you’ve strapped yourself into specialized equipment. The Adidas Powerlift 5 model has a gentler learning curve than most, with a 15-millimeter toe-drop, a firm base and enough structure to make squats feel noticeably more balanced.

“Its heel elevation is more modest than some specific Olympic lifting shoes, which can help make the transition from a regular gym shoe less dramatic,” Minhas said. “It still gives people the features including rigidity and support that I consider important.”

Cunha also recommends the shoes for people just getting into squats and Olympic lifts, where a little extra heel height can improve form and depth without radically changing the way you stand under the bar.

And these can last you more than the first few trips to the gym. “My own Adidas Powerlifts are from 2015 and are still going strong,” Clavelle said. “That does not guarantee the current model will last the same length of time, but it is why I do not see the Powerlift as a disposable beginner shoe. Budget-friendly does not have to mean short-lived.”

One word of warning, though: The toe boxes have a more traditional taper, so Clavelle would send anyone with a broader forefoot toward the TYR shoes instead.

Converse Unisex Chuck Taylor All Star

The Chuck Taylor All Star was never designed to help somebody pull several hundred pounds off the floor, but the canvas shoes do so effectively. “These shoes are flat, firm, and non-compressible with a zero-drop platform for maximum ground contact and stability while minimizing the distance between the foot and floor,” Cunha said.

If you need some more convincing, consider this: Nuckols set a batch of powerlifting world records in hand-me-down Chuck Taylors his dad bought in the ’80s — a fairly convincing line on the résumé for shoes better known for appearances on basketball courts and punk shows.

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Reebok Unisex Nano X5 Training Shoes

The Reebok Nano X5 model is for workouts with commitment issues. One minute you’re under a bar, the next somebody has written 400 meters on a whiteboard and sent you out the door for some sprints. “If you want to save money by only buying one pair of shoes — or if you just don’t want to worry about changing your shoes mid-workout — ‘functional fitness’ shoes are a great option,” Nuckols said. He considers these perfectly adequate for squats, weightlifting and deadlifts (even if a dedicated pair of shoes for each lift will do each job better).

Mark Mendeszoon, a podiatrist and foot-and-ankle surgeon at Precision Orthopaedic Specialties, also recommends the Nano line for mixed training. The heels are relatively low, keeping you closer to the floor under a bar, while the rubber outsole and lateral support give the shoes enough grip and structure for lifts, carries and lateral movements.

Unlike weightlifting shoes, these hybrid sneakers have flexible soles and cushioning underfoot. This way, you can run a few hundred meters without feeling like you wandered onto the track in ski boots.

Adidas Adizero Dropset Pro Training

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Scott Simone is a contributor and former deputy editor at CNN Underscored. He was previously managing editor at Hearst’s BestProducts.com. In his decade-plus career, he has written and edited thousands of product reviews and guides on a range of products, from blenders to smartphones.

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