6 Best Weight Lifting Shoes (And Why Running Shoes Don’t Work)

Just as we’ve preached about the importance of having different shoes for walking, the same principle applies to strength training. You really do need a separate pair for your gym workouts! Our team spent time testing and comparing the best weightlifting shoes to help you find the perfect match.

Walk into any gym (or scroll through social media) and you’ll probably spot people lifting barefoot, in socks or wearing minimalist shoes. There’s a reason for that!

Being barefoot allows your feet to do what they’re meant to do: grip the floor and help you transfer power more efficiently, especially when picking up heavier weights.

That ground contact actually strengthens your feet, which not only improves performance in the gym but also pays off big time for your running by reducing injury risk.

Before we jump into our list of the best weight lifting shoes, let’s take a quick look at why running shoes aren’t the right choice for strength training.

Why You Can’t Wear Running Shoes to Lift

We get it, it’s tempting to just use the same pair of shoes for everything. But doing that can come with some risks! As our friend, Dr. Lisa DPT, always reminds us, you don’t want to waste valuable miles on your running shoes just by walking around or hitting the gym.

Think about it, running shoes, especially those designed with extra cushioning, are meant to absorb impact and keep you moving forward. They’re bouncy and soft, which is great for running but not ideal when you’re standing still or lifting weights.

That squishy base can actually throw you off your balance, making it easier to roll an ankle or strain something during heavy lifting or plyometric moves. And we definitely don’t want that!

Before your next strength session, here are a few reasons to rethink the shoes you wear in the gym.

1. Too Much Cushion

Running shoes are designed to keep the foot stable and cushioned while doing that specific activity, but that design can cause trouble while weightlifting.

• The squishy foam of the soft, compressible soles is designed to absorb shock, but it also makes it hard to remain stable while squatting, doing deadlifts, or performing maneuvers like overhead presses.
• The shoes can cause you to lose force transfer and wobble or shift under the load, making injury more likely.

2. Higher Heel Drop Changes Your Form

The raised heel-to-toe drop of running shoes also causes issues while lifting weights. If it’s a higher drop shoe, your heel will sit higher than your toes, shifting your weight forward. While this is technically helpful for squats, it’s not ideal for other exercises.

• The heel stack shifts your center of gravity forward, altering your posture and form, particularly during deadlifts.
• Your foot loses contact with the floor, resulting in reduced stability and less power transfer.

3. Too Much Flexibility Isn’t Good

Running shoes are designed to be flexible enough to allow for foot movement, but that’s not ideal for lifting. They also often have a rocker shape built into them to help propel you forward. When you’re lifting in the gym, you don’t need to move forward; you need direct ground contact.

Here’s why:

• Lifting, especially heavy weights, requires a stable, firm base so you can push against the ground effectively.
• A flexible base creates a risk of rolling your ankle or disturbing proper form as your body attempts to steady itself.

4. Lifespan of the Shoe Decreases

There’s a reason why we tell you to rotate your running shoes, and it’s pretty much the same reason you shouldn’t wear them in the gym – the lifespan.

Your wallet will thank you not having to go and buy a new pair of shoes every few months too!

Here’s why:

• It’s been said the average lifespan of a running shoe is roughly 500 miles. Wearing them in the gym and for cross-training is only going to get you to this number faster.

6 Best Weight Lifting Shoes

Now it’s time for the fun part: let’s break down the best weight-lifting shoes, based on feedback from our team of testers.

We may spend most of our time talking about running shoes here at RTTF, but we’re all putting in a lot of time strength training too, so need to do a better job of sharing those shoes as well!

If you’re looking to add a pair of dedicated gym/weightlifting shoes to your closet, here are our six favorites right now.

Versatile Low-drop Shoe- New Balance Minimus TR BOA® v2

This training shoe is perfect to help you through squats, deadlifts, power cleans, and even a HIIT workout or ten.

It’s not cushioned, but it gives you enough support that if you’re running intervals, you won’t feel like you’ve got nothing on your feet.

These New Balance weightlifting shoes are lightweight, not clunky, and come in black (which of course goes with everything).  They don’t have regular laces, instead employing their innovative BOA Fit System.

If you don’t like it or feel daunted by a new-to-you system, they do come with optional regular laces. The Fit System is easy to learn, though, and every pair comes with a how-to on the tag.

They create a secure fit that’s easy to adjust and hard to beat. The heel collar is lightly padded and flexible, and the tongue is thin and wraps around your foot.

The shoes feature a rubber wrap on the inner arch of the shoe to help with grip while rope climbing, so if that’s not something you need or want, it could feel a little uncomfortable at first.