Should you try the ‘barefoot running’ shoes?
Barefoot running footwear usually are accepted as those athletic shoes which have the most minimum design attributes and also components which you might as well be running without footwear.
The term ‘barefoot running shoes’ is somewhat of an oddity since you can’t really be running barefoot and in running shoes while doing so, unless you count not putting on socks in running footwear as being barefoot in athletic shoes!
With that said, ‘barefoot running shoes’ are “footwear” which are as close as you’re able to being barefoot whilst still wearing footwear. Barefoot running shoes possess minimal design characteristics as well as minimal components and next to absolutely nothing for the cushioning. They can be only a covering for the feet, most probably to protect the feet from the environment whilst still allowing the runners to be as close to being barefoot as is possible. Concerning if these shoes in reality achieve that is obviously open to controversy and the research evidence is that the running technique from the minimalist barefoot running footwear is a little dissimilar to a true barefoot running technique.
Don’t assume all barefoot running footwear can be viewed as being “barefoot” or “minimalist” by supporters of barefoot running as numerous brands and models of these types of running shoes may have some features added such as, for instance, a 5 millimetre stack height for the midsole, which is a lot lower than standard athletic shoes, but possibly not close enough to be looked at as allowing a barefoot running technique. This merely emphasizes that all over the really wide array of running shoes there are actually extremes in the various design attributes which they can use to match as to what each individual athlete wants and needs. These spread of design characteristics involves the drop (the main difference between the heel to toe size of the midsole), the stack elevation (depth of the sole), overall flexibility, and motion control features (inside density as well as inflexible back heel counter). On one side of the opposites of each of these design characteristics are what could be considered a barefoot running shoe.
As to if you need to use or exercise in barefoot running footwear or not, it really is a different question. This footwear isn’t without having there concerns and might take a prolonged period of adaptation to become used to running with them. The advocates of these types of running shoes are convinced that you get less injuries running in the more minimal running footwear, however, this is not supported by the real scientific data. Evidence is that the injury rates in runners using more minimalist running shoes is about the same as those runners who are running with the more cushioned running footwear.