Now-a-days many shoe companies are making shoes lighter and lighter. Whether they’re for running, lifting weights, walking or just for comfort. Many brands are accommodating for the new trends in staying fit.
The human anatomy is built around natural, organic movements and running has always been at the core of the life for a human ever since the start of man’s existence. Man has adapted over time to be more efficient runners and use running for many different purposes. For the longest time, shoes did not exist, therefore man has adapted to be able to run barefoot.
With the introduction to modern running shoes in the late 1960’s by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman’s company Nike, the world of running was forever changed, and in some peoples opinions, for the better.
The engineering and technology that goes into running shoes has increased greatly in recent years. As the technology increases so does research about these technologies. In the last decade alone, many scientific breakthroughs have changed the world of running. Many studies compare the benefits of barefoot running vs. running shoes, but the introduction of minimalist footwear has bridged the gap between the extremes.
Here are the basic conclusions that we can take away from these studies:
- Running in shoes takes less energy than running barefoot.
- The heavier your shoes are, the less efficiently you run.
- Running barefoot “offers no metabolic advantage over running in lightweight, cushioned shoes.”
www.sweatscience.runnersworld.com Check out this website to get more detailed information that justifies these conclusions. Keep in mind this is just one study done and this is by no means the answer to this conflict. There’s been lots of research to come to the world of running and this is only a fraction of that knowledge.
“I feel like now lots of people are starting to wear more minimalist footwear. For me it’s just more comfortable than traditional running shoes. Whenever I’ve used traditional running shoes my feet have always been sore and they’re not as comfortable,” Sam Mrstik ‘13 said.
Another study I found shows that running shoes make running physiologically easier than going barefoot. A few previous studies have suggested that in terms of physiological effort, it’s easier to go barefoot. After all, shoes have mass; they add weight to your feet, and pushing weight through space, as you do with every step while running, demands energy.
www.well.blogs.nytimes.com check out this article too, to get the other side of the arguement and read the whole article for yourself.
Recently, brands like Nike have come out with lots of new technologies in the world of running. With the introduction of Nike’s Free line, many people can now do the minimalist running/training that everyone talks about. This only one example of one brand, and many other brands offer their versions of minimalist shoes.
“I really like my Nike Huarache Free’s because they’re really light and they’re really comfortable. I also like that they’re very stylish,” Mrstik ‘13 said. “I’ve worn lots of different kinds of shoes to do lots of different workouts and by fat my favorite are the Nike Free’s.”
Whether you like to run with or without running shoes or you like to run in minimalist shoes, it all depends on your running style and what feels comfortable to you. Don’t be afraid to try something new.
