Lifestyle

TYR’s First Weightlifting Shoe Looks to Smash the Market and Mold

March 5, 2023 by
Photo courtesy of TYR
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Hailing from the aptly titled Squat University, Dr. Aaron Horschig knows a thing or two about lifting. He is a physical therapist, strength & conditioning coach, speaker and writer. After Horschig graduated with his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Truman State University in 2009, he then received his doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Missouri in 2012. 

Horschig now works at Boost Physical Therapy & Sport Performance in Kansas City, MI and collaborated with TYR on their newly dropped TYR L-1 Lifter. He has previously worked with players from the NFL, minor league baseball players, European professional basketball players, Olympic weightlifters, numerous NCAA Division I & II athletes, international level youth soccer players, CrossFit athletes and youth athletes in a variety of sports.

He has also been involved in the sport of Olympic weightlifting as an athlete and coach for the past decade, so it’s safe to say, he was definitely the right man for the job. Horschig said at the end of the day, the goal was simple: make the world’s most anatomical lifting shoe known to man. 

  • “I think the biggest thing is that our goal is to make a shoe that allows the foot to function as well as possible,” he continued. “So your goal with having any shoe is to find a shoe that does less to the foot. So, yes, this is going to elevate the heel because that’s our goal is to make a weightlifting shoe that optimizes your technique.”

The TYR L-1 is the perfect example of a weightlifting shoe designed by a weightlifter, focusing on allowing for natural foot movement, added power, while the 21 millimeter heel-to-toe drop deepens movements while also increasing stability. 

All of this is in the name of natural foot movement and added power, while the drop deepens movements and increases stability. Horschig said the wider toe box makes for a more natural, non-constrained fit for both comfortable and powerful lifting. Part of this is allowing our feet to naturally do what they do best and not hamper them in the process of putting on a specially designed weightlifting shoe. 

  • “So when you put your foot in a box, when you put your foot in anything like that, you are changing the shape of your foot by smashing the toes together and you’re changing the function of the foot in doing so.”

Horschig said he is very picky with what products he is willing to throw his weight behind, no pun intended, but said this collaboration with TYR checked every single box for him. Available in both men’s and women’s, the shoes are about as custom as custom can get, he added 

  • “I want to do things that help people and are actually going to benefit their lives. So I don’t just pedal products I don’t believe in, so first and foremost, this was a product I wanted for my own life.”

He liked the TYR L-1 as the first iteration of what will be a long line of shoes, like the “Jordan 1” shoes by Nike that became so iconic over the years. 

  • “The shoe is going to get better even than what it is now. We’re always going to be making tweaks to improve the function. Obviously, the look is killer, but we’re going to be looking for ways to make the product better. So every single time I get feedback, I’m constantly thinking about ways in which we can make the product even better. Because, again, our goal is to make a shoe that allows that person’s body to function as well as possible.”

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