<< 1. The weight of the shoe is insignificant in Weightlifting, a few
ounces more are inconsequential. This is not a time sustained event, where
cumulative weight is a factor. (a few ounces on the foot versus hundreds
overhead) >>
*** In assessing the influence of shoes on human movement, one has to look at
several factors besides the expenditure of energy over a prolonged period.
The mass of a shoe also can significantly affect the agility of even short
distance athletes like jumpers and weightlifters. If one measures or
computes the torque about the knee and hip joints or the force required to
accelerate the foot during a jerk or snatch, the very small difference that
an extra 100gm seems to make may seem inconsequential, but analysis based solely
on biomechanical grounds ignores the very real effect of perceived change which
added loading to the distal extremities can cause.
If the shoe ‘feels’ heavier (according to the Weber-Fechner Law), then the
movement pattern of the athlete can be altered and lead to reduced agility
and speed. This effect is well known to sprinters and high jumpers, as well
as lifters whose feet ‘feel heavier and slower’ with perceptibly heavier
shoes. Though I have not encountered any studies on foot speed with different
shoes in weightlifting, from my personal experience of several decades of
competing in and coaching weightlifting, I have encountered sufficient
numbers of lifters who have felt that they were more agile with lighter
shoes. That is one reason why some lifters choose not to wear the heavier,
wooden-soled, though, very stable Adidas lifting shoe.
So, in assessing any shoe, it is most relevant to focus not only on objective
mechanical factors such as the resilience and stability of the shoe, but also
the athlete’s subjective assessment of the shoe under actual sporting
conditions.
<<2. What is your definition of natural pronation/supination? If it
includes either hyperpronation or hypersupination or inadequate
posture/positioning during subtalar neutral stance phase than shoes that
address these issues are indicated. >>
*** I used that terms quite loosely, as they often are in the world of
physical therapy and sports medicine, because I did not wish to divert the
discussion away from other factors that I was focusing on at the time. I was
going to use terms which biomechanically are more acceptable in that context,
namely inversion and eversion (since they describe multidimensional joint
action about ankle, knee and hip, unlike the more limited actions of
pronation and supination). I also did not choose to overemphasize these
issues, since I have commented at great length on this topic of nomenclature
on other Internet lists to which quite a few members of this group also
belong.
In using those terms casually, I wanted to point out exactly what you are
suggesting, namely that, if the ankles do not tilt in a direction of
excessive supination or pronation under loading, then no special
modifications to lifting shoes are necessary.
I also did not wish to
complicate matters by contrasting loaded and unloaded neutrality of the
subtalar joint during the different lifts, because that is another topic in
itself. Scientific debate and practical experience on that score eventually
led to most lifters choosing not to use any high-cut boots that ’support the
ankles’, even though lower-cut lifting shoes apparently increased the
likelihood of deviations from a position of ankle ‘neutrality’.
But, while we are on this point, it is essential to note that lifters often
deliberately alter foot position and relative degrees of pronation/supination
and eversion/inversion (including hip and knee rotation) to suit individual
needs and preferences during the different lifts. Thus, you will have some
squatters who intentionally try to roll the foot outwards and force the knees
laterally to ensure a more powerful squat or pull. Others may rotate the knees
noticeably outwards during the clean, snatch or deadlift to allow the bar to
move closer to the body. During the early recovery phase of the snatch and
clean, there can be considerable voluntary or involuntary movement of the
foot and toes to ensure that the bar remains stable in its position either on
the chest or at arms length overhead.
These complexities and idiosyncrasies of foot action during Powerlifting and
Weightlifting make it very difficult to objectively compute the design of a
shoe or orthotic device for these athletes. The bar is never pulled, caught
or thrust in exactly the same way with each attempt and it is only years of
experience that enable one to cope efficiently and safely with all aspects of
body control, including foot movement with all of its subtleties in
preventing failure of a lift.
A huge amount of research is done in gait laboratories around the world on
the biomechanics of the lower extremity, with most of it focused on walking
and running. It would be most interesting to see more projects devoted to
understanding lower extremity and shoe mechanics during Weightlifting and
Powerlifting.
Dr Mel C Siff