We are pleased to introduce you to the Ascend, our heeled lifter. This style of shoe is commonly known as a squat shoe, weightlifting shoe, or lifter. It has a .75" solid heeled sole, along with two velcro straps to secure the foot in place. Available in this neutral black and grey design, and sizes 37 through 45.
Why wear a heeled shoe?
Many athletes find a heeled shoe to be their preferred footwear when squatting, pressing, or doing olympic lifts. The heel artificially increases ankle dorsiflexion, making it easier for athletes to reach depth in a low squat position.
Why a hard soled shoe?
I think we can all agree that an athletes base of support is one of the most important things when it comes to producing maximum output. Think about how it feels when you're standing on a piece of foam vs. standing on something barefoot. The barefoot feels much more solid because you don't have a soft layer of foam under your foot that causes you to have to stabilize more. The same can be said about your footwear. Squatting in a soft soled shoe is going to create less stability than a solid soled shoe, so therefore, a hard soled shoe is more optimal if you want to lift the heaviest loads.
So far very satisfied, they are very comfortable, super stable under load and the construction feels super strong, btw good idea on using that type of velcro instead of the "traditional" kind Im̀ sure it'll last much better. They fit true to size and I have a pretty wide foot so I'd say order your normal size or even one aize smaller if you want a (very) snug fit. For the price it's hard to get better value in Canada without paying an absurd amount in shipping and customs.
I am very pleased with these shoes. I wear size 8.5 and bought 39 and they are a perfect fit. I bought these to replace Sabo squat shoes. The Ascend fit snugly to provide great support. The firm wide sole provides stability thus adding to confidence. I am able to wear my SBD socks and the shoe is roomy enough to allow me to insert my Superfeet Premium insoles. Very pleased with this product. Thank you Inner Strength.
Purchased these shoes in order to replace my reebok legacy lifts. Upon opening the box, these shoes have a sleek color/design. However, one major flaw noted with these shoes are the outsoles. The shoe is not completely flat and you can really feel it when squatting. These shoes were a major let down overall.
Hello Kai, I'm sorry to hear you were disappointed with the shoes. I personally haven't noticed an issue with the slight toe lift in them, but everyone has different preferences. The toe lift is shown in the product images.
First time use this weekend and loved the shoe. Great platform with great lateral and medial support. Very well thought out powerlifting shoe. Fit my foot very well - really enjoying these shoes. Highly recommended
These are seeming like a great squat shoe so far! They are far superior to the sabo powerlift shoe in terms of construction as well as arch support. They fit as expected, just ordered my regular size. Bonus they just look really slick. And shout out to the stellar customer service at Inner Strength for hooking me up after the last shoes I had ordered had unexpected issues!