Why Minimalist Shoes are Best for Your Feet When Running

The best running shoes for running are those that compliment and strengthen the feet, especially the natural elastic properties of the foot, like the arch, as well as elastic structures in the leg, like the Achilles tendon. Minimalist running shoes have the perfect structure to allow for this as compared with conventional running shoes which were found (references below article) to impede the energy-saving elastic functions of the Achilles and the arch.

When engaged properly, the arch and the Achilles tendon can have enormous economic value in running, helping you save big on energy by literally making your stride more spring-enabled which reduces costly muscular efforts. Moreover, researchers have acknowledged that optimal energy storage and return in both the Achilles and the foot’s arch directly depends not only on foot strike, (i.e forefoot strike, not heel striking), but on footwear, too.

In terms of the proper foot strike for running. landing with a forefoot strike is better than heel striking because landing on the balls of the foot enables the arch and the Achilles to work best at storing and releasing energy storage and return. Read more on that here. Concerningly however, cushioned running shoes can prevent your forefoot strike from engaging the arch and Achilles as energy-saving springs by interfering with recoiling mechanism of these tendons.  Similarly, researchers believe that design characteristics of a running shoe should reflect that of the human foot to optimize total energy turnover. This is why minimalist shoes are highly recommended because they ergonomically compliment the shape and function of the human foot.

An interesting study by Morgan et al., in RQES examined the effects of footwear designed with elastic structures similar to those found in the human foot on running economy compared to the standard running shoe.

• To mimic the recoil mechanisms of the arch, a prototype running shoe made of an elastomeric urethane outsole and carbon fiber composite material was molded to form a leaf-spring in the midsole.

• To mimic the recoil mechanism of the Achilles tendon, an elastic strap was constructed out of natural rubber and wrapped around the ankle, shown below:

• As you can see, the shoe is a far cry from a minimalist running shoe, yet, despite the shoe’s resemblance to the standard running shoe, the elastic contributions of the elastic devices resulted in lower energy expenditure compared to the standard running shoe.

The point is, the researchers found a strong relationship between footwear intended to simulate arch/Achilles function and better running economy, proving that good running economy is principally driven by elastic contributions. Extending these findings to other studies, minimalist shoes were found to sustain recoil of elastic structures evoked by the lack of under-heel cushioning and arch support, suggesting that minimalist shoes make you more energy efficient by making your Achilles tendon and the arch more energy efficient.

Avoid Shoes That Don’t Reflect Natural Foot Functionality

One of the many problems with running in the standard running shoe is these shoes impair the Achilles from elongating and storing elastic energy, while preventing the arch from naturally bending, extending and compressive, negating sufficient elastic energy storage during the mid-stance of running.

With all this said, your performance in running partly depends on how well your Achilles and arch behave as springs, which in large measure, depends on what you wear on your feet. Also, the running shoe industry wants you to believe that our feet are inherently fragile, which is widely untrue because in minimalist shoes, the foot is made tough and highly tolerant to harder training, and at the same time, the foot’s elastic structures are made to play a major role in contributing to running economy, all of which can only be optimized in shoes that mimic natural, barefoot conditions, which is what minimalist shoes were made to do.

Need more convincing on the benefits of minimalist shoes? Here are all the evidence-backed reasons you’ll only get better and better when training in minimalist shoes, not in conventional running shoes.

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References:

Ker,R. F.,Bennett, M. B., Bibby,S. R, Kester, R C., & Alexander, R. M. (1987). The spring in the arch of the human foot. Nature,325,147-149.

Morgan et al. Aerobic demand of running shoes designed to exploit energy storage and return. RQES, 1996; 67(1):102-105.

Shorten, M. R. (1993). The energetics of running and running shoes. Journal of Biomechanics, 26(Suppl. 1),41-51.