How should I incorporate weightlifting shoes

Training Q&A [Moderated]
1

I purchased my first pair of Romaleo 4s over the summer. They felt very awkward when I tried using them. I couldn’t lift as heavy and I felt like I was leaning forward. I’ve always squatted in chucks.

I was in the middle of a fat loss phase for which my main priority was maintaining the weight on the bar on all my lifts, so I decided to wait to use the shoes until after I was in a surplus.

So now I’ve been in a surplus for a couple months and was wondering how I should incorporate the shoes.

Im running the BT and my 3 squat days build up to 295×4, 265×7, and 230×10. These are all essentially my PR’s at rpe 8 so trying to add weight with new shoes doesn’t sound like a good idea.

Should I wear the shoes and lower the weight a bit to try and get used to them? Or would it be a good idea to only use them on the high rep day until I got used to them?

I also have a different pair called inov8 fastift which have a slightly smaller heel. Romaleo - .75in vs Inov8 - .65in. I haven’t tried squatting in them but they feel a lot more comfortable to me and I prefer the way they look. If I decided to use these instead of the romaleos would the .1 inch difference in heel height matter?

2

I would just use the shoes- either the INOV8 or Nike (I don’t have a preference outside of whatever you prefer)- and adjust the weights accordingly. Reducing weight a little bit in the short-term isn’t a death knell, but if your weights stay down for 3-4 weeks, the shoes might not be a great choice for you. I don’t think that is likely to be the case, though some people squat better in flat or flatter shoes, whereas other people prefer a heeled shoe. I can’t say whether or not you will feel the 0.1" difference, but you can try.

3

I never squat without my inov8 fastift’s. Definitely worth the investment.