Erging in weightlifting shoes

[waimata]

I've started to notice more examples of national team social media where rowers are wearing weightlifting shoes on the erg

eg. Canadians: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j0Zz_3HHrw&t=3m10s
Brits: https://twitter.com/GBRowingTeam/status ... 65/photo/1

Does anyone do this with their rowers/themselves? Can anyone explain the advantage/reasoning behind it or when you would use them (ie long SS, HIT sessions)?

I understand a weightlifting heel doesn't compress like running shoes and that the C2 stretcher angle is designed to account for a training shoe heel. However, a weightlifting shoe's heel is significantly larger than a trainer. When I was doing significant amounts of weightlifting in my training my S&C coach put me in lifters to improve glute activation and protect my lower back. Wondering if there is something similar going on here? You would certainly get your heel connected alot earlier perhaps like the bat logic shoe inserts.

[GettingFaster]

I feel like it is the same sort of idea behind erging with Batlogic or erging barefoot-less power absorbed by the soles of the shoes. I feel like it's something that would be done every session on the erg, that you wouldn't want to be changing up your footwear every session. I know personally, since I started erging in just socks I've been doing it the same way every single time I got on an erg.

[teo]

batlogic systems can also be screwed directly onto a c2 erg. i vaguely recall various social medial videos from the nz pair showing them with omada shoes on the erg.

[JD]

Maybe they were about to go....weightlifting? I always wore bowling shoes for the same reason. Sully wore ballet slippers.

[caustic]

I always like to erg in a low sole type shoe - merrels, my Sambas, or lately I got a nice pair of trail running shoes from UnderArmor that are definitey comfy. I lift in 'em too - I never really needed lifting shoes because my joints are probably too loose, not too tight. Lifting shoes are to enable folks doing deep squats to achieve proper depth in the squat while preserving back angle, and the slight elevation of the ankle allows them to bend their knees deeper while allowing the achilles' tendon to get the correct tension. Without it, the too tight tendon inhibits the forward angle of the lower leg, which then forces the lifter to not get as deep in the squat, and that puts strain on the knee AND also makes them try to tuck the butt a bit at the bottom of the squat.

[redtide]

I cannot speak to the logic for their rowers, but I can tell you why I prefer erging in them and it is for the exact reasons you mentioned.

1) Very hard sole. This allows maximum power to be applied right away, and I at least feel like less force is lost.
2) The slight heel elevation allows for the heels to make contact a tiny bit faster, allowing for better connection and force transfer.

Now, it could all be in my head, and I haven't tried testing different shoes and seeing the effect on my 500m time. But, I prefer weightifting shoes.