Yep its a SHOE thread!

[KBKB]

My point and the reason I use the block is to elevate the heel like a lifting shoe. I havent seen a squat shoe that doesnt lift the heel. I dont see any difference,except with the block i dont have to change my shoes. It seems like it would be uncomfortable to walk around with lifted heels for the rest of your workout and I wouldnt want to do deads with a lifted heel.

I think this makes perfect sense. Doing squats with the ramp allows you to work your quads and you don't need to change your shoes when you want to do squats which provide more work for the posterior chain. And, as you say, you don't need raised heels for the rest of your lifting either.

It's been my impression that squat shoes exist for putting up better numbers in competition. If you do compete, it makes sense to wear them for training too since you need hone your proprioceptive awareness using that particular shoe.

[steve weiser]

I wear Comverse one star high tops as my weight lifting shoes. I tell you what though, having flat feet and wearing them is NOT comfortable lol.

[kennknee]

I use Converse Hi Tops with a Spenco insert and they work great, I wouldn't want to use anything else actually. The only problem I see is that I can't really do any running cardio without lugging my other shoes with me or doing it at another time.

[beastlifting]

The Reebok Oly are actually very good lifting shoes, despite the fact they were designed for the CrossFit crowd. They are versatile enough to be worn by any type of lifter and comfortable enough to actually wear through an entire workout. I can't say the same thing about the Romaleos, Do-Win or AdiPowers I've owned. Case in point, I wear the reeboks from the time I walk out of my car, through my 10 minute warmup on the bike, elliptical or treadmill, and throughout my 1.5hr training session. With that said, they are a bit pricey so it might not be in your range. If that's the case, I'd look at Risto, Wei-Rui (the warrior model is good) or the Adidas PL trainer depending on how much weight you lift. WLShoes has a lot of user submitted input as well, you may want to check them out before you decide.