Hey Everybody, Minimalism WORKS!

guuess what wrote:

I have seen legit proof that minimalism works, but not the other way around.

You haven't seen proof the other way around? What about all the runners in the Olympics that wear trainers while they run? Oh yeah, that's all of them.

Hi, I represent Asics, and it seems like you a have extensive knowledge of human physiology, engineering, and the sport of running. We need more experts like you in the shoe business, and your obvious experience would make you a valuable asset to the Asics team. Please consider a job as one of our head researchers, the offer is on the table.

Okay then can you please explain to me why it makes sense to wear trainers?

All of that cushion forces you to land incorrectly. Barefoot runners and people that grow up without shoes and all your Gel Cushion Whatever have LESS injuries.

If trainers are so great, how come there has been no decrease in injuries in the past 30 years when all this "elevated heel" crap starting coming out?

i have 2 way differnt opinions on this.

I train in Nike shox.

But sometimes I run barefoot just to see how long I can do it. And I recently got DQ'd from a race for running barefoot.

I speak from some 50 odd years of running and racing up to the marathon,2.30-2.40 level.My experience has been that the lighter the shoe you can get away with the better.In my twenties and early thirties I trained and raced road,track and CC almost exclusively in the very light Tiger series,they were little more than slippers.No problems then,but as I aged into my forties I began to experience lower body/leg injuries.Well,one might surmise that this development was due to so many years of "light"shoes but if so it was worth it for the 10-15 years of good running and racing.As I have aged the need for more support beneath seem to have increased,mainly to decrease foot pain and such.

When young,light in body weight and running fast(this is favoured by shoe lightness)I suffered little or no injury.

When older and "shuffling" I seem more prone,I guess the natural gait is curtailed so much that your style change also affects.

So my advice,for what it is worth as an exercise of one, would be go for the lightest shoe supplied by reputable makers,these days they are somewhat heavier than the ones of my early running days but much more preferable to the clunkers shoes of this world.

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Oh, and while I too believe there are benefits to minimalism, the most obvious argument against it is that while our primitive ancestors may have done just great running around the forest barefoot, most of us here in the modern world run on asphalt or concrete, which is significantly harder. But by all means go hit the roads barefoot, I'll smash a beer bottle just in case you live near me.

ps. 1.5/10

Okay, but assuming you are not running on concrete, and like another poster said (thank you for your response) you are young and running decently fast, why would you wear trainers?

Again, they just force you to land incorrectly/unnaturally.

Dude you aren't even getting the theory right.

Trainers do not force you to land improperly, they allow you to land improperly.

Riddle me this, would you recommend that a serious overpronator run barefoot? How about people who are massively overweight? People who are running 30mpw to get ready for a marathon? These three groups make at least half of the general running populace- Think they can afford to buy your BS?

Timmayy wrote:

Riddle me this, would you recommend that a serious overpronator run barefoot? How about people who are massively overweight?

I would recommend something more minimal to sereve overpronators. Much of their overpronation is caused by their excessive heel lift in their shoes--cut down the heel height, cut down the overpronation.

It is much easier to afford my BS than to pay $140 for training shoes that cause injuries.

guuess what wrote:

It is much easier to afford my BS than to pay $140 for training shoes that cause injuries.

well it is cheaper I'll give you that. my footsie hurts barefoot, so I'm sticking to shoes.

If you were truly minimalist, you would spell guess with only one U.

guuess what wrote:

force you to land incorrectly.

I believe the word you were looking for is "uncorrectly."

Tut tut, "noncorrectly."

discorrectly

anticorrectly

guuess what wrote:

Okay then can you please explain to me why it makes sense to wear trainers?

All of that cushion forces you to land incorrectly. Barefoot runners and people that grow up without shoes and all your Gel Cushion Whatever have LESS injuries.

If trainers are so great, how come there has been no decrease in injuries in the past 30 years when all this "elevated heel" crap starting coming out?

If you could please provide some studies to reinforce the claims you've made. For example, what defines the right way to land? How much less do barefoot runners get injured?

Also you seem to be contradicting yourself. First you said that high cushioned shoes make you more injured then you said that they only fail to decrease injuries.

psuedocorrectly

i do "just do it" wrote:

i have 2 way differnt opinions on this.

I train in Nike shox.

But sometimes I run barefoot just to see how long I can do it. And I recently got DQ'd from a race for running barefoot.

Neither of these are opinions.