Answer: For greater control.
Shoes protect our feet from sharp objects and unsanitary substances. When we run and jump, our squishy shoe soles absorb the force gradually, reducing the impact our joints experience.
Shoes, when they fit properly and are used for their designed purpose, are a very useful tool!
But, as always, there’s a tradeoff.
The cushioning that protects our feet also prevents them from moving freely and feeling fully, potentially reducing the stability and mechanical integrity of our heaviest lifts.
When you train in sock feet, you are better able to feel how your weight is distributed. The foot and ankle are also able to move more dynamically. The small muscles of the foot wake up and cement a connection between the ground and the rest of the body.
Your shoeless-feet provide better feedback about how you are moving and then help you to move better. This increased awareness and control translates into what we’re all after in the first place: greater strength.
But there’s one more reason for weight lifting in socks: reduced chance and severity of injury.
A heavily cushioned sole increases the leverage gravity has on your ankle if it wobbles off centre, and the likelihood of “rolling” it. Add a heavily weighted barbell to that equation and somebody’s gunna getta hurt real bad.
Is training in shoes always bad? No.
Is training in sock feet always good? Also no.
There are some obvious occasions when shoes are the superior choice, like running through the colourful streets of Toronto or training your pro-weight sled push for Hyrox Ottawa.
There are other occasions when training in sock feet is highly recommended, like during a “heavy” weight lifting class at your fully-indoor, constantly-cleaned, community fitness club.
(And if you’re worried about dropping a heavy weight on your unprotected toes, rest assured, even the most cushioned shoe wouldn’t save them anyway!)
Shoes, like any tool, are helpful when used as-intended but can be problematic when used otherwise. Consider what your current pair was designed for and how you’re using them. You might benefit from a new, differently-designed pair or from skipping shoes all together sometimes.
