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Posted: 3/6/2012 9:32:49 AM EDT
Time to re-evaluate the weight and efficiency arguments.

Heres a new study...

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Metabolic_Cost_of_Running_Barefoot_versus_Shod__.98716.aspx
Link Posted: 3/6/2012 7:44:31 PM EDT
[#1]




Quoted:

Time to re-evaluate the weight and efficiency arguments.



Heres a new study...



http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Metabolic_Cost_of_Running_Barefoot_versus_Shod__.98716.aspx




I don't give a shit about V2 or efficiency.  I want my feet, spine, and knees to last longer.  After two years of running barefoot (five-fingers in PT uniform), I no longer have any pain from my sever Morton's Neuromas, right knee, or bulging disc in my L4.  I can actually run a 5K without joint pain.
Link Posted: 3/7/2012 6:07:29 AM EDT
[#2]
Quoted:
I don't give a shit about V2 or efficiency.  I want my feet, spine, and knees to last longer.  After two years of running barefoot (five-fingers in PT uniform), I no longer have any pain from my sever Morton's Neuromas, right knee, or bulging disc in my L4.  I can actually run a 5K without joint pain.


To be fair, the primary argument that barefoot advocates raise against "big shoe" is that barefoot or extremely minimalist styles are faster, more economic, faster etc.  That's a separate topic from the discussion about impact stresses/transients and injury rates between the two styles.

There is some compelling anecdote out there about folks who couldn't run in shoes now being able to run barefoot.  It's unclear to me how much of that may be due to the fact that they were in the wrong type of shoes to begin with or the placebo effect.  I personally know a handful (less than 5) folks who have suffered injuries or were unable to continue running in VFFs or other uber-minimalist footwear.  One of those folks transitioned from VFFs to NB Minimus and is fine.  Another guy had  a reduction in plantar fascia issues, but has had other bone pain from using Innov-8s and has moved to a Kinvara/Ghost platform.

I've moved to a less "involved" shoe and had fewer injuries, but I can't wholly attribute that to the shoes.  I have also greatly increased run frequency to 6 days/week while decreasing the length of my long run as a percentage of my weekly total mileage (< 25-30%).  I suspect that this is something a lot of barefoot runners also do, perhaps unintentionally.  You can't run as far in a single session due to adapation, so they run more often and shorter, gradually increasing run duration.  Just an untested hypothesis, but it makes sense to me.

Bottom line is "buyer beware".  Minimalist or barefoot is not necessarily a panacea, but neither is it the root of all evil if approached and incorporated into training intelligently.  

Link Posted: 3/7/2012 7:19:01 AM EDT
[#3]
Quoted:

Quoted:
Time to re-evaluate the weight and efficiency arguments.

Heres a new study...

http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/publishahead/Metabolic_Cost_of_Running_Barefoot_versus_Shod__.98716.aspx


I don't give a shit about V2 or efficiency.  I want my feet, spine, and knees to last longer.  After two years of running barefoot (five-fingers in PT uniform), I no longer have any pain from my sever Morton's Neuromas, right knee, or bulging disc in my L4.  I can actually run a 5K without joint pain.


Im glad the change worked for you, I truly am,  I just posted this study as info for those interested because as H46 said this is one of the main things barefoot advocates claim for it being superior when this study proves its clearly not.  Barefoot running is not more efficient than other forms.  

You like many others went to a more minimal shoe for whatever reason because you werent happy with the issues you were running into with shod footwear.  Heres the problem.  No shoe should cause injury unless its the wrong type or severely worn down.

Im assuming like most who've gone this rout you had to adjust your form to run in these shoes, and if you didnt you had to decrease your percentage of training or total volume to adjust to the more minimal shoe.  Minimal runners do this and viola, all their issues are gone.  They then comment on how great a shoe it is, and how its been a godsend for fixing their issues.  The problem is they arent connecting the dots correctly.  Yes the shoe may have guided them, but what fixed the problem was the training adjustment and the form change.  99% of the time, its going to be form or training that cause an injury, not the shoes.  People just want something tangible to blame besides their own choices.  Dont ask me why, maybe were just selfish and cant admit when were wrong, who knows.  If your form sucks or you have a bad training program, it doesnt matter what type of shoes youre in, youre going to run into issues.

So these barefoot runners and advocates want to praise these shoes when in reality its not what fixed the problem.  And most wont even go back to try a more cushioned or shod based shoe with their new form and training to see if they have issues, unless they start having problems again, which Ive seen multiple times.  They demonize the heel strike and cushioned shoes without truly knowing what it is that helped them.

And thats what Im here for.  To get rid of the verbal diarrhea and inform people.  This "new style" is great, but like H46 said its not the end all be all, and it sure as hell isnt injury free or the majority of the running market.  Its not more biomechanically sound or efficient either as this study just proved.
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