Minimalist Shoes

Sometimes less is more, which is the case with minimalist running shoes.

The human body (and the human foot) are made to run. We have all of the necessary muscles to absorb the shock of landing and push-off. Therefore, our running shoes should allow our feet to feel the ground and to move freely to allow them to do the job they were meant to do.

Although there are different schools of thought when it comes to what the best type of running shoes is, there is one thing that everyone can agree on: a forefoot or midfoot strike is the appropriate foot strike in a running gait, while as a heel strike is not (as mentioned in my previous blog post).

There are many muscles in the foot and leg that are designed to control the landing during a forefoot strike. However, these muscles cannot properly absorb the shock of landing with a heel strike, leading to increased force of impact (stress) to areas of the body such as the ankles, shins, knees, hips and lower back.

Let’s start by describing what “minimalist” really means when it comes to running shoes. In a nutshell, it’s a shoe that allows your foot to move freely, similarly to the way it would move if you were barefoot.

There are 5 defining elements of a minimalist running shoe:

• Weight: a minimalist shoe is a light shoe. Excess weight in a shoe will be excess weight that your body has to carry, therefore decreasing the efficiency of your running gait.
• Cushion: a minimalist shoe should have minimal soft cushioning. The thicker and harder the cushioning of your shoe, the less your foot can feel what is happening as it strikes the ground, therefore altering its reaction.
• Flexibilty: a minimalist shoe should be flexible, specifically in the mid-portion of the shoe. The mid foot is home to some very important muscles for arch control (tibialis posterior, tibialis anterior and peroneus longus). Therefore, if this part of your shoe is not free to move, that part of your foot won’t be as free to move, making it more difficult for your foot to properly control the landing.
• Drop: this is the difference between the height of the heel and the height of the toes. A minimalist shoe should have a minimal drop, usually 4mm or less. Higher drops were initially designed to increase forefoot striking, but since these usually come with more cushioning, they decrease what the foot will feel when landing, which leads the foot to land where there is the most cushioning (the heel).
• Comfort: a minimalist shoe should be comfortable. It’s simple – if your foot isn’t comfortable in your shoe, it’s less likely to do its job properly.

Since the more maximalist a shoe is, the less your foot can feel the ground, and the less your muscles are ready to react, the foot is more likely to decide to strike the ground where it can find the most cushioning, which will always be the heel. (If you were paying attention, heel strike = bad strike!!)

To summarize, the more we “protect” the foot by wearing shoes with lots of cushioning and “control” elements, the less the foot can feel the ground, and the less it can react appropriately by engaging the right muscles.

Let your feet do the dirty work they were meant to do!!