Thread by @FitFounder

The best lifting shoes on the planet Nike doesn't want you to know about

THREAD

When you were a child the widest part of your foot structure was your toes.

But what do traditional running shoes do to our toes? They keep them boxed in.

Strength come from the feet first & if you're not able to spread your toes you become weaker by nature.

Wearing narrow shoes while lifting can lead to problems with your feet such as...

-Bunions
-Hammer toes
-Plantar fasciitis
-Foot stability problems

Not having proper toe spread leads to less stability in the foot, which causes a toxic chain reaction of weakness up your body.

Why should your toes spread out?

Try this test:

Do 10 reps of a barefoot squat while bunching your toes together.

Then do another 10 reps with your toes spread out.

If you do this right you'll feel more stability with your toes spread out.

Photo cred: @SquatUniversity

@SquatUniversity Are you wearing the right lifting shoes?

Do this test:

Take out the insole of your lifting shoe. Put it on the ground & place your foot on it.

Are you able to spread your toes or do they box your toes in?

If your toes cannot spread out you may be wearing the wrong shoes.

@SquatUniversity Here's a picture of the insole of a Nike running shoe.

If you look closely you can see that it contains the toes.

But..

If you look even closer you'll see that the toes are fixed in position meaning they can't spread.

They’re boxed in.

@SquatUniversity So what shoes should you wear?

You want shoes that have a wide toe box & allow for your toes to spread naturally.

One of the best shoes I've found for this is barefoot minimalist shoes.

@SquatUniversity An example of this would be the Vivo Barefoot shoes.

Lifting in a shoe like this is better for the foot & overall stability.

It's flexible, has a wider toe box & a minimal sole so your foot can function as it was designed to do.

@SquatUniversity What about toe shoes?

Toe shoes are better than running shoes but if you look at the the way they're designed the toes are kept in a fixed position.

We want toe spread as well as the freedom for our toes to move.

5 finger shoes allow for toe spread but not for toe freedom.

@SquatUniversity So what shoes are you wearing when you go lifting?

If you've got small narrow feet that can toe spread in Nike shoes then go right on ahead.

But..

If you're have normal feet you'd be better off lifting in a shoe that allows for more toe spread for maximum strength & stability.

@SquatUniversity That's a wrap!

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