New Study shows Shod running more efficient??
- Thread starter curraheeeasyc
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Your feet don't have to work as hard. It's like letting them rest in a hammock while drinking a Mai Tai.
This. Or if you look at it another way, why are people's feet and calves so weak when they start running barefoot? It's not that they're not used to running in most cases. Sure, it's a different gait cycle we teach and recommend but still, the shoes do a lot of the work that the lower legs and feet are supposed to do. If they didn't TMTS wouldn't exist.
yeah, but what does that have to do with fatigue? Maybe if you have limp, flaccid wussy feet, but after a short period of strengthening, BF is a lot more relaxing. To me, anyway.
It has everything to do with fatigue, in my opinion. If you train barefoot most of the time so that you have lower legs that are in good shape and you then add some cushioning come race day it should mean that since you've taken some of the load of absorbing impacts off of your lower legs you should be able to push the pace that much harder or go that much longer before they fatigue. All this is assuming that there's no difference in weight and that the shoes only add cushioning and nothing more, in other words very theoretical.
Olle, you know I love ya but, that doesn't make any sense at all, imo. Once you get used to barefoot, wrapping your feet up in cushioned shoes is about the most tiring move you can make. When you run BF, there's no 'impact' to be 'absorbed'.
You're a certified badass barefooter, what are you doing messing around with theories, anyway?
You're a certified badass barefooter, what are you doing messing around with theories, anyway?
Theories are fun. Plus, I'm kind of tapering so I think about running more than I run. Oh, and I love you too, of course.
Now, my final attempt to explain my position. First of all, I'm not talking about a cushioned shoe as in the big fluffy pillows you'll find in a running shop, I'm thinking more along the lines of a flat sole with a few millimeters of foam on top of the outsole, enough that you don't compress it all the way while just standing around but no more than that. Secondly, there is an impact even when running barefoot. It's not the huge spike a heavy heel striker creates but it's enough to make a relaxed muscle jiggle a bit. This is where the cushioning comes in. If you can reduce the speed at which the foot hits firm ground you'll also reduce that motion in the muscles of the lower legs and feet which should result in less fatigue since some energy would be required to stop the muscle once it needs to engage. Again, just a theory.
Oh, and I love you too, of course.Now, my final attempt to explain my position. First of all, I'm not talking about a cushioned shoe as in the big fluffy pillows you'll find in a running shop, I'm thinking more along the lines of a flat sole with a few millimeters of foam on top of the outsole, enough that you don't compress it all the way while just standing around but no more than that. Secondly, there is an impact even when running barefoot. It's not the huge spike a heavy heel striker creates but it's enough to make a relaxed muscle jiggle a bit. This is where the cushioning comes in. If you can reduce the speed at which the foot hits firm ground you'll also reduce that motion in the muscles of the lower legs and feet which should result in less fatigue since some energy would be required to stop the muscle once it needs to engage. Again, just a theory.
yeah... I know it all sounds logical in theory, but I don't think it really works that way. For one thing, you're leaving out a huge factor that everyone always forgets when comparing BF with shod: The sensory feedback from the soles. You know all about that... and it's late and I shouldn't have even started replying, ololol... catch ya on the flip-flop, dude!
(btw, Olle, you should put in your sig line that English isn't your first language. No, I don't mean as a way of apologizing - I mean to BRAG about it, hehe. You make a lot of my FB friends seem like... well, I won't get into that now).
Gute Nacht!
(btw, Olle, you should put in your sig line that English isn't your first language. No, I don't mean as a way of apologizing - I mean to BRAG about it, hehe. You make a lot of my FB friends seem like... well, I won't get into that now).
Gute Nacht!
Is anybody else as offended by the "basic hygiene" nonsense as I am? What exactly do they think is being transmitted? Or did they make sure that their subjects were well-infected with athlete's foot (a shod disease) and bacterial detritus (from the inside of shoes)?
The "basic hygiene" is definitely nonsense, but what is worse is concluding that running barefoot is less efficient from a study where no one ran barefoot.
I felt offended by that comment too, Ahcuah. I know that socks don't allow our feet to air-out, so how is running in socks more hygienic than running barefoot?
I have read studies that show cushioning causes greater impact; the theory/reasoning being the foot is trying to find solid ground.
I have read studies that show cushioning prevents us from utilizing our "human spring" to its fullest. Our human spring is our natural ability to rebound and spring from the ground through our feet, ankles, and knees. If that is the case, then how can cushioned shoes be more efficient? They wouldn't. They would cause the shoe to absorb that recoil-spring, preventing us from achieving the full recoil/rebound, which would reduce our efficiency at running.
I have read studies that show cushioning causes greater impact; the theory/reasoning being the foot is trying to find solid ground.
I have read studies that show cushioning prevents us from utilizing our "human spring" to its fullest. Our human spring is our natural ability to rebound and spring from the ground through our feet, ankles, and knees. If that is the case, then how can cushioned shoes be more efficient? They wouldn't. They would cause the shoe to absorb that recoil-spring, preventing us from achieving the full recoil/rebound, which would reduce our efficiency at running.
TJ, I've read those same studies and I'm not disputing them. What they've done in most cases though is they've used a lot of cushioning for the tests, similar to what you'd find in a running shoe. This is where the problem is in my opinion, nobody has ever tried to find the limit of where cushioning starts to interfere with a "natural" gait. I believe there is a grey area where it actually helps a little, especially at high speed. I don't buy into the idea that elites only wear shoes because their sponsors say so, there has to be more to it than that or we'd have way more people winning big races barefoot. If we're talking about a marathon at world record pace for instance, even a one percent advantage is 75 seconds over the course of the race. I can't see how anyone could say no to that, even if it meant displeasing the sponsors.
That being said, it'll take very special conditions for me to put on shoes for running.
That being said, it'll take very special conditions for me to put on shoes for running.
I think, depending on the structure, the outer sole of shoes can load up energy and boost the spring action of the foot, plus shoes have that "toe spring" built into them. I wouldn't dispute that a shoe like the Mayfly used in this study would propel the foot a little faster from the ground, like a steroid shot in the Achilles.
wouldn't those automatically cause you to fall over??? I have to confess, I used to wear a shoe with a spring (z-coils) for my job nursing. I had tried every (supportive) shoe out there and couldn't find anything that allowed me to work a pain free shift. I used the spring shoes for several years pain free, but towards the end I was having ankle pain.You mean like these?
And what do I wear to work now? One of my Soft Star Shoes - the total opposite of what I was wearing before. I'm a total convert, and I've got the other nurses thinking about their style of shoe.
So your Soft Stars are comfy to wear all day long as you are on your feet all day long? That's great. Goes against what we are told, that we need cushioning when we are on our feet all day.
I work in the ER, so yes, I am on my feet a lot on hard concrete floors, and I feel better in my soft stars than I have in anything else. I've tried Birkenstocks, danskos, crocs, nothinz (similar to crocs), and z-coils, and I always ended up hurting in them in the end. My soft stars might not have any cushioning, but I walk with a less heavy heel strike, and I am able to stretch and move my feet around in them which makes a huge difference. I have tried to wear my danskos again since going minimal, but I can't stand that my foot feels like its encased in such a restrictive shoe. Nurses keep asking me "don't your feet hurt?" and I tell them no, they feel great. They may still feel tired at the end of day, but it's more like a muscle soreness, and once I start walking I feel pretty good again. I just hope people are open minded enough to try it if they too are having trouble - so many nurses complain of foot pain.
You are a good testament. How long have you been wearing the minshoes at work? When did you give up the "usual" types of shoes you all wear in the ER?
I started wearing minishoes at work as soon as I started wearing them running. It's been about 5 months and my feet are stronger than ever.
