What type of shoes are ideal for weight lifting? Up until now I havae just been using my New Balance running shoes, but as my squats and cleans go up, I'm finding that I need more balance. Any suggestions?

With squats the best shoe you can get is good ol' Chucks...you know, those cheap, cloth canvas shoes.

yeah, sure.........and when you drop a weight on your foot? i go leather!....

If you drop a weight on your foot, it won't matter unless you have steel toes. I'm merely responding for the best type of shoe for squatting.

sure it will matter! leather gives more protection than canvas will!

The debate about what shoe to wear to protect your feet is pretty pointless because then we get into from what height and how heavy is the plate, etc...

But since the question was about what shoe is best to wear when doing squats, my opinion remains that the chucks are the way to go. It's a pretty common shoe to see power lifters wearing.