TYR L-1 Lifter – Our Review

In the world of Olympic weightlift shoes, the tides change very quickly. It seems like it was only yesterday when the world was going nuts about those new Oly lifters with the super wide toe box…

AKA, the TYR L-1 Lifter.

These shoes have gotten a lot of praise over the last few years and just recently, TYR actually released a couple of updated models (the L-2 Lifter and the TYRFORCE Elite Carbon Lifter)…which is actually kind of strange.

TYR is a respected fitness brand, but outside of a few sponsored athletes, nobody would put their CrossFit or lifting gear alongside the likes of Nike, Reebok, or Adidas.

The L-1 Lifters were partially designed by Squat University’s Dr. Aaron Horschig, a legit expert in movement science and physical therapy, but by no means a household name.

So why exactly did everyone go crazy over these shoes (and why do many continue to rate them as highly as they do)?

I had to give them a whirl and am happy to say that at the moment, they’re my go-to lifters. Let me tell you all about ’em.

Olympic Lifting

There’s probably a decent subset of the lifting population that will pick these up because they’re looking for a dedicated squatting shoe. However, I imagine that the vast majority of people consider the L-1 Lifters because they’re looking for an Oly lifting shoe.

If this is true for you, you’ve come to the right place.

I didn’t immediately like the L-1 Lifters because I felt like the materials in the back of the shoes were too constricting when I was first pulling them on. To be honest, I still hate this part of the “process”, but have come to appreciate this rigidity a bit more.

As someone who is perpetually thinking “are my shoes tight enough? “do I need to tie them tighter?” “I think I can feel my foot moving around inside my shoe!” this is something I really appreciate.

What’s better is that inside the shoe, the feet themselves remain incredibly comfortable. It’s kind of like a really comfortable little city surrounded by an impenetrable castle wall.

This fact is particularly important as I was a bit concerned about the internal softness of the shoes affecting their ability to make loud, audible noises when (properly) landing when cleaning and snatching. Thankfully, their hard exterior does (kinda) facilitate this noise, although you’ll never mistake it for the noise that a wooden heel on a wooden platform creates.

Like just about anybody in the world of Olympic weightlifting, I appreciate the L-1 Lifter’s heel (which is why me, you, and everybody else buys this shoe), although, for me personally, I find the 21-millimeter heel drop to be a bit extreme. This could have something to do with my slightly below average height (5’8″), limb length, and/or diminutive weightlifting ability (or all three).

One last thing I’ll note (and something I’ll go into a lot more detail about later on) is that the shoe’s toe box is by far the widest I’ve ever experienced in a lifting shoe. For some lifters, this fact alone might bump them to the top of their personal list. I’m actually not a huge fan of wider toe boxes so this feature is, admittedly, kinda wasted on me.

Overall, I rate these as the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn for Olympic lifting even if they may not be the best shoes I’ve worn for these lifts. It’s possible that they’re a little too comfortable, but I’ll trade a non-callused and beat up foot for a couple of extra pounds most days (sorry serious Oly lifters!)

Olympic Lifting: 90

Squatting

You may not be into cleaning, jerking, and snatching. Whether you are or you aren’t, there is a greater than 99 percent chance that if you get ahold of the TYR L-1 Lifter, you likely have squatting in mind.

…and I really like these shoes for squatting…possibly more than I like them for Oly lifting.

Now, I understand that low-bar squatters (so pretty much the entire (legit) powerlifting crowd) aren’t generally as big of fans of heeled shoes for squatting as those of us who maintain a more upright posture. If this is you…well…I’m not really sure why you’re reading this review right now (thanks, though!)

For those who do “squat with leverage”, the previously mentioned heel drop is likely slightly higher than what you’re accustomed to (most of my lifters have been in the 15-19mm range). However, this additional leverage actually works out pretty well for my poor ankle mobility (unlike in my Oly lifts, this is where I’m getting the true benefit of the added leverage).

Additionally, the previously mentioned exterior rigidity instills more confidence in me that my feet will remain firmly planted to the ground throughout the duration of each rep. I don’t think about this so much when the weight is light, but as the weight gets heavy, it’s something I definitely appreciate.

For reference, I have given the shoes a go in a number of different squatting contexts to include barbell back squats, front squats, and overhead squats. I actually recently hit an all-time PR in my overhead squat in these.

Obviously, the issues with the relative lack of noise the L-1 Lifters’ heels make on impact is not a concern at all when squatting so this “weakness” doesn’t apply here.

I actually rate the L-1’s higher as squatting shoes than I do as dedicated Olympic weightlifting shoes. They’re great for both, but I’ve personally benefitted more from them in my squatting performance, giving this area a slight edge.

Squatting: 95

Stability

After reading the first two sections, you would probably think that this score would be higher than it is. The thing is, I think these are really stable for heeled lifting shoes.

The exterior is rigid, my feet stay in place, and the L-1 Lifter’s sole is durable and solid.

However, with heeled lifting shoes, you’re never going to have that “foot-to-ground” connection that low-drop or no-drop training shoes have or dedicated, flat-soled deadlifting shoes. I understand that this may not be a “fair” comparison, but knowing how important of a factor this is for a lot of people when they are assessing overall stability, it factors into the equation.

So…now that we have addressed the elephant in the corner (they don’t provide any feeling of “groundedness” like other lifters), the L-1s are on the up and up!

We’ve already covered a lot of what contributes to these shoes being as stable as they are, but I will add that like many heeled lifting shoes, they have what I would describe to be as a “quarter-top” (as opposed to a “high top” or “mid top”) that adds a bit of additional ankle stability.

Unlike some other shoes where the material in this region is little more than heavier clothe (or Cordura, if you’re lucky) the material in quarter-top portion of the L-1s is as rigid and reinforced as it is in the rest of the exterior. I find that this really stabilizes my lower-to-mid ankle region, providing additional support (and raising confidence levels).

Overall, the L-1 Lifters’ stability is about as good as you can ask for in a heeled lifting shoe. They’re probably the most stable dedicated Oly lifters I’ve ever lifted in.

Stability: 85

Toe Box

For many lifters, this section is pretty much the “main event”.

I’m in the minority where I:

• Don’t really care that much about a shoe’s tox box, at least relative to other features
• Actually prefer a narrower, more “cramped” experience

…but I know I’m not most people; y’all care about this…a lot.

Straight up, the L-1’s have the widest toe box of any lifting shoe I have ever lifted in. Heck, the toe box is wider than most any of my training shoes to include cross-training (“CrossFit”) shoes as well as dedicated powerlifting shoes.

My foot is by no means narrow, nor am I wearing a shoe that is too big for my foot (I would say that my L-1 Lifters fits perfectly…the epitome of “true to size”); the toe box is just wide.

I would go so far as to say my toes feel almost comparable to how they feel when I’m wearing an open-toed sandal…they really aren’t constrained at all.

I could go on with a number of increasingly odd-sounding similes, but I think you get the point. I’m sure that wider toe-boxed shoes exist…somewhere, but the L-1s are wide enough to make just about any wide-toe-box-fetishist smile.

Toe Box: 95

Construction & Materials

It’s a bit difficult to find specific material listings for the L-1 Lifters as both the official TYR page as well as Rogue’s listing are pretty mum on the topic. As it is, these don’t feel to be overly different than most other lifting shoes…even if the manner in which they are presented does have some unique qualities about it.

As I mentioned before, the material around the edges of each shoe’s opening (or mouth? Is this ever referred to as the shoe’s “mouth” or am I imagining things…?) is harder and more rigid than it is in other lifters I have lifted in before. However, this is mainly felt when first putting the shoes on and securing them and they are by no means uncomfortable once the lifting starts.

The soles (and bottoms in general) aren’t overly heavy, but they are hard. This hard plastic feels like slightly higher-grade than those in other lifting shoes.

The upper materials are supposedly a blend of faux leather and polyester. This isn’t all that surprising and I don’t think these areas feel overly durable or, “better” than those I’ve experienced in other shoes. However, I will note that the material is resistant enough that my blindingly white shoes have yet to experience any kind of scuffing or abrasion.

One last thing I’ll note is that I’m always somewhat leery of lifters with multiple straps. I know this is more the norm than the exception, but I’d always rather have one large, tough strap than 2, skinner/flimsier ones. You may think that if one gets smoked, having a second one is better, but I’ve found that a single (offset) skinny strap…doesn’t do all that much.

As it is, the straps on the L-1s are tougher than what you may be used to on other Oly lifting shoes. I’m much more confident that these are going to stand the test of time (at least relative to other shoes I’ve tried).

Overall, aside from the “shoe mouth” rigidity, I wouldn’t say that there is anything overly outstanding about the materials. However, they come together pretty well to form the above average lifters the L-1 Lifters are.

Construction & Materials: 90

Price

I didn’t have the best timing when I picked my L-1 Lifters up, but thems the breaks sometimes. How was I supposed to know that the L-2 Lifters were going to be released ~2 months later?!

The good news (well, for everyone else, that is) is that with the release of the L-2s, in most places I’ve seen, them offered, the L-1s are bit less expensive than the were pre-2025. They aren’t quite in the “inexpensive” category and are nowhere close to the “bargain bin” at this point, but they’re going to run you less than other “big name” lifters.

Depending on your color/pattern preferences, the L-1s can be had for as low as $125 on Rogue (at the time of this writing, of course. Plus, most options are gonna run you at least $150). It wasn’t long ago that these were going for about $200 (and they’ve even run higher than that before). I doubt they’ll go much lower, but at their current price, I don’t think there is anything to complain about.

Price: 85

Customer Reviews

One of the underrated cool things about the TYR L-1 Lifters is that it isn’t hard to find reviews for the shoes in a number of different places. Between going direct to the TYR website to checking out what people have had to say on Amazon and on Rogue, it doesn’t take long to find user reviews from both “official” sources as well as on third-party websites.

What’s better is that these reviews are generally pretty positive across the board. As you might imagine, these skew a little bit higher on the TYR main page, but even weighing in reviews from other top sites/retailers, the shoes enjoy a collective 4.9 out of 5 stars.

For a dedicated weightlifting shoe (a product that is oftentimes very polarizing), that ain’t bad.

Among the less-than-stellar reviews there are, predictably, a few complaints about sizing and durability (which are present in just about any collection of footwear reviews), although a few lifters have noted the heels of their shoes feeling slightly slick, particularly when used on a dedicated lifting platform. I haven’t experienced this sensation, but feel as though it’s important to note it since 2 or 3 users mentioned it.

No shoe is perfect, nor is every shoe going to garner a perfect review score. As it is, the L-1 Lifters come about as close as you could hope for. Plus, the positive reviews across multiple websites/platforms provides additional credibility here.

Customer Reviews: 98

Customer Service

TYR isn’t Adidas or Nike, but it’s still a plenty big company. I can imagine that they’re just flooded with questions and requests on a…I don’t know…minutely basis…

…at least that’s what I did imagine. Then I reached out to TYR with a couple of questions I had about the L1-Lifters and got a reply back within hours. What’s even more impressive is that they operate on Pacific Time, I emailed them sometime around 0230 EST, and got a reply around 1130 EST.

That equates to my message getting to their personnel at midnight their time (obviously, nobody working then) and someone getting back to me by 9AM their time…just an hour after opening up shop.

Maybe I’ve just mostly had bad luck with other companies, but this really impressed me. Also, although my questions weren’t the most involved or substantive, the representative cut through the BS and gave me straight answers (as opposed to canned responses taken directly from a product page). Long story short: she wasn’t annoying and she (probably) wasn’t a bot.

Having experienced too many automated messages in my time (as well as…people who never returned my messages or calls) it’s always nice to deal with real, punctual people…especially when they’re working for large fitness companies.

Customer Service: 100

Who is the TYR L-1 Lifter Really For?

The L-1 Lifters have a few rather unique qualities that likely make them particularly appealing to certain categories of lifters (or, stated more simply, for a select group of preferences/priorities). Let’s take a look at who these people (likely) are:

Lifters who want (need?) a wide toe box

As I’ve mentioned a few times now, the L-1s have the widest toe box I’ve come across in a lifting shoe. This is likely one of the most appealing qualities of these shoes and, if you prioritize a wide toe box, could be more-than-sufficient rationale for opting for these over competitors.

Lifters who like a slightly-higher-than-normal heel

At 21 millimeters, the L-1 Lifters have a more extreme heel drop than most other heeled lifters. For some (like me), this doesn’t provide a great advantage in the Olympic lifts, but is appreciated when squatting. For others, any additional leverage helps and should be prioritized when selecting a dedicated lifting shoe.

Not for “audible” Oly lifters

It may be just me, my flooring, or some breakdown in lifting technique as of late, but I would argue that the L-1s are the least “audible” of any Olympic weightlifting shoes I’ve ever worn. I rarely hear a loud, definitive, “bang” sound upon successfully “landing” each lift’s catch.

For lifters who rely on audible feedback (which likely leans a bit towards novice lifters), the L-1 Lifters aren’t the best at providing it.

How we reviewed the TYR L-1 Lifters

A few months back, I was in the market for new, dedicated lifters. I knew that whichever pair I chose would probably end being featured in a review like this one so I, admittedly, didn’t want to go for something obscure or that would be too hard to get/find more info on.

After getting recs for the L-1 Lifters from a number of friends and colleagues, I bit the bullet…and I’ve used/worn them for every Oly lifting and squat workout since (roughly 2-3 months).

On a few occasions, I have switched my L-1 Lifters out with other lifters I own, but only really for comparison’s sake (as I was in the process of developing this review). Otherwise, my feet have exclusively spent a lot of time in these.

L-1 Lifter Alternatives

As much as I have enjoyed my L-1 Lifters, and as highly as we have rated them, we know that they may not be for everybody (especially if you’re some weirdo like me who is indifferent to toe box width!) As such, we have a few alternative options to keep your eye on:

Frequently Asked Questions

To be honest, the FAQs for these shoes are more of…reiterations than any brand-new material. Nevertheless, we’ll answer what everyone is probably (still) asking:

The TYR L-1 Lifters…Wide Toe Box Enthusiasts Unite!

I’m really happy with my TYR L-1 Lifters…so much so that I’m a little upset that now, I probably won’t have much of an opportunity to test out other lifting shoes…I don’t think that I’ll need to!

It’s actually pretty ironic that I feel this way given that a wide toe box is one of the least of my personal concerns and is the thing I actually personally prefer the least about the shoes. It’s odd that for something that is so important to so many people that this hasn’t been prioritized in Oly lifting shoe engineering, but for those who prioritize it, this could be your best option.

The jury is out on whether or not the L-2 Lifters will be even better than the L-1s, but, even if they are, I seriously doubt you’d be upset spending $150 (or hell, even $125!) on these lifters. As long as you’re not the most audible of lifter, you’ll likely enjoy these very much.

Especially if your wide feet/toes generally fit best in clown shoes!