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Lately I've developed an obsession in minimalist shoes.
Most people don't know about them, especially in Lebanon. Basically these are the attribute of minimalist shoes:
- Zero drop from heel to toe. Regular shoes almost always have a heel that is higher for some reason.
- Wide, feet shaped toe-box. Regular shoes have a toe-box that is pointy. It looks nice but it's not really the natural shape of the foot, and it tends to compress toes laterally. Here is an image of a pointy-tip shoes, followed by a minimalist wide forefoot shoe:
- Flexible sole that does not impede natural flexion of the foot
- No orthopedic shape on the insole (no arch support, etc.)
- Very little padding
Basically the the aim is to allow you to have as less shoe as possible - to simulate working barefoot - increase the feeling of the ground and work the muscles that would be worked if walking barefoot. They are also known as "barefoot style shoes".
Such shoes, especially the most extreme models take some time to get used to - to adapt your stride and running style. They are different than heavily padded, high-heel shoes.
I will try to present some of the shoes that are classified in this category.
One of the oldest, and more radical minimal shoes are Vibram Five Finger shoes. They pushed the concept as far as having separate compartments for every toe, to allow them to move independently, as if you were walking barefoot. Most people think they're ugly. For me, looks are a secondary thing 80% of the time. Of course I would not go to an interview with these.
They are shaped anatomically, and the sole is very thin and flexible. Unfortunately that means that it's very harsh to run on hard surfaces, because there is very little padding. They also don't feet everyone's feet, as feet come in different shapes and are unique.
Some less extreme options are the Merrel Vapor Glove, of which I posted a picture above, under the pointy formal shoes.
Then the Merrel Trail Gloves which are much closer to normal shoes, have a stiff and thick sole, some padding, but are zero-drop and have a wide toebox:
They are primarily hiking/trail running shoes.
There are numerous other brands and models. Nike produces a the Nike Free shoes, that have less heel and a flexible sole for a better ground feel, but are otherwise conventional running shoes.
There are more "formal" or "casual" shoes as well. Here are some examples:
Minimalist shoes are also pretty good for parkour.
And there's always running sandals as well:
And finally, they oldest, most radical minimalist shoe:
Your bare feets!
Hopefully you did not feel unwell by looking at all these fotos of feet and shoes!
better :)
Yes, it could definitely be considered minimal shoes. And it's recycled material, vegan, yoga-loving neo-hippies will love it.
As for me, tires are a bit thick and rigid (although still better than many rigid conventional shoes). I would rather invest in some (more expensive) shoes or even better, do my own, but with high-quality thin sole rubber.
It is interesting though. It might be there that it all started, and I have read mentions about that.
Last edited by rolf (March 26 2017)
Here's a kickstarter campaign by some Lebanese folks who developed minimalist sandals: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ma … y-sandals/
Dang, $90000 raised for sandals, and there is hardly anything special about them. How do they do it?
Well, they look good, I have to say.
Last edited by rolf (March 26 2017)
No heel hurts the back in the long run. Its important to have a bit of heel.
No heel hurts the back in the long run. Its important to have a bit of heel.
I am not totally convinced. I think we humans have the capacity to run barefoot - it is our natural form after all.
I know one person who ran a marathon barefoot. The only injuries he had was nasty blisters. I have read of many others. An Ethiopian marathon runner (Akele Bikila) trained and then ran the Tokyo olympic marathon barefoot (no shoes!) because he could not find a shoe that fitted him well among his choices - which were limited by the sponsor. He won - 1st place! It was in the 60ies, but still!
It's a slightly different running form, which some stay is more efficient. The body has to adapt and land in a different way. You cannot run in the exact same way with a big padded heel, and with no heel at all. If you do then yes the shock is not going to be good in the long run.
I am all for a little padding, for us people who learned to walk in shoes. It's more forgiving. But I am against a higher heel that modifies the angle of the foot to the ground. In the end, on the long run, I believe the body adapts, so I think it would be OK, if you're careful.
Last edited by rolf (March 26 2017)
Are you having any luck finding such shoes here? If so, which, where and how much?
I have considered the vibram option time and time again but never got to actually buying them because of the surfaces I run on..
Now that they fixed the running track in the Fouad Chehab Stadium in jounieh I'm looking for options again.
Thanks for opening the topic
Are you having any luck finding such shoes here? If so, which, where and how much?
I have considered the vibram option time and time again but never got to actually buying them because of the surfaces I run on..
Now that they fixed the running track in the Fouad Chehab Stadium in jounieh I'm looking for options again.Thanks for opening the topic
You are welcome! I am happy that people are interested.
At the moment, I am in London, and even here I could only find one shop where I could try Vibrams.
For the Merrell shoes, and other brands (except for one brand that is made in the UK), I don't know where to try them, they are very hard to find in shops, so I had to order on ebay. I just have to pay the return postage if I don't like them, which is actually even cheaper then the cost of transportation to go to a shop. They are also cheaper then in shops. The biggest annoyance is having to wait 4 days to a week!
I thought they would be hard to find in Lebanon, even to find someone who knows about them, since it's already so rare here.
BTW I have not been to the Fouad Chehab stadium, but for track running, there are also track shoes with spike.
For the Vibram Five foot, you are right. I have one of the most extreme (least padded) models, ran with them on cement and ended up with heel pain. So consider that if you train this will slow you down and might stop you for a while, due to minor injury (don't push, otherwise it will become a major injury!).
The fit is a bit weird on my feet. My main problem is that the heel is so narrow, smaller then my heel! If I get one that is bigger, the toes become too spread out.
But I still think that barefoot running is a good training - just be careful, people get stress fractures etc.
No need to run all the time like this, just from time to time is a good addition to your training. You could even run without shoes, maybe, if you find a clean surface.
I also found that the toe shoes are great on grass.
Anyway, I am happy to help you out, although I'm not sure at all of how much I can do, at this point.
Last edited by rolf (March 26 2017)
They added a rubberized track which means I could try barefoot to get used to the new body mechanic, making any future transition to such shoes much easier. The effects of our social/societal behavior on our biology is pretty interesting, I should read-up more.
They added a rubberized track which means I could try barefoot to get used to the new body mechanic, making any future transition to such shoes much easier. The effects of our social/societal behavior on our biology is pretty interesting, I should read-up more.
If you're into that style of running, then I believe that barefoot, as in no shoes at all, is best. Your feet will get sore and you might get nasty blisters. But that's better then injuring some other part of your feet or leg.
The thing is, I like to jog, to take different paths, maybe explore new places, but then I have to wear some protection on my feet.
Maybe I should read up more as well - for example I would like to understand why shoes have heels. Is it just a social-historical thing, or is there a bio-mechanical explanation? Maybe also learn about foot and leg mechanics. I have already learned a few things since I started looking into all this.
Last edited by rolf (March 27 2017)
I was going to mention Maku but @samer beat me.
Waiting for mine, hopefully they will be here before summer ends.
I bought my Vibram from Makhsoom, they still have some left
I somehow find Vibram looks badass. Everyone I know disagree
Last edited by Hybrid (March 30 2017)
I bought my Vibram from Makhsoom, they still have some left
I somehow find Vibram looks badass. Everyone I know disagree
Mabrouk!
I think the black ones look badass but the other ones with the bright colors, I'm not so sure.
I also saw them on Makhsoom.
However I do not want to buy shoes online anymore without trying them first. Also they mostly only have big sizes (46+) and old models. I am 45. If I buy a VFF one size too big, the toe spacing will be too big, and it will pull my toes apart all the time, it's ridiculous.
I only ordered a few Injinji socks because I already know the sizing and they are very cheap.
They have new VFF models at Mike Sport, I saw them in the Zalka branch, there is a newly set up a small stand for these.
Last edited by rolf (November 26 2018)
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