If you have taken the first step to invest in your health and fitness with an exercise program, then the next investment is… YOUR SHOES! Our program involves a lot of lifting (NOT ALWAYS HEAVY) and your shoes can be one of two things: helpful or harmful.

How can you tell if your shoe is good or bad for lifting? In a nutshell, it is the size of the heel of your shoe that determines this. If you’re using your chunky heel running shoes to do squats, cleans, deadlifts, snatches, or anything else that involves a barbell, your shoes are doing you a disservice AND you could be dampening your progress.

Why you shouldn’t use running shoes to lift:
1. No stability – The cushy part of the running shoe that helps keep your feet pillowed from the hammering of a long run, can cause you to lose your balance under a heavy load of weight.
2. Literally keeps you on your toes – The heel of a running shoe, while not a stiletto heel, has a tendency to drive you forward. That’s NO BUENO when you’re MORE BALANCED on your HEELS!
3. More likely to be injured – If you’re unstable and on your toes, how are you going to be able to support the weight? It could also distribute the weight on your body in places it shouldn’t.

There are no quick fixes to poor form, it takes time to develop the flexibility, strength, balance, coordination, etc. to lift weights efficiently and with sound technique. However, changing your shoes can aid in the correction of stability and balance (because you’ll stay on your heels versus your toes). This fix can be as cheap as a $20-$30 pair of Chuck Taylors or as expensive as a pair of $100-$200+ pair of actual weightlifting shoes.

CONVERSE work great as lifting shoes and they’re cheap! You can keep them in the trunk of your car and bring them out when it’s time to hit the iron.

To fix everything else, you need to practice, practice, practice. If you want a little extra help, consider attending the Olympic Weightlifting workshops at 10-11:30 am on September 29th (The Snatch) and October 6th (The Clean and Jerk). It’s $25 to attend one or $40 to attend both. We’ll be using the camera to REALLY check out everyone’s form. There’s a ten person limit on each workshop so sign up before they fill up!

And if you need a good pair of hybrid running and lifting shoes, inov8 is my favorite brand and THOSE are available at ONTHERUN! And don’t forget your CrossFit Modesto member discount card it will get you20% off of those new inov8′s.

CrossFit Workout

At the top of every 2.5 Min for 5 Rounds do:
3 Snatch Grip DL
2 Hang Power Snatch
1 OH Squat
add weight each round

Rest 5 minutes

12 Min AMRAP
3 Squat Snatches 115/75
6 KB Swings
9 Burpees