The White ’51 Lo is a timeless but fresh take on the canvas and vulcanized rubber low-top sneaker. Ready to flex with all your fits – easily slips on to hit the streets.
Source: WHITE ’51 LO
Squatting is the perfect exercise. It can be done at any moment with or without weights. Some may consider it the Forrest Gump “Bubba” of exercises. There is the split squat, deep squat, half squat, curtsy squat, pistol squat, squat on a wall, squat with a ball, squat in the hall… squats can keep an athlete safe from injury when done correctly. Barefoot squats are the best because they allow the toes to splay. Splay is the natural spread of the toes when walking, running or exercising. It’s an important yet overlooked term in fitness, especially squatting. Unfortunately, those who go to gyms can’t do barefoot squats, so they wear various trainers.
I’ve been wearing my Red Ball Jets since 2022. I wear them primarily for style. They look like Chucks, but they are quite different. The Red Ball Jets feature a drop-in footbed (similar to the Kobe system and Jordan 2012 series). It’s cushioned, but firm and the upper features wider laces and leather with metal grommets for a solid lockdown.
Red Ball Jets 51 HI Black/White-Jet Red 51HI-02-130M with Close Up and On-Foot
I did an unboxing where I showed the construction of the sneaker, but it wasn’t until a subscriber on YouTube commented that they had taken to wearing the sneaker to the weight room that I actually looked at the Red Ball Jets in a different light. When I’m jump roping and doing wall ball throws and squats, I wear the Court Trainer from NOBULL. I will sometimes wear a running shoe to the gym, but I’ve found this to be problematic when doing high impact drills like plyometrics. Cushioned running shoes are horrible for plyometrics because they are too soft which creates instability in the ankle and foot. In many instances running shoes feature narrow toeboxes which is confining. This brings the discussion full circle.
How can a cute little classic hoops sneaker be the perfect squat shoe? Squatting happens with the toes more than most people understand. The deeper you squat the better your base has to be. Do me a favor, stop what you’re doing, take off your shoes and socks and do a squat. Focus on your toes. A solid squat has to be comfortable, shoulders width apart or slightly wider, and your goal should be to keep your feet flat on the ground. If you’re using a bar with weight, then an easier squat will have your heel elevated. Many weight training shoes have platforms for this reason. Back to the squat, notice your toes shifting and spreading to keep you stable?
The RBJ51 has a wide toebox and you can feel the ground which is critical when squatting. While you won’t take off and do wind sprints in the sneaker, James Lyons (the commenter on YouTube) said it best:
RBJs are more substantial in construction than base level converse. PF Flyers and 70s Converse are more comparable. The biggest difference is they are wider up front. They are very comfortable. I tried going back to cons but they are too narrow for me now. I’m on about my fifth or sixth pair of RBJs. They are very durable as I put them through a lot during workouts. They can take a lot more punishment than standard cons. Looks wise they are similar but distinctive, I’ve only received compliments on them. I’m not sure if the company is making traction (no pun intended) but I hope they are because I’m not sure what I would do now if they became unavailable.