I’m on the fence about buying Nike Romeolos 2 shoes or whether an all around shoe is a better option for overall usage at the gym. Are the shoes only useful for squats? Will I find it useful for bench press, and the press? What about overall walking around the gym and other GPP workouts? I’m assuming running in them is forbidden. Thank you
First off, good luck finding the 2’s in a standard size. I looked for some about 8 months ago and could only find the 3’s. I have the 3’s and they’re great. I use them for every single exercise except I prefer to do my deadlifts with Metcon’s but there’s nothing inherently wrong with wearing lifting shoes for deadlifts. It’s just personal preference.
For the bench, I find that I can maintain a tighter and more forceful leg drive when I wear my lifting shoes compared to my Metcons.
For the press, it took 2-3 sessions to get used to the lifting shoes as my balance was slightly different. Now I can’t imagine pressing without them.
With regards to GPP, I always wear regular tennis shoes to the gym those days. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT run in lifting shoes.
Overall, lifting shoes will be very beneficial as they are non compressible and provide a metatarsal strap to lock the foot in place. You will feel weird walking in them the first few times you wear them, but you will quickly adjust. The 3/4" heel lift will allow the knee the travel forward more easily which is especially important if you are someone like my girlfriend that has almost no ankle mobility.
Let’s take two scenarios here:
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Money is not an issue - Go buy yourself a nice pair of lifting shoes and a nice pair of comfortable all around tennis shoes. Lifting shoes on training days and the all around tennis shoes on GPP days
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You only have about $150 to spend. Spend the money on a pair of lifting shoes and use some old beat up tennis shoes for GPP.
BRO TIP! - Check out eBay for steep steep discounts on lifting shoes. As long as you know what size/model you know will fit, you can get some crazy deals on older color schemes. In the shoe world, new colors are how they keep sales up without having to make new shoe models. The colors that have been out the longest drop in price rappidly. I was able to pick up a brand new pair of Romaleo 3’s in mens size 11 for about $105 because they were an old color. That’s nearly 50% off!
If you have any other questions, let me know!
In case this is potentially helpful,
If you specifically want to have Romaleo 2s, assuming this site is legitimate, I found some in stock here: https://www.athleteps.com/ But the colors that actually still have normal sizes in stock are the same price as 3s, so you’d want to have a real reason to want 2 over 3. From what I’ve heard/read, the Romaleo 2 is substantially heavier feeling than the 3, and some anecdotes indicate the 2 is more durable. I have a friend, actually, who just had the tongue on his 3s rip after < 2 years of use.
I lift in the Reebok Legacy lifter, which, aside from a slightly higher heel height (I would not deadlift in them), is reputed to feel similar to Romaleo 2s - they’re quite heavy - same exact price also. I like squatting in something that feels like a heavy wedge under me, so the heaviness is a pro for me. I haven’t had them for a full year yet, but they feel sturdy and show no signs of wear from normal use. When I got mine, I got 25% off by joining Reebok’s mailing list. On $200 shoes, that’s a substantial amount. Looks like they downgraded it to 15%, but hey it’s 30 bucks. Loading...
Good luck.
I have the 3s and I love them, from everything I’ve heard and watched the 3s are superior , so assuming that money isn’t an option I would go with 3s. I’ve had mine for 6 months now and they’re holding up great.
Okay appreciate the advice guys! The romaleo 2s are second hand, thus I was able to find for 90$
If you’re deadset on the 2’s, Hookgrip has some stock as well, though the price ranges and the size/colour selection isn’t the best.
I know people are suggesting the 3, but I have them and don’t use them. If you can think of a WLing shoe I probably own it and the 3’s were a massive disappointment for me. Nike missed the mark here (for me). I think they changed the pitch compared to the 2 and the arch hits a different spot on my foot than the 2 in the same size shoe. They also lace slightly higher than the 2’s, which if you have a shit ankle like me is an issue. I kept getting hip pain in the 3’s that immediately went away if I put on the 2’s or Adipowers or Leistungs or Antas…etc.
It seems there is little consensus on the best option. From what I can discern the general view (aside from narrow/wide fit issues):
- Nike Romaleo 2: Generally positive reviews, but no longer made so hard to find.
- Nike Romaleo 3: Many like them, generally decent performance all around, but many report quality issues (tongue rips, etc.)
- Adidas Power Perfect II: Seems like universally positive reviews (except maybe the colorways), but no longer made; so hard to find.
- Adidas Power Perfect III: Not as good as the PPIIs (though I’m not sure I’ve heard specifically why)
- Adidas Leistung: Heel height of 1" is too high for many, but quality design otherwise.
- Reebok Legacy Lifter: Quality construction/materials, but comparatively very heavy (I’m not sure this is a negative) and heel height might be a couple millimeters over standard .75". Other issues?
- Rogue Do-Win: I haven’t seen much on the new generation of these, but the old ones seemed popular. Less advanced design (wooden heel, e.g.) on the old ones at least.
- Other Adidas (e.g. Powerlifts): Don’t seem as positively reviewed as the PPs and Leistungs, though again, not really sure of the bases. Sound about right?
Very accurate TEH.
Don’t forget about the Adipowers, those are a very solid shoe. IMO the R3’s are Nike’s version of the Adipowers and they are much closer to the Adipowers than they are the R2’s.
I would say the Reebok Legacy lifters are very comparable to the R2’s. They do run at a 22mm heel height which is 3mm more than the R2s. They both felt around the same weight to me. The pitch was pretty comparable too. It’s a higher heel than the R3, but I didn’t feel like I was on my toes like I was the R3s. I don’t mind the weight of any of the heavier shoes (R2’s, Antas, Legacy Lifters) and I’ve certainly never had an issue with their weight snatching and cleaning in them either. It’s not like you’re lifting your feet squatting or deadlifting. The RLL are just as well built as the R2’s i my eyes.
I have used the Adidas Powerlifts and I didn’t mind them. I think there are reports of the heel compressing under heavy loads, but I never moved significant weight in them so I didn’t experience that issue. Though they look similar, I do think they heel/sole construction is different than the PPII’s (with the PPII’s being superior).
The Adidas Leistung IIs are a really nice shoe and are a big improvement over the Leistung Rios. Probably the best fitting shoe I’ve used. I highly recommend them if you don’t mind the higher heel. I could be wrong, but I think some PL feds state a max heel height of 0.75" so these would definitely be out.
edit:
I just noticed the OP replied and got the 2’s. I use my Leistung IIs for everything but conditioning. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same in the R2s.
I love my Nike Romaleos 2 but I’ve had them for close to 5 years and I’ve been thinking about grabbing some new shoes. I’m hesitant to buy the Romaleos 3 because of the quality issues I’ve heard about but I might try them and just return them if they suck. I wear my 2’s for every lift (DL, SQ, OHP, BP) w/ zero issues. For GPP work I have some standard Adidas running shoes.
Power Perfects 2 or 3 whichever you find your size at a discount price.
Do-Win shoes are also an option. If you’re in Canada, their distributor is in Winnipeg: http://www.weightliftingshoes.ca. No connection to me, but I was surprised to find them just 5 minutes from my work AND cheaper than any of the other options. He’s a nice guy running this small business out of his basement.
The Do-Wins are said to be a little wider in the forefoot than others. I like them but have no other lifting shoe experience. They’re rock hard other than the 1/8" foam insole which is removable/replaceable, plus a wide/flat sole. Running in these would suck. These seem built better than anything I’ve bought recently, they should last forever for lifting.
So been a while since I got the Romeolos 2. No regrets whatsoever. Thank you all for your feedback! I can still walk, use it for all my lifts w/o issues. Just can’t run in them.
To be honest, I don’t wear my athletic shoes for more than 1 year. Frankly speaking, during this period they become unusable from constant use. Therefore, I come easier to the question of choosing the right model. They are not for all your life, although of course, it is very important that it was comfortable enough for you. Especially for me, the best footwear in the gym or running shoes. They are easy and have good amortization for all kinds of training. For the last time, I ordered Adidas from the tenniswearguide.com. I was very lucky because for a good price I bought a very high-quality product. I liked them so much that most likely next year I will order exactly the same.