Yoke is a wooden bar carried by oxen to pull the load. These days, this definition doesn’t suit as people use this as a method of exercise and pull the load. So the yoke walk is a kind of walk that involves a person walking with one arm bent at the elbow and the other arm held straight. Farmers, athletes, and many heavy workers perform this to accomplished their intention.
This is a traditional method of every part of the world. Japan, India, and Europe has a recorded history on Yoke walk. In some places of Asia still, maintain this activity to move stuff.
Yoke walking is also a form of exercise practiced by some people to improve their health and lose weight. There are many ways in which a person can do the yoke walk, and the methods differ depending on how the person begins performing this exercise.
Now the question is, which are the best shoes for a yoke walk. This post explains fully including how to choose the best yoke shoe and what is the parameter to choose one. if you are in a hurry you can select one of them we have selected below.
There are still many people who think that weightlifting has a link with Yoke and also Weightlifting shoes. Some even linked the Rock Climbing shoes and Hiking boots with that. Yoke walk is an everyday fitness and training exercise for people, and it is a great way to exercise and maintain good health.
But there is a tiny different among Weightlifting and Yoke. If you follow a moving strongman events, things will be more crystal clear to you. In that case to choose a shoes for strongman who is a yoke walker, you need to think different than a weightlifting shoe for strongman.
Although many strongman competitions have grabbed this as a sport to entertaining people. But these competitions are a little different from a regular walker. For instance, they use wrist wraps to enhance the weight holding capacity in competition.
How the yoke walking shoes are different
The yoke shoe is specifically designed to walk on the ground with the help of the heel. The heel of the yoke shoe is intended to be slightly higher than the rest of the shoe.
Yoke shoes are specialized footwear that helps people with lower-limb impairments to walk by providing a more stable base than regular shoes.
There are many Yoke walking shoes on the market, and they run the gamut from simple canvas or rubber shoes to highly customized shoes.
Yoke shoes are a good choice for people with limited mobility, but they can be challenging to fit. Yoke shoes tend to be more flexible than regular walking shoes, and they may not allow your feet to swell when you carry them on.
What Type of Shoes Should You Wear for yoke walk as a Strongman?
For Yoke walking and lifting the weight; belt, cloth any other gear, including shoes is also necessary. Even this is the most important. In the strongman competition of many events, people do try to have the best option rather than stay barefoot. So you should know the parameter of choosing the best shoes for a Yoke walk, weightlifting, or any other activities.
These points of this post will help you to choose the shoes for yoke walking like experienced strongman, so try to understand closely.
The heel of the shoe: the heel of yoke walking shoes will be higher and thick. It will support the person to lift the weight and save them from any injury.
Build material: the material of the shoe has to be top class in quality. The amount of friction generated in the toe after carrying the weight is improbable. Premium quality material will assist rather than affecting the toe.
Wide toe box: For the same friction, the toe box of yoke walking shoes should have a wider toe box. However, it can depend on the individual choice. Wider toe box helps toe splay.
Straps: Usual shoe straps tie the upper side of the shoe, but the yoke shoe also carries the pressure of the weight. So, consider a heavy lace-added shoe.
3 Best shoes for yoke walk
Reebok Legacy Lifter II
The Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 Yoke is the ultimate shoe for anyone who needs footwear that provides lateral support and stability. The shoe has a rubber outsole with a diamond pattern which provides an excellent grip on any surface. This shoe is ideal for people who have foot problems and need a shoe with great support.
Overall the construction and the toe box of this shoe are impressive. The first legacy lifter had a big square toe box that was swimming in at times. This river toe construction feels a bit more narrow, and still, the toe can be splayed.
The heel construction and boot construction gives a lot of stability and provides a nice lock-down feeling. So whether you’re catching the weight in a clean or squatting considerable weight, the overall heel feels very strong and stable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNQSnLBlIy0
Design
The Reebok legacy lifter 2 looks handy. It’s a lot simpler when you compare it to the other modern-looking shoes.
This ReebokReebok has a 22mm heel which is the highest among all other competitors. For the Yoke walking, that kind of heel is ideal.
Colours
There are eight different colours available in the market for this shoe. Reebok is also coming out with a new combination of colour to fulfil the requirements of their customer.
Construction
This Reebok Legacy lifter 2 is made of leather-like materials. It’s flexible enough to splay the toe and foot part. However, there are other options available in the shoemaking material, which are more flexible. The backside of the shoe is made of textile material, so it is not wrong to say this is made of a combination of leather-like fabric and textile.
The Reebok legacy lifter has a softer rubber sole, which gives it excellent traction. This grip the shoes wisely to the ground.
Size
The structural size of the Reebok legacy lifter 2 is excellent. They are very friendly and comprehensive in the toe area. It’s fittable to all types of feet.
The collar part of the heel of legacy lifter 2 is well managed. It is not so vast, which can cause issues to grip the heel. Tiny collars also harm the opposite. So this has to be well managed.
Strap
When it comes to the strap, this Reebok has the best implementation. The strap is adjustable; if you have smaller feet, you can adjust that to be shorter. If you want to extend it, you can move up the Velcro before.
Stability
Stability is also essential. How your foot would feel inside the shoe is dependent on stability. In that case, the Reebok has a wider front or wider toe box so that you can splay your foot. Better to give you that stability or at least the feel of stability you want
This Reebok has a pretty wide sole which is a necessity for the heavy yoke and heavyweight.
Flexibility
This shoe is stiffer. The making material of this shoe helps to be durable and comfortable. It does not feel softer like some other shoes. But those softer shoes are not durable and ideal for Yoke walking. This can be a factor of train strongman or yoke walking.
Pros
very durable and stable.
The toe box is incredible in size.
Cons
It is slightly heavier.
Nike Romaleos 4
The Nike Romaleos 4 is a fashion-based Yoke walking shoe. It is a shoe for those who want a pair of shoes that look premium and help them complete their tasks. The Arch of this shoe also looks fantastic, although it can destroy the grip.
The toe box of this shoe is Thinner. It can be helpful to get a grip on your toe, but the splay of the toe can be harmed after the lifting of weight. Some people do like this kind of grip as it helps to generate power with the help of the toe. These can be considered suitable weightlifting shoes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR10gPy1Tpo
Design
The Nike Romaleos 4 is the most modern-looking shoe. These are designed for excellent aesthetics.
This Romaleos have 20mm nice high elevated heels, and it is the loudest while walking because of the hard plastic-made sole.
Colours
There are probably less than 10 or 12 colours available in the market, but the availability is significantly less. You can face difficulty finding your preferred colour.
Construction
Nike uses textile material in this, and It is denser compared to other shoes. So it’s not as flexible as other competitors. Nike uses different materials to give you that distant look in different outer parts of shoes. All combinations of nylon-type material, leather material, and dense textile make it handy and better look-wise.
The Nike feels harder as compared to the Reebok. It’s good but not as good as the Reebok since the softer rubber in the sole is a real plus. The logo of Nike in the sole is also feel-able to the toe. It might get better after using it a couple of times.
Size
This Nike Romaleos 4 overall fits very tight to the front but a little loose at the back. That can fell you in a bad situation to choose the size zone.
The collar part of the heel of Nike is the widest that makes it less snug or doesn’t give you that lock down your ankles. This Nike has the least amount of cushion in the heel part, and it’s pretty straight.
Strap
This Nike has two straps, one in front and another one in the top. The strap is not well organized. The length of the straps is barely enough to give a secure lockdown. Those who have wide fat feet can face difficulties.
It can be noticeable before choosing this if you have giant fat wide feet or flat feet.
Stability
when it comes to stability, this is where Nike is excellent. The bottom part of the sole has a nice wing. This nice wing is making the shoes a wider base which means it is more stable. okay, but part of stability is also how your foot would feel inside the shoe
Flexibility
It also is stiffer. The material of Nike will probably get softer when you break them in. it’s very stiff, so this will likely contribute to the durability. But this will make it less comfortable when you’re doing a lot more than just walking with a yoke.
Pros
Premium Looks
Super Durable
Cons
Not suitable for flat or fat feel
Adidas Men’s Adipower 2
The Adidas Adipower is not only ideal footwear for Yoke walk. It can be used in any task like farming, weightlifting, Power-lifting, and also for regular use. The 20mm heel can be beneficial to some people who feel pain in their heel or ankle. It is not that other shoes can’t be used for regular tasks. But every comparison has a slight advantage over each other.
Overall the body design suits any individual, and the flexibility of this is also high. The rubber sole and mixed material give it a stable grip on the ground. Women can also rely on these shoes to get support and carry weight. This can be an add-on gear to their wearing stuff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztYSE9GJKIk
design
Adidas is the simplest looking, very conservative, very nice classic silhouette, just very streamlined.
This also has an elevated heel. The size of this Adidas Adipower 2 is 20 mm. It is close to soundproof while walking.
Colours
The Adidas Adipower has the most number of different colorways in the market. If there’s a specific colour or combination you’re looking for, you will probably find it without hesitation.
Construction
This is made of soft textile material, which makes it more comfortable to use. The inside part has more raw textile material that gives lateral stability to the shoes.
The rubbery sole material of the Nike feels harder as compared to the ReebokReebok. Like ReebokReebok, softer rubber gives it tremendous traction.
Size
The size of this shoe is well managed and comfortable to wear. Your foot size is the only thing you should think of in this shoe since it is adjustable to your feet without any toughness.
If you’re going to look at the collar part of Adidas Adipower 2, it’s not so wide, not even so thin. So that your ankles get locked easily, its build material helps to be locked as well.
Strap
The strap of Adidas Adipower 2 is superb. The whole upper part is velcro so that you can use it at any length.
Stability
The sole part of Adidas is pretty wide too. However, it’s a little shorter than the Nike but well enough.
Flexibility
Flexibility wise, the softer material of the Adipower will give you the best in terms of flexibility. Adds up to comfort when you’re walking with Yoke. This is the one that you want to wear.
If you’re the type who would wear it for long, this can be ideal for your work. In the farming field, this can be ideal. You can do more stuff with it, not just specific Yoke walks.
Pros
Flexible and stable.
Use able for multipurpose.
Cons
Last less, compare to other 2
conclusion
So in terms of the build quality, these three are the top-of-the-line models from the three brands. You can tell that they are all built very well quality is the seams, the stitches are all top-notch I don’t see any significant issues as compared to the lower end models of these three brands, so these three has that premium feel that you’d be expecting for the top of the line model. You can happily use one of them for the heavy yoke, like stone carry.
