New research published in the European Journal of Sport Science found that minimalist running shoes can provide your feet and legs with certain benefits, but only to a point. Today, we explain how to get the most out of your minimalist running shoes while also preventing against foot injuries.
Running With Minimalist Shoes
For the study, researchers out of Australia conducted a six-week training session and 20-week study with 50 male runners between the ages of 19 and 35 who ran between 7.5 and 25 miles a week. The runners also had a lot of characteristics of your normal recreational runner in that they were injury-free, wore conventional running shoes and had a heel-strike running pattern. The men were divided into two groups, with one given a conventional running shoe and the other given a minimalist running option.
After a six-week warm up period where each group got used to running in the shoe for a little while, participants were asked to switch between wearing their regular running shoes and their study shoes during their regular recreational runs for the next 20 weeks, with the caveat being that they only increased their time in the new shoe by five percent each week. By the 20 week, they would be running in their study-provided shoe for 100 percent of their runs.
Here’s what researchers found during the six-week warm up and the 20-week trial:
- During training, the minimalist group ran slightly faster on average, and more efficiently.
- During training, individuals in the minimalist group improved their plantar flexor strength more than those in regular running shoes.
- During the study, participants in the minimalist group saw speed and muscle strength improvement to a point, before it leveled off. Researchers found that strength and speed improvements maxed out when individuals were wearing minimalist running shoes 35 percent of the time.
- Wearing minimalist shoes for longer periods was associated with an increased risk of foot and leg injury.
“Using them more than 35 percent of the time can raise injury risk, particularly if you have increased body mass,” said lead researcher and biomechanics expert Joel Fuller in an email to Runner’s World, adding that the ankle and metatarsals come under extreme stress when using minimalist shoes on such a consistent basis.
He added that minimalist shoes certain can have benefits in the right training program, but increasing your distance gradually and using appropriate running techniques should be prioritized over footwear. If you’re going to try minimalist shoes, work them into your running rotation gradually so as to maximize the benefits while minimizing your risk for injury.