If you’ve never done squats/cleans in a shoe with a proper heel you should really try it and see the huge difference.
I think what’s relevant here are your terminal goals. If they involve lifting heavy barbells in a gym then yes, specialized shoes could help. But if the terminal goals are all in the regular, out-of-gym life (e.g. be able to manhandle heavy things which need to be manhandled) then you don’t want to depend on shoes which you never wear in normal life.
While I am not an unconditional supporter of Crossfit, they have a concept I like a lot—that of nonspecific fitness, the ability to do whatever needs to be done. And outside of gym heavy things to be moved or lifted very rarely look like a barbell and it’s not often that all you have to do is straighten up with them on your back.
Good form is really important, yes, but your ability to perform a movement properly shouldn’t depend on what you are wearing.
Do you think that people squatting big weights with shoes, belts, and kneewraps are unable to manhandle heavy things?
You are absolutely not dependent upon them, they just make you more effective at doing this weird thing we’ve figured out where you put a loaded bar on your spine and sit down. This simulates no natural situation, but we’ve figured out that it has carryover to absolutely everything and trains us in an incredibly time efficient way. Crossfitters wear shoes with heels to squat and do oly lifts btw.
I think what’s relevant here are your terminal goals. If they involve lifting heavy barbells in a gym then yes, specialized shoes could help. But if the terminal goals are all in the regular, out-of-gym life (e.g. be able to manhandle heavy things which need to be manhandled) then you don’t want to depend on shoes which you never wear in normal life.
While I am not an unconditional supporter of Crossfit, they have a concept I like a lot—that of nonspecific fitness, the ability to do whatever needs to be done. And outside of gym heavy things to be moved or lifted very rarely look like a barbell and it’s not often that all you have to do is straighten up with them on your back.
Good form is really important, yes, but your ability to perform a movement properly shouldn’t depend on what you are wearing.
Do you think that people squatting big weights with shoes, belts, and kneewraps are unable to manhandle heavy things?
You are absolutely not dependent upon them, they just make you more effective at doing this weird thing we’ve figured out where you put a loaded bar on your spine and sit down. This simulates no natural situation, but we’ve figured out that it has carryover to absolutely everything and trains us in an incredibly time efficient way. Crossfitters wear shoes with heels to squat and do oly lifts btw.