Hang squat clean
5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1-1 reps
“What happens to our foot when we wear traditional running shoes?”
On Monday’s post I talked about the Pose Method of running. The Pose Method is in stark contrast to heel strike running, where one reaches for a long stride and ends up striking the heel of their foot on the ground as the first point of contact per step. One of the primary causes of shin splints is heel strike running. Heel striking on a hard surface like concrete is even more causative. As a result shoe companies have added extra cushion to the heel of running shoes over the years. This cushion is meant to act as a shock absorber in an effort to prevent shin splints. Rather than look at our running technique, we are now walking around with these hefty heels on our shoes. The question becomes, “What happens to our foot when we wear traditional running shoes?” I bring to you the answer given by Dr. Nick Campitelli, a podiatrist who runs the website Dr. Nick’s Running blog and penned the aforementioned article. Click here to read in full.
“When looking at the traditional running shoe, or almost any shoe that is customary in our society, one observation becomes common- the heel. The running shoe has many origins, but many agree that athletic shoes began as a canvas top and rubber soled shoe that was referred to as a sneakers when U.S. Rubber used the brand name Keds to sell the first sneakers in 1917. The next major milestone comes in the 70′s when Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight created the Nike running shoe. These early shoes had little if any cushion and for the most part had a negligible heel. Over the next 40 years we have seen the height as well as the cushion gradually increase which inadvertently hassled many runners to adopt a “heel to toe” gait or “heel strike” when running. This height became referred to as “drop”- the distance in height between the heel of the shoe and the forefoot. Today traditional running shoes have a drop of 12 mm with the heel being 24 mm and the forefoot being 12 mm. This design encourages an unnatural gait resulting in the heel hitting the ground first, followed by a rapid “slapping” of the forefoot.
