why are they the best for lifting? 
I think Nike Free are the same as slippers, I wouldn’t do anything sporty with them.
I have the 7.0 given to me by Nike.
i wouldnt go that for my friend. i think they are for warmup/cooldown/drills etc.
I’ve had the 5.0’s for a couple of years and now
have a pair of 4.0’s that have the straps instead
of laces (prefer the laces).
I have done all sorts of training in both pairs
and i believe they have made my feet feel like
they are stronger and able to take more abuse.
I have stopped wearing the overcushioned and
overpriced shoes that restrict the natural
movement of the feet - people are becoming
too soft!!
SB:)
I started training in 5.0s I guess about 10 months ago to make my feet ‘stronger’, and a few months later I began to develop achilles tendon problems. It was the only thing I changed, so I feel the shoes are responsible.
When in doubt blame the shoes.
What training were you using them for?
Just tempo work or were you also doing sprints in them?
If it took a few months before the achilles problem came about, well that’s a long time to wait before seeing the after effects of new shoes. Seems new shoes would cause a problem quicker than that no?
I’m not big on frees either way though. They still fail to address to primary problem of most shoes, the heel lift. Having a heel lift in your shoe puts your achilles tendon in a shortened position. Having your achilles in a shortened position hours upon hours is not a good thing. Also, having a heel lift makes you more prone to absorb the ground with the bulk of your heel first. Go out and run around barefoot, your heel barely ever touches the ground and it sure doesn’t absorb the majority of the force. When your heel absorbs the majority of the force your body doesn’t like this and a lot of that force is transferred to your joints all the way up to your back.
Best shoes in my opinion, something flat, hard and keeps your foot close to the ground. Indoor soccer shoes are great here. Remember, we weren’t mean to walk/sprint with things attached to our feet. Minimize the deviation away from normal movement as much as possible. Putting just about anything on your foot short of a sock will alter your gait.
Best tempo/lifting shoes are the one’s you were born with.
My achilles problems developed very slowly, I didn’t just tear it one day, it was never really an acute injury, it got progressively worse. Naturally, a person will look at what they had changed to look for problems, and for me it was my shoes. I’m assuming it was the Nike Frees, it could have been bad habbits I was developing in my form, it came on so gradual I couldn’t tell you. I know people who swear by them and I know people who hate them.
One guy said the number tells you what percentage of an actuall shoe is there. the 5.0 is about 50% of a shoe, 7.0 70%. I dunno, like I said I have friends who love the Frees. But if I want barefoot feel in the future, I’ll do just that.
Agree! I quite often use Dunlop Volley’s for my
tempo work and they have almost no heel.
I prefer them even more than the Frees.
SB:)
If the grass you’re using is private ie in a stadium and not a public park where dogs can foul then there’s nothing like bare feet. In the summer when the grass is hot I like doing my tempo in socks (if i dont trust the cleanliness of the grass) Otherwise the best trainers for tempo in my opinion are the Nike Mayflys. Lightweight and durable. I’ve used them for tempo sessions for the last 4 years and they’ve never let me down.
aren’t the mayfly’s the ones nike says will only last 100km? the slogan is something like ‘only last 100km, but likely to be the fastest 100k you’ve ever run’ and they’ve lasted you four years? wow…
I have a pair of 3.0s Regulars, and 7.0 Trainers.
Very different, I’m easing into their use to get used to “no shoe”. My feet ARE a bit sore, but are getting stronger. I like them.
I use the 3.0s for tempo and non-start runs (don’t want to blow them out, I’m sure starts would make short work of their lifetime), and use the 7.0s for plyos and footwork (dot drills, ladders, etc).
John