Squats - 195 X 8, 8 ,8
Leg press - 235 X 20, 15, 10
Leg curls - 110 X 15, 8, 7

Track shoes can be problematic when squatting. Though the heel rise is nice, the amount of cushion built into the shoe makes them less than ideal. As silly as you might look, bowling shoes might be better :) I know that JV Askem (fairly famous trainer and Oly lifter) used to find weird shoes in discount shoe stores and use them as cheap lifting shoes. Everything from bowling shoes to ugly orthopedic shoes. The only things he cared about were a very solid sole (hard rubber, leather, wood) and that there was some lift in the heel.

Oh, and for what it is worth, I think box squatting is the way to go. Find yourself a nice below parallel box (I've squatted off of 45lb plates stacked up) and just use that. Don't even have to deload onto it if you don't feel like it, just use it to check depth.

These have barely any cushion at all. That's the other good thing. They have a LOT less cushion than the running shoes that I wore before. They were the cheapest, which might be one reason that they had less cushion than all of the other track shoes in the store when I looked this morning. I don't think the cushion in these new shoes is enough to have a significant impact on anything. Why is cushion bad?

Well, the idea would be to push off of the most stable platform possible. That way there is no weird roll, or compression when you push. Converse Allstars are like the old standby for lifting shoes. The only downfall is that there is no heel in them. That may or may not be an issue, depending on your build. I get around in mine ok. The rubber is reasonably hard and doesn't compress much (can't imagine playing sports in them, but...)

For once, cheap running shoes probably are the better choice. I'm sure that they didn't spend much on various density foams to adjust the foot roll or heel strike.

At the end of the day, if you can afford Olympic weight lifting shoes, those are the best for squatting. You will never feel so solid as you will with those on, but they wouldn't be good for deadlifting as you would want to be more flat footed.

It is all splitting hairs, I'm sure. The average trainee can lift in any old athletic shoe and be fine.

Hell, I wear skater shoes and they work nicely. There is no heal but there also is very little for cushion so, it works.

IronWorker

I just checked out my shoes again since we've been talking about them. The sole is actually hard rubber. It's by far the heaviest part of the shoe. The only real cushion is the 1/16" thick insole. The outside is mostly mesh with some thicker plastic that wraps around the middle. I would hate to run in them. My old track shoes have a lightweight foam rubber sole and are a good bit lighter (and have some cushion), but they cost more. When I get the chance, I'm going to check out the olympic weight lifting shoes.

Incline bench press - 145 X 14, 7, 5
Flat DB press - 60 X 12, 6, 4
Dips - BW X 15, 9, 7
OH tri ext/press - 45 X 19/10, 12/7, 8/6

Good workout. I had to change the first two lifts. I couldn't go heavy or near failure with incline DB press, but I can with incline BB press. And I can go heavy with flat DB press. So...that's what I'm doing. I felt like crap, but it was a good workout. I should have taken today off. My mistake. I will take tomorrow off. Yesterday wore me out. I took in around 6000 calories yesterday and I'm still pooped.

Sounds like your running shoes are not half bad. Most people buy running shoes based on the fact that they weigh nothing and have all kinds of super spongy stuff in them... not you! ;) You went for the shin splint special!

Skater shoes would be fine. As I said, I lift in Converse All stars.

I think I came out okay on the deal because I went in with a certain criteria and no preconceived notions, and found something that matched my criteria. I almost bought some climbing shoes instead, but ended up with track shoes because I liked them more..and because they didn't have Converse All Stars. :)

Can't wait to get my books in the mail. I ordered the following:
Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier
Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition by John Ivy
Maximum Strength by Eric Cressey

I'll be adding to the list soon, I hope.