Some thoughts about footwear

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Complicated much?

When discussing physical adaptations to modern life, the conversation wouldn’t be complete without touching on modern footwear. The minimalist trend that has taken hold in the running and training worlds has provided more options, but until recently most shoes came with a healthy build up at the heel. The differential from heel to toe, called stack height, can cause a host of issues depending on how big the difference is. It is not uncommon to see a standard running shoe with a 12mm differential from heel to toe. This is like wearing a moderate high heel all of the time and as we know from previous posts, the longer one spends in a particular position the greater the possibility of adaptation. If one works in a heeled dress shoe or high heel, then spends non-work hours in running shoes like this there is a good chance the calf area (gastrocnemius, soleus, etc.) is becoming shorter. When you stand on your toes you will notice these posterior muscles flexing to raise the heel; this is the same basic thing that is happening when wearing heeled shoes. Over time this will limit the ankle’s ability to dorsiflex, or bring the toes up toward the shin. IF you suffer from chronically tight calves this may be why.

When exercising this creates an imbalance that must be overcome by relying on other areas of the body potentially leading to plantar fasciitis and other overuse type injuries. Starting in an anteriorly biased position is not optimal unless you are training for something specific like Olympic lifting or girevoy sport. For most people flatter is better. 

While this is not representative of an exercise shoe it does explain the necessary adaptations, and problem, with high heels

Thanks to the minimalist shoe trend there are some great options out there from the likes of New Balance, Reebok, Merrell, and Nike. New balance’s minimus collection offers 0mm, 4mm, and 6mm offset options. 

New Balance Minimus Trail Zero, 0mm offset shoe

The New Balance Minimus 1010, a 4mm offset with a bit more cushion for those just making the switch to a flatter shoe

Nike is similar based on which “free” shoe you’re looking at. The 3.0 series sole is going to be the most minimal with a 4mm offset while 4.0 is a bit more cushioned with a 6mm offset. 

Nike Free 3.0 v4, 4mm offset shoe

For those of you out there that just don’t want to spend upwards of $100 on a pair of training shoes don’t forget the original flat athletic shoe, Converse Chuck Taylors. These will set you back about $40 or so and are great for lifting, though, I’m not sure I’d want to run very far in them.

The "OG" of flat shoes

There are more minimalist options out there, but i just haven't been able to bring myself to sport these... 

Vibram Five Fingers "shoes"

If you really want this feel just go barefoot. I've squatted and deadlifted barefoot and it feels good, though, many gyms aren't keen on it.

One side note, for those who have never worn a shoe this flat and minimal you may want to ease your way in. I found that my calves were quite tight after switching to a 4mm offset New Balance Minimus. It took a number of weeks of foam rolling and stretching to get them to feel normal again. I did alternate between them and a pair of Nike free trainers, which I found helpful.

In closing, try to be barefoot as much as possible at home to keep the foot muscles strong and work toward wearing a flatter shoe as often as possible.

Flexibility vs. Mobility

Mobile or Flexible?

 

Do we need mobility or flexibility? The answer is an emphatic yes, however, it's not “mobility or flexibility”, it should be "mobility and flexibility". For all of those that just don’t have time to stretch or work on mobility, you’re setting yourself up for bad things. I know this is by far the least exciting and “non-sexy” part of exercise, but possessing adequate range of motion and the ability to move properly is important.

First let’s differentiate something; mobility and flexibility are not the same thing. Flexibility refers to movement that happens in the muscle. If a muscle can stretch to an optimal distance that’s good flexibility. However, flexibility is just part of our overall mobility.

Mobility requires good flexibility, but also unrestricted joint movement. In a larger context, when focusing on functional movement, proper neuromuscular control and adequate stability are also necessary. In other words we must be able to control our bodies in space.

First lets look at someone lying on his or her back and pulling their knee to their chest. This requires good hip mobility to do, but it’s not totally functional until the kinetic chain is closed and the feet are on the ground. This is a passive movement and has little to do with joints outside of the hip and knee. It also doesn’t require the muscles of the hip and thigh to fire because it’s passive and lastly, stability isn’t required due to the supported, lying position. So while this is an example of good mobility, it’s not totally functional because the person is lying down. Due to the nature of this blog, we should be more concerned with functional movement so think of mobility as the capacity to actively move a joint through a full range of motion.

In comparison to the above example, think of performing a bodyweight squat. This is an active movement that requires much more than just muscle flexibility and joint mobility; one must also possess a good amount of stability and muscular control. Some may be able to squat to a point similar to the position were the knee was pulled to the chest and others may be nowhere close. Why?

Poor squat - limited range of motion, bi-lateral pronation of the feet and a general lack of stability

Despite the theatrics this is a good, deep squat - feet flat with weight on the heels, knees tracking over the feet, shoulders upright and general stability under load.

While flexibility can restrict mobility, we need nice pliable and balanced muscles to allow a healthy joint to move through its full range unimpeded, the joints themselves can also cause limited range of motion. Joints can and do become dysfunctional due to imbalances and injury. So while you may possess flexible muscles, you may not achieve optimum range of motion because the joint itself is limited. This is why we want to work on mobility and flexibility, dynamic type movements and stretching.

Lets look at the squat example one more time; if one cannot perform a good squat, but also shows limitations in pulling their knee to their chest we may find that the person’s posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, gastrocs, soleus, etc.) is overactive (tight) and limiting range of motion. This would be corrected by working on the flexibility of the aforementioned muscles through myofascial release and stretching. This could also be indicative of some sort of hip joint limitation requiring joint mobilization type exercises. However, if a person cannot perform a good squat, but can lie on their back and pull their knee to their chest we have a different issue, usually lack of stability.

Because the joints can move unimpeded we’re not having flexibility or joint issues, but the squat is still unattainable. Usually this is an issue of stability because the body will limit range of motion if it’s notably unstable. This is generally due to weak core and hip muscles and I think the fix here is self explanatory, we always want to strengthen weak areas. So while stability is a subject for another time, all of this plays into mobility, at least when concerning functional actions.

The take home message here is that stretching, myofascial release and mobility work should not be after thoughts to ones training program. These are key training elements that can eventually limit progress or worse, lead to injury when not in working order.