Minimalist Shoes.
What are those you say, bruh?
I’m a big fan of minimalist shoes for a lot of reasons. Along my journey, incorporating minimalist footwear has:
- Helped enormously with my posture
- Helped with knee aches and pains
- Resolved a nagging and tight gastrocnemius.
- Helped some low back aches.
- Helped with hip mobility, structure, and integrity.
*Slow clap for toe shoes and flip flops*
Minimalist shoes are defined by their design to provide a barefoot experience compared to a traditional shoe which provides extra cushion, heel support/lift, and arch support.
Gait, or the stride pattern of an individual when walking or running, is an important piece for deciding proper footwear. Specifically for running and certain exercises, knowing your gait can make each run/movement enjoyable and more importantly- comfortable for your lower extremities.
When I began having a lot of issues with my ankles, knees, hips, and feet I began to wonder if it has something to do with my footwear and the way I walked/ran. Anytime I would throw on a pair of shoes, things just felt off. My knees would hurt after a while, ankles were uncomfortable, and every time I threw in the towel and took them off, the discomfort and pain would subside.
The body works as a unit when performing closed-chain movements like your squat, push up, or deadlift.
If there is a weakness, especially in the lower extremities, imbalances are formed and bad movement patterns can be developed especially when performing movements with excess cushion under the foot. For example, you wouldn’t want to perform a heavy squat or deadlift with extra foam cushioned shoes.
Why?
Because we want the force to be displaced through the main contact points of the feet so the proper muscles are activated. This is better achieved when the surface is flat and stable. Too much cushion puts unwanted stress on the joints and tendons trying to stabilize the movement which is why you often see people in their socks pulling a heavy deadlift.
In my case, my feet and ankles were weak.. very weak which explains a lot of my issues from the waist down. I had poor dorsiflexion, poor squat form, and my running gait was…not graceful.
*BAM. BAM. BAM* The noise from my heel would make as I’d warm up on the treadmill. I cringe just thinking about it. My gait favored an extreme heel strike compared to a more efficient forefoot strike.
And as we can see, having a forefoot strike allows the impact to be absorbed throughout the calf, not so much in the joints, and allows for a smooth transition of force to propel you forward.
Keep in mind that when running at faster speeds, we’ll tend to be higher up on the foot. Ideally, the knee and foot should be align when striking the ground and when running at slower speeds, we my have a slight heel strike. Regardless, the movement should be comfortable.
A minimalist design can help prevent unwanted force on the joints,
And protecting your joints is very important. Often times, we hear different people say how bad squatting is for the knees, deadlifts will throw your back out, or how bad running is for the joints when in reality, it’s poor movement patterns, posture, and muscle imbalances that cause our injuries.
“Don’t let the knee travel over the toe!”
More like, don’t ever work on ankle and hip flexion.
As I slowly incorporated a minimalist design, and understood the movement patters of the body, The issues I had above slowly went away and my mobility gains were great.
Does this mean everyone should wear a minimalist shoe? I definitely can’t say I’d recommend that for everyone (I’m only speaking from experience), but it’s definitely worth it if you have a lot of mobility issues like I had above. A very slow and gradual transition is needed as your legs and feet warm up to the minimal support. The investment, however, is most definitely worth it.
“The more expensive the shoes, the cheaper the mover. – Ido Portal”
And if you’re not aware of him, check him out here and be inspired.
Wrapping up
Take time time to understand your movement patterns and tendencies. Put ego aside when exercising and you’re body will thank you in the long run.
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