Best Minimalist Running ShoesWriting about Vibram FiveFingers reminds me of when I first started running to reform my overweight, clunky body, twenty years ago. I was lucky to have an experienced runner for a friend who agreed to get me started excuse me on the right foot.

Image Credit, Happy Runner, Creative Commons license

Steve even took time out of his demanding job at NBC Sports to go shopping with me. At Paragon Sports in New York, I asked my coach why the heels were cushioned so much that you had to land on your heels, like it or not. I’d always run on my toes, having spent a lot of barefoot time as a kid growing up in the country.

“Well, you Air Jordan 3s think you run on your toes, but you really run on Air Jordan 20s your heels,” he said, sharing what was considered common wisdom among runners then.

Sad fact was, we all ran on our heels because cushioning forces us to do it. A debate simmers over whether barefoot or cushioned running is best for injuries, speed and endurance. Barefoot advocates argue that barefoot running is more natural. Your body has a cushioning system that is undermined by traditional shoes.

More recent studies have shown Air Jordan DMP that native running traditions go both ways. Those that count on speed run on their toes. Cultures with a slower pace actually run on their heels. We’re talking about five toes. My guess is that they chose the name because it just sounded better. You can imagine the meeting between manufacturing and marketing:

“Five Toes, George? No, I don’t think so.”

Apart from the humor, the distinction is important because putting five fingers in a glove is much easier than five toes in a shoe with tubes for each pedal digit. The interesting thing is that you hear very few complaints about vibram five finger shoes not fitting the peculiarities of toes well. Even so, after they’ve been shipped to you, you should use the normal caution and walk around the house in them a little bit to make sure you’re good while you can still return them.

My guess is that you will prefer to keep these great shoes. Runners who have always struggled with injuries, like shin splints, report that their problems ended when they began running in Vibrams.

For basics, Vibram Five Finger Shoes have a mesh upper and a rubber sole. (Yes, I thought of the Beatles too. I’m old enough.) Instead of strings, you get a hook and loop thingamajig intended to do a better job of wrapping the shoe around your upper foot that all the stringing strategies you might have tried.

Both male and female models are wonderfully light.

Going off in a different direction than traditional shoes, Vibrams avoid cushioning in the heel like the poison barefoot runners believe it to be, leaving what little cushion there is on the balls of your feet, exactly where you touch down when running naturally. The Dri Lex sockliner adds additional cushioning, but it’s slight as you’d want it to be.

As you can see from the illustration, Vibram Five Finger Shoes most distinguishing feature are the toe caps intended to fend off hazards found when actually running in barefeet.

Finally, in addition to be ideal for barefoot running, these Vibrams also do well for hiking and other barefoot enthusiasms, and they come in a rich variety of color combinations. You can pick once you’ve made a decision to go with Vibram Five Finger Shoes.

Vibram FiveFingers Womens Bikila LS Athletic ShoesFor women who run barefoot or want to, these shoes give you safety, light weight and enough color styles to fit any taste.

Spedier runners definitely get up on Air Jordan 17s their toes and now they can do so in toe shoes. When Christopher McDougall’s first hit the bookstores, runners like me who’d always felt a little weird being cushioned and also wanted to run faster forever consumed it like nutrition bars.

A little more common sense now tell us to get some external support from barefoot shoes to protect against hazards while learning what we knew as kids to run naturally.

Vibram Five FingersFor Men WomenLike other shoe manufacturers, Vibram makes more than one kind of shoe. Rather than get off track, we will be talking about these two, the top selling models for men and women.

I’ve known about these but haven’t yet considered getting them. My running shoes have thin soles (less than 1/2 inch) and I’ll never wear the super thick heeled variety Air Jordan 2s ever again. Maybe sometime I’ll get brave and give these a try.