Platforms & Posing Heels : All You Need To Know

One aspect of posing shoes which can cause some confusion is surrounding shoes with/without a platform.

A couple of years ago, there was a limited choice when it came to both federations and the posing shoes that were acceptable to the criteria. Luckily, with more federations and shows, and more relaxed posing shoe rules, it has allowed more fluidity and choices for competitors. Which means shoes with various platforms sizes are becoming increasingly popular.

With this in mind, we wanted to give you the complete rundown when it comes to platform shoes. Making it as simple and easy as possible to understand! From no platform, small, arched to chunkier platforms; here is all you need to know about them including our best advice according to the size of the platform, federation advice and our own experience wearing these heels and the affect it has on posing.

Shoes without a platform.

Example styles: Gala 08, Belle 301, Caress 408, Clearly 408

• If you compete with federations that do not allow a platform like the UKBFF, then a shoe without a platform is a MUST when making your final choice.

• One positive when going for a shoe without a platform is that you can be confident that your shoe will be applicable to pretty much any bodybuilding style federation you enter. The same goes for fitness/fashion styled federations except for WBFF where you are not permitted to wear clear posing heels.

• The more traditional style of posing shoe, it is still very common that we see girls make their first purchase for a shoe without a platform as they are great to get an idea of how the posing shoes feel and then, later on, switch to a shoe with a platform.

• Some find the shoe styles without a platform at first glance to be more aesthetically appealing, in addition to the fact that some of these styles for example, some of the Belle and Caress are slightly less expensive than our other styles.

Shoes with a small platform

Example styles: Flair 401, Iris 401, Poise 508, Chic 01

In the past, some federations have been very strict as to whether female competitors can wear a small platform on stage. Whereas more recently, an increased number of federations now allow for a small platform to be on the heel. GREAT news for us girls, as they provide extra stability and comfort while on stage, in particular when it comes to quarter turns and fixing the foot when in your side pose.

The biggest mistake competitors can make is going for a style such as a Caress (4-inch heel) instead of a Flair (4.5” heel) as they think the lower heel which provide more comfort and security. When in fact, the small 0.5-inch increase is to accommodate the platform element to the shoe, which actually is more beneficial than a hindrance.

The higher the heel, typically the larger the platform, so if you are planning to compete in more ‘bodybuilding’ style federations, you still need to be careful that you choose a shoe that doesn’t have an ‘obvious’ platform… think about avoiding the stereotypical ‘stripper heel’ look!

Shoes with an arched platform - Elegant 401 & 408 specific

• This sort of style is great for comfort and stability, being slightly better suited for fitness/ fashion style federations or a federation such as NPC/IFBB/2 Bros Pro where the need for side posing and screwing your foot into the floor is not as required.

• How does the arch affect this? As the arch starts from roughly halfway down the bottom of the shoe in comparison to the other styles.

• That is not to say that you can’t wear this type of heel in bodybuilding style federations and rock them confidently, but if you’re not yet feeling 100% confident with your side pose and you’re heading into a bodybuilding show, we would advise looking at the Flair and Chic sort of styles first before upgrading to the Elegant style.

Shoes with a chunkier platform (and a slight arch)

Example styles: Cocktail 501 DM, Lip 101

• Even though these are very similar to the Elegant 408/Elegant 401s, the main reason we separated the Elegant from the Cocktail and Lip style is due to the fact that the arch doesn’t start halfway down like the Elegant does. Instead you will find that the Cocktail and Lip styles arch starts roughly 3/4 of the way down.

• These are the most popular in both fitness/fashion federations along with NPC/IFBB shows.

• You will find that a lot of the pros wear either a lip or cocktail style shoe in the IFBB Pro League, typically because your posing and angles can ‘pop’ a lot more once you feel confident and sassy in both wearing heels and the posing itself.

• Don’t forget that a chunkier heel usually means a bigger platform which does offset some of the heel height ‘jump’ you might be concerned with slightly.

• With this style, you need to make sure you remember to pick up your feet properly as you could catch the floor easier with a bigger platform.

We hope this helps give some more detailed insight into the posing shoes and how they can vary. Having tried and tested them ourselves for many years both on and off the stage, we have a wealth of knowledge and understanding when it comes to what style suits which competitor. As always, if you are ever unsure or want some additional support making your decision, you can always contact us!

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our blog content and also our video area in the posing shoe section!