Understanding the Minimal Trend

With the Vibram Five Fingers and Born To Run, minimal shoe lines have seen a tremendous spike in sales and popularity. There has also been a tremendous spike in podiatrist clients, and a very clear pattern is shown. The sales in minimal shoes are almost parallel to the business of  orthopedists and podiatrists. This trend tells us a little something about Minimal Shoes; they aren't for everybody.

A minimal shoe is solely a performance tool. If you run fast and you want to run faster, then try it out since you are an experienced runner. However, if you're a slow and/or a heavy runner, the minimal shoe isn't just magically going to make you fast and injury free. Rather, it 's going to injure you and probably make you even slower. Think of an expensive collectors basketball shoes; they're great basketball shoes, but if you suck at basketball they aren't going to make you better.

What us runners and everyday people need to realize is that not all things work out for everyone. Yes if you're experienced in running then a minimal shoe will make you faster and injury free, but it takes time to build yourself up. There's no magic tool to boost performance, and when it comes to protecting our body when exercising, we shouldn't just follow a popular trend. minimal shoes affect your biomechanics so much more differently than your regular trainers, and we'll talk about this in a future post.

The minimal trend is truly beginning to fade away because about 80% of the runners we help have something wrong with their feet, often injuring themselves when running in these shoes when they lack the knowledge about it. The concept is the same as a flat or a spike, you won't want to train or race in it unless you're experienced. This is not to stop anyone from buying minimal shoes, but rather warn you all of what may come. Your podiatrist and/or orthopedist may be happy to see you again, but you won't be happy to see them.

However the minimal trend, despite its decay, has put an influence on the trainers that companies are currently producing. As technology advances the companies begin to discover new techniques and foam compounds to gradually reduce the weight of a shoe. There is a significant difference between a shoe released in 2010 to a shoe released in 2013. For example, the Mizuno Wave Rider 11 weighed 11.2oz and now on it's 16th edition it weighs 9.9oz. In shoe terms this is quite a difference. In the end while most of us may not be able to run in a minimal shoe, the current trend in trainers will safely bring us down to that lighter, faster, and more breathable feel some of us are just dying to get.

If you are interested in trying on a minimal shoe to increase your performance, go to your local running store and explore some potential options. Remember that if you have a history of injuries take extreme caution when deciding to run in a minimal shoe.

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Mizuno Tech Rep Discussing the Evo Minimal Line at Mizuno Night 1/16/13

9/3/13