Same quality, less filling.
Ever think about what happens to that old pair of running shoes you retired or gave to the dog? It takes about 1000 years (yes, that’s 3 zeroes) for the EVA ( the midsole material in most running shoes) to break down. Brooks has come up with a nice alternative, that under the right conditions , takes 50 times less or about 20 years.
It is well documented in the literature that cushioned shoes increase impact forces. Increased impact forces often lead to injury and compensation… and the Wave rider 12 won an editors choice award from Runners World? What are they thinking? Increased comfort does not necessarily equate to better performance. How many athletes do you know who train in a recliner?
Ivo Waerlop We have always said that orthotics serve as a therapy, not a solution. Your prescription should be getting better (lessening) or more correction taken out with time, not becoming greater. They are an excellent tool, but not a substitue for good mechanics.
Plenty of great videos here to learn from. More to come !
In the hills of Mexico, a tribe of Indians carries an ancient secret: a diet and fitness regimen that has allowed them to outrun death and disease. We set out to discover how the rest of us can catch up.
Its great to wear shoes if you are jumping, but not necessarily running. It is interesting that ground reactive forces were not significantly different for shod vs unshod conditions and that that knee flexion, angular velocity and power were higher for those “perceiving” that there would be more cushioning. It goes to show we are not smarter than our brain (we just think we are !).
Knee. 2010 Aug 24. [Epub ahead of print]
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Division of Bioengineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
One question still remains, is this whole barefoot “thing” a fad or is it truly a trend that is here to stay ? The Gait Guys believe it has become entrenched enough now, in reputable research journals, that this is a firm trend that will not be going anywhere anytime soon. The studies are just too convincing that there are benefits. However, Dr. Waerlop and I feel that there are risks for some folks. Those mainly being that some foot types do not, and never will, have business being in such minimalistic shoes. We remained concerned about the misleading advertising, that these types of shoes will make everyone’s feet stronger. For some, they will, but most of the time strength education must be directed, so why would it be any different here ? For example, there is a right way to do a squat, and a wrong way and merely doing more of them without guidance does not guarantee that the intended and proper motor patterns will be achieved. We all need direction when it comes to difficult things, like proper foot function. Thus, merely putting on a minimalistic shoe does not mean that the correct patterns and strategies for foot strengthening are being automatically instituted. We see plenty of folks who are in minimalist shoes and yet still display toe hammering and clenching behaviors which are clearly not seen in strong feet, to the claims that these shoes will do it all are just not true. And, for those that have challenged foot types and lower limb torsional issues (ie. FF varus, Rothbart Foot, cavovarus foot, excessive tibial varum and/or tibial torsion etc) these folks will likely trend towards local foot problems or injuries or issues further up the kinetic chain (hip, knee, low back etc). Understandably, these are heavy medical terms and conditions that are very much out there in the running public. We know, we see them daily. The problem could be that those providing the education do not have enough clinical background to know what these issues are let alone recognize them. So how can they then draw these issues to the surface in educating the public ? As I say in my lectures, “You first have to know what a platypus is in order to identify it. Otherwise it is just a hedge hog with flippers and a duck bill." These underlying anatomic issues are the elephants in the room that everyone is missing, everyone except us. We get the folks who are running in these minimalist devices and we get to see who never should have been in them in the first place.
The good thing is that many companies are setting up educational programs to help folks drop down into "minimalism 2.0” but still, to date, no one is talking about the elephants in the room, those being those foot types that are too risky to be in the shoes and even more specifically, how to strengthen the foot. Merely putting the shoes on and wearing them does not mean the end user who already has challenged feet will begin to engage the correct muscular motor patterns. But who would admit to those risks, that would be stupid advertising and product risk. With 36+ clinical years we feel this is where we have some pull and can help.
Someone needed to be talking about the elephants in the room. We finally decided that we had enough experience clinically, and with runners and shoes, to be that person. Agreeably, there is a danger in doing too much barefoot running too soon. We made this clear over the past few years as Biomechanics Advisory Board members for one of the big players in this game. For us it is about “keeping them honest” as we like to say now. We are trying to make the calls on the products that have questionable statements and applaud those that stick their neck out but whom take our critique well. We do not know everything, but we seem to know much more than most when it comes to the biomechanics of what is going in these products. If you put 10 different feet in a product, you will get 10 different biomechanical presentations from the shoe. So, much of what is being missed is the education of what is going on with the parts that are in the shoe, and that is our world. A major part of the barefoot or natural running trend are the problems that exist with the thing you are putting into all of these products, a person. A person who likely does not have the classic middle of the road, ‘Average Foot’ these shoes were designed around; that foot that all these companies base their research and dialogue upon. To us, the most important thing for us to do is to raise the knowledge and awareness to the public, shoe companies and shoe stores that there is likely a ~10-15% standard deviation off of that average foot where their products will work as they claim. Those other 70%, well…….they need us and they deserve to have us help them see the elephants in the room that no one is talking about.
If the collective goal of the natural running movement is to reduce injuries then the education MUST continue into educating the fabricators and running public of all of the issues at hand (or “foot” in this case) which should include talking about the elephants in the room.
Please help us get the message out. Wouldn’t it be great if this message went viral ? Send this to your friend who just bought a pair of “barefoot or minimalistic shoes”. Send it to your shoe store owner, your coach, your trainer, your doctor, therapist, your running club colleagues, your brother etc.
Lets educate everyone so this positive trend does not have a dark undercurrent that no one speaks of.
Shawn Allen, Ivo Waerlop………with almost 4 decades of clinical experience…..we are, The Gait Guys
Shoes make the man, or in this case, the athlete. This study shows that shoes (much like skis) allow us to perform faster than our brain is able to compensate ( in other words, we lack the skill) and allow us to sometimes stretch our abilities, often at the cost of an injury. We must remember that technology must keep pace with the rate of neural learning, not the opposite.
J Sci Med Sport. 2010 Jul;13(4):382-6. Epub 2010 Mar 15.
The Ecco Biom
The Human Foot: It makes up to 175 calculations per second …….Yes, the foot is just about one of the most amazing pieces of engineering out there. And when it works well, it is amazing. And when it goes sour……man it goes sour !
Watch this video for the new Ecco Biom. This guy Torbjorn Sindballe is an amazing athlete. Through the sagittal plane his biomechanics look pristine. However, through the frontal plane, well that is another matter. We will discuss that in a moment.
Of first order, lets look at the video segment at 13 seconds. In what at first looks like a cool video clip, at 13 seconds we see a foot flash before our eyes showing a heel strike barefooted (it appears to be running to us). If it is in fact running, that is just not realistic. It is fine for walking gait but not for running, the impact is too great, the necessary control is excessive, and the deceleration forces just too much.
* and to prove another point as to why heel strike while running is incorrect, think about this and then we will prove it at exactly 18 seconds into the video. The heel (calcaneus) is rounded. And it sits on top of a soft fat pad. If your sagittal mechanics are not perfect, the heel can wobble or rock suddenly and quickly from side to side. This is why you see running shoes with a deep seated heel counter and dual density foam in the arch to provide control and to help direct this foot forward onto the more stable bipod forefoot. A single point is unstable, and thus heel strike at a running velocity is asking for trouble. Now, go and watch the video again at 18-19 seconds…..see that sudden jarring of the heel ! If you are going into an accentuated inversion or eversion event, that impact event could carry you there in a hurry and that might not be good and/or it will necessitate a sudden ligamentous or muscular correction from the frontal stabilizers (which could lead to repetitive strain). So when you run, in our opinion (and that of many of the experts and current research) perfect form is one of forefoot /mid-forefoot strike, then kiss the heel down to the ground if you wish and then lever off with glute and calf power. That is proper mechanics and shoes with thick generous heels can impede this normal event as Lieberman’s Harvard studies have shown.
Now, back to Torbjorn. Well, his sagittal mechanics are admittedly gorgeous ! But his frontal plane foot pronation mechanics leave a little something to be desired (don’t get us wrong, “if it ain’t broken, maybe you don’t fix it” when it comes to a super athlete like Torbjorn, and additionally as we know very well, what appears to be wrong is not always the case when you examine a person) but we do not like what we see. Particularly, at 36 seconds into the video you see rather aggressive left foot rear and mid foot pronation. That might not be good over 26 miles and 100+ training weeks. The right foot needs a little work too if you ask us. He should not be in that shoe if you ask us. But hey, who the heck are we anyways right ?……..
Shawn and Ivo……we are…….The Gait Guys……..(that’s who !)
(* Torbjorn, if you are reading……we could help you with that left foot if it becomes a problem. Lets hope not ! Keep up the really great performances, setting the standard ! Keep them looking at the backs of your shoes……and……just so you know…..we like some of the features of the shoe, we will be getting a pair and do a review unless you want to comp us a pair and begin some dialogue.)
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