Shoes so cheap they could be a stocking stuffer? With a price tag of $19.99, that could be a possibility with FITKICKS. FITKICKS are a minimalist shoe with a zero-drop rubber sole and a polyester shell that fits like a sock around the rest of your foot. These shoes are so comfortable it feels like you aren’t wearing any shoes at all. They can be worn by anyone, whether you’re an active runner or someone who just wants a comfortable shoe to wear to the mall. They are stylish, comfortable, and can even help correct your running form.

Before I get into the details, a brief disclaimer: When buying minimalist shoes for the first time, you should be aware of the transition period required to get used to them. Minimalist shoes have very little cushion and support. If you have been wearing regular, heavily-padded shoes for years, then you will need a fair amount of time to get used to such a bare bones shoe.

If you don’t gradually ease into the use of these shoes, you could leave yourself vulnerable to injuries, blisters, and soreness. The foot and ankle muscles often need time to build back up their strength after years of being surrounded in cushion. Proceed with caution when transitioning to minimalist shoes. The phrase slow and steady applies here.

A Minimalist Shoe for Every Occasion

I found FITKICKS when searching for a new minimalist running shoe about two years ago. I was hesitant to buy a running shoe online, but for $19.99 I figured what the heck, why not give it a try?

These are zero-drop shoes, meaning there is no incline from the toes to the heel; they are simply flat. The sole of this shoe is very minimal. I am talking about a little over a quarter of an inch in total cushioning. You can feel almost every detail of the ground beneath your foot. At the same time, they adequately protect the feet from any sharp objects, as I have run over small shards of glass and sharp rocks on trails without any consequence.

These shoes are amazingly comfortable and truly feel like soft socks. With the stretch of the polyester shell, they don’t feel tight, even though they conform to the foot. I wear them just about everywhere, from running trails to weight training sessions to obligatory shopping trips with my girlfriend.

When it comes to running, FITKICKS more than hold up. My first pair lasted approximately 900 miles of running and countless more miles of walking. Contrast this to the average shoe which lasts 300-500 miles. My current pair, which are shown below, currently have about 300 miles on them, and still look brand new with the soles barely worn. I have run a PR half-marathon in these shoes, beating my past best by about 2 minutes.

The durability of these shoes is hard to beat.

One caveat is that these shoes will show the weaknesses and flaws in your running form. You absolutely can’t heel-strike in these shoes. If you land predominantly on one side of your foot or bear too much weight on a certain part of your foot, you will feel it. Because there is not much cushion, these shoes make the exteroceptors on the soles of your feet hyper-aware. All the muscles in your feet, which are often neglected, will be challenged while wearing FITKICKS.

FITKICKS are a great natural coaching tool for running. These shoes will force you to run lighter and quicken your cadence. I had one client use them, and he ripped a hole in the top polyester layer above the big toe after only 150 miles. However, it helped correct his form. FITKICKS made him realize that he was plantar flexing way too much in the landing phase of each stride, and that he was running on his toes rather than the ball of his foot.

They are stylish as well. I have heard great reviews from many female clients and friends who enjoy them for their design. I often hear that they are like a more minimalist, comfortable version of TOMS.

With the design, comfort, price, and form-correcting benefits of FITKICKS, these shoes are a no-brainer for the runner who prefers a minimalist shoe, or the style-savvy individual. After two years of wearing these shoes just about every single day and running in them 4-5 times a week, I can tell you their quality far exceeds their small price tag.

Looking for something not quite that minimal?

A Racing Flat With an Appetite for Dirt

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First, some key points I want you to remember from part one:

In part one of this article I explained what impact forces are, why they are actually a good thing, and how shoes affect your body’s ability to perceive and receive these forces. Today, I want to explain why you get lower leg and foot injuries and how you can avoid them from happening in the first place.

First, some key points I want you to remember from part one:

• Impact is not a bad thing. It gives you energy to move. Without it, you would have to work a whole lot harder.
• You need to be able to anticipate impact, not simply react to it, in order to avoid injury and be able to use the forces as potential energy.
• Shoes or orthotics cause the muscles in your feet to get weak, lazy, and to atrophy. This influences your body’s ability to both perceive and damp vibrations.

Why Are We Getting Injured?

Now that you have a basic understanding of impact forces and what happens to our lower limbs when we heel strike, we can talk about the reasons behind the common injuries of the lower leg and foot.

Impact injures can occur for three main reasons:

1. Difficultly perceiving impact
2. A delayed loading response
3. Poor storage potential

Like anything when it comes to the body, these are not mutually exclusive reasons. You can have difficulty with one, two, or all of these things. Let’s break each reason down a little further.

Reason 1: Difficulty Perceiving Impact

This is straightforward, and it comes right down to footwear. The more cushion you have in your footwear, the less you know how hard you are striking the ground. The less cushion, the more accurate perception you have of the vibrations coming in. Make smart footwear choices. And remember, vibration is also your energy – you want this vibration. Don’t let your shoe take it all away.

“No footwear can allow you to anticipate impact forces, even the most minimalist of shoes. Which means is if you have shoes on, you will always be reacting.”

Difficulty perceiving impact can also arise from training on different surfaces. Different surfaces vibrate at different rates. Concrete or cement is one of the worse surfaces to work on for perceiving impact as it doesn’t vibrate well. So, if you must train on less optimal surfaces, make sure you are really prepared and transition to running on them properly.

Reason 2: Delayed Loading Response

Recall how I earlier discussed the importance of anticipating and not simply reacting to impact forces? When this doesn’t occur and you simply react, this is considered a delay in your loading response. In other words, the necessary loading isn’t happening quickly enough to dampen the vibrations.

Not to sound like a broken record, but I think you can guess what the most common reason for this is: your shoes! No footwear can allow you to anticipate impact forces, even the most minimalist of shoes. Which means is if you have shoes on, you will always be reacting.

Fatigue is another reason for delayed loading response. A lot of times injuries will happen with overuse, or when pushing through fatigue. This happens because the muscles are not contracting fast or high enough, equating to a low stiffness at heel strike. This means that the compartment pressure cannot meet its peak fast enough to sufficiently damp the vibration.

Reason 3: Poor Storage Potential

Your collagen is key when it comes to having efficient movement. Collagen is a main component of our connective tissue – think tendons and ligaments. You need good collagen health. I won’t get too scienc-y here, but there are different types of collagen, and if you don’t have collagen that is elastic enough you will get micro tears. Once this happens, your body repairs it with collagen tissue that isn’t as elastic, setting the stage for a chronic issue.

Most Common Types of Impact Injuries

#1: Shin Splints

In part one, I talked about how creating compression in your lower leg is crucial to damp down the vibration. This compression also acts as a splint to the bone. If this doesn’t happen effectively, your bones will bend. As you can imagine, your bones bending is not ideal. Shin splints can occur when your tibia bends because it wasn’t effectively splinted.

#2: Achilles Tendinopathy

The Achilles tendon is the largest, strongest tendon in the body. It is continuous with the plantar fascia. Your Achilles holds most of your elastic return when you move, which means most of the potential energy is stored in that tendon. Once tendinopathy starts it can be hell to get rid of, because when we walk we take in vibrations in everything that we do.

There are two main reasons people get Achilles tendinopathies:

1. You have poor fascial or connective tissue elasticity, which means you are actually creating small tears in the tissue as you move.
2. You are not stiff enough on heel strike.

With regard to the second reason, it’s not just footwear that can lead to this (in other words, these injures can happen with barefoot athletes too). For example, this lack of stiffness could be due to poor movement patterns, or to an unstable core. Remember, the body works as one, and stability and motor control are dynamic (this is why you often see one-sided injuries).

“If you do decide you want to transition from wearing higher-cushioned to more minimalist style shoes, it is crucial that you do so slowly and properly.”

#3: Plantar Fasciitis

I mentioned earlier that the plantar fascia is continuous with the Achilles tendon. The same two injury reasons as above apply to plantar fasciitis, too. When you walk, your feet go through both pronation and supination, and these movements are what create the stiffness in the fascia. If the foot does not move efficiently throughout its movement, this can lead to less stiffness and more stress on the tissue.

Again, footwear can lead to these inefficient foot movement (not allowing the natural movement of your foot), as can poor motor control, or decreased strength or mobility of your feet.

How Do We Prevent These Injuries?

The most important way to prevent these injuries from occurring is to train barefoot. And I don’t mean you have to do everything barefoot, as much as I would love it if you did do that. I realize many people like to train in shoes, enjoy wearing high heels, or are simply not fans of the barefoot movement.

If this is how you feel, that is fine. But you must incorporate some barefoot training in to your other fitness programming.

As I mentioned, no footwear to date, even the most minimalist of shoes, can allow you to anticipate impact forces. Therefore, training barefoot before getting into those shoes will help prepare your foot and maintain the strength and proprioception of those muscles. And if you do decide you want to transition from wearing higher-cushioned to more minimalist style shoes, it is crucial that you do so slowly and properly. I suggest you work with a professional to help guide you through the stages of transitioning

Finally, to prevent injuries, remember to allow for surface adaptation. Know that different surfaces have different levels of vibration, and make sure you are watching and offsetting for fatigue, as well as maintaining good fascial health and flexibility.

What’s Next?

Now that you know why all of these injuries happen, and the basics of what you need to do to fix them, stay tuned for the last and final part of the series where I will give you a number of exercises and exact strategies to move more efficiently and avoid injury.

More like this:

• Impact Forces, Shoes, and Lower Leg Inuries: Part 1
• Barefoot Basics: How to Regain Your Footing
• 5 Foot Strengthening Exercises to Improve Speed, Power, and Balance
• New On Breaking Muscle Today

References:

1. Bolga, L. and Malone, T. “Plantar Fasciitis and the Windlass Mechanism: A Biomechanical Link to Clinical Practice”. Journal of Athletic Training, 39, 77-82. (2004).

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

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Lems Shoes is the brainchild of Andrew Rademacher, who started making shoes in 2008, knowing absolutely nothing about them. Rademacher just knew the ones he had were uncomfortable and seemed unnatural. He learned plenty and quickly, though, through selling shoes by day and then chopping up shoes and analyzing them at night. He founded Lems with a mission to make shoes designed to fit the natural, healthy shape of feet and they sold their first shoes in 2011.

The name Lems Shoes is actually an acronym for “live easy and minimal,” but what makes Lems different from other minimalist shoe companies is that they aren’t just about creating a barefoot shoe. While Lems does aim to create a “flat, flexible, and featherlike” shoe, they also aim to create one that you’re not embarrassed to wear. Unlike most minimalist shoes, which target athletic usage, Lems originally targeted the casual wearer, even making minimalist boots and boat shoes. That original mission of making a shoe appropriate for casual wear is still obvious in the understated stylishness of their entire line of footwear.

Lems Shoes is now, however, getting into the athletic shoe market with their new model, the Primal 2. Of all the minimalist and barefoot shoes I’ve tried – and I’ve tested a variety over the years – I enjoyed wearing these Lems the most.

Some interesting qualities to the Lems:

• They have a straight last instead of a curved last.
• They weigh only 6.9oz.
• They are completely collapsible.
• They are flat, without an elevated heel or toes that curl upward.
• They come with a 3mm removable insole for those who want more support.
• They have a big wide toebox.
• They are zero drop.
• They have an 8.0mm sole.

The result of all that is a comfortable, yet natural experience for your foot. I will admit to being reticent to wear my Lems at first. But only because it’s wouldn’t stop raining here in Portland and I couldn’t stand the thought of getting the adorable pastel sky color of my Lems dotted with mud and dirt.

But once I did start wearing them, I found the Lems surprisingly cushy. I wore them while walking on regular pavement as well as heavily rocky trails for a few miles at a time and felt no discomfort. The insole, plus the rubber sole, plus the zero drop made me feel like the middle of my foot was supported (though not confined), yet my heel and toes were free to do as they pleased. These are the first true zero drops I’ve worn that felt good to me.

Our male reviewer had an equally positive experience with his pair of Primal 2 Lems. He reported excellent traction in wet conditions, yet a total lack of squeaking or noise when he wore his wet Lems indoors. That’s a nice change from your average athletic shoe. He also garnered daily compliments and fielded many questions from admirers every time he wore his Lems.

On that same note, one thing I particularly liked about the Lems is that while they have a large toe box, they somehow don’t look like duck feet. Other minimalist or barefoot shoes I’ve had were entirely unattractive due to the large toe box and bright color combo. Lems, however, stays true to their mission by having both an attractive and functional shoe. And while some minimalist shoes have a wide toe box, but still use a curved last, Lems uses a straight last so your mid-foot is as free to move around naturally as your toes are.

If you want to really geek out on shoe design and foot health, the Lems Fit, Foot Education, and Shoe Design Info pages have a cornucopia of information. The men’s Primal 2 comes in brown, black, and slate. The women’s version comes in slate, frost, black, brown, and sky. Lems currently ships worldwide, though the Canadian and international rates are pretty steep compared to shipping within the United States. And lastly, for those of you who are vegan the Primal 2 shoes contain no leather or animal products.

Men’s and women’s Primal 2 shoes are available for $95.00 at LemsShoes.com.

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You vs. the Industry

Let’s look in one corner and see ourselves clearly for a moment. Mostly we’re bigger than elite runners. (This is important, but I’ll come back to it more later.) Not only are we bigger but we don’t have the years of skill building in running that they do. In other words, we don’t run anywhere nearly as well. This means that we hit the ground differently and our shock-absorbing mechanisms aren’t as well trained as those belonging to great runners. So, our shoes needs are going to be very different to those of these rare individuals. Just the same as what Usain Bolt needs for training isn’t what you need, there’s just as big a chance that what elite runners need from shoes is entirely different than what you need.

In the other corner are the manufacturers of various brands of running shoes who will tell you anything they think you want to hear as long as it leads to increased profits for them. As with all things in the fitness industry, running shoes are incredibly trend based. From one extreme with rubber springs in them to barefoot replica shoes like FiveFingers, shoes are all designed with one thing in mind – to make the manufacturer money. Sometimes companies do that by simply changing colors from season to season and other times they go in a completely different direction such as when Nike brought out Frees. But it’s all for one thing – money – and keeping this in the front of your mind when selecting shoes is important.

What You Actually Need

The first thing that needs to be understood is that everyone is built differently. That means that despite your friend who took up running swearing by a particular pair of shoes that doesn’t mean they’ll be right for you. From foot widths to body weight there are a myriad of elements that need to be taken into account when picking the right shoes.

The second thing to keep in mind is that despite what the manufacturers will tell you, barefoot type shoes, zero drop shoes, and other minimal type running shoes are likely not right for you. If you’ve spent your entire life shod in well-cushioned running shoes, don’t run much, and are even a little bit beyond the 70kg/155lb mark, there is a fair chance you need some rubber between you and road. (And 70kg would still be considered heavy for a good runner.)

Running Is Math

The physics of running is simple. A single step can load as much as three times your bodyweight onto the support mechanisms of the foot – the plantar fascia and calf. At 70kg/155lb that equates to roughly 200kg/440lbs of force that needs to be dealt with every single step. Every 5kg/11lb added to your frame increases those forces by 15kg/33lbs.

While that may not sound like much let’s break it down further, as those numbers only relate to a single step. At typical speed the average runner takes between 1,200 and 1,500 steps per km. (You’ll have to excuse me here as I mostly only work in metric, so these next numbers will all be in kgs and kms). So a 70kg runner has to deal with 1,417,500kg of force on a 5km run. (210kg per step x 1350 steps per km x 5km). While an 80kg runner has to deal with 1,620,000kg over the same distance. That’s an increase in force of over 200,000kg that needs to be dealt with. Don’t you think the heavier runner may need different shock absorbers than the lighter runner in the same way a Volkswagen Beetle has different needs than a dump truck? So, isn’t it likely that shoe needs will be different too?

The Transition to Minimalism

Before anyone thinks I’m anti-minimal shoes, I need to explain that I’m not. Just like I’m not anti-CrossFit or anti-Olympic lifting. What I am against is people doing things their bodies aren’t prepared for and getting hurt. So while our end goal is to actually end up either completely barefoot, or close to it, we need some steps along the way.

Here are two different examples of what actually happens when people start running some decent distances when they’re not used to it:

Example #1 – Me:

During my build up for Ironman last year I had a variety of calf problems. They eventually subsided and then I suddenly had Achilles problems. These problems have continued now for about seven months. I was running in Saucony Kinvaras. These shoes have a 4mm drop – for people who don’t know, that is fairly flat still and these shoes are used by many fast Ironman athletes (who all weigh about 10kg less than me). Over the last few months I have made two big changes in my shoe choices. I swapped from Kinvaras to Triumphs (pictured above). The Triumphs have a bit more padding in both the forefoot and the heel. To be honest, I don’t like running in them as much. They just feel thick and heavy.

I’ve also stopped wearing New Balance Minimus shoes at work. These are a completely flat “barefoot” shoe that I really like. The problem is that with my lower legs already worked over from running, they don’t need to be put on stretch while I’m just standing around coaching. So I started wearing Reebok Nanos (which I love). They have a 4mm drop and that seems a good number for my Achilles to actually get a rest while I’m working. Flat, but not so flat they continue stressing that part of me.

The result of this in just six weeks has been the near cessation of pain after six months of no progress. So even though I don’t like my new running shoes as much I will keep wearing them if it means I can be pain free.

Example #2 – My Girlfriend

When my girlfriend upped her running for a half Ironman she started to have some problems familiar too all runners. Her IT band started acting up, making her knee sore. Seven days before, we had gone to one of those stores that offer “gait analysis” and they recommended Asics Nimbus over her usual Kayanos. It was the same brand, but a different model. In the course of three runs she went from pain free to painful and we knew it was the shoes. Luckily the store has a return policy and when she went back and swapped them for the same shoes she normally runs in she was pain free again after a single run.

Then, she started to get similar issues to me – Achilles pain. However, her issue is different as she has a slight bone spur on one heel. You may not be aware of this but shoes usually have a solid plastic cup that your heel rests in. Her normal shoes and her Minimus work shoes rub this because of the way they are made. She switched again to another shoe – the Noosa Tri – and wears only these now, even when at work. The result – no pain in three weeks after six months of seemingly never-ending problems.

What I find most interesting in both cases is that we both quit wearing minimal shoes in our daily lives. When you consider how many hours I run per week versus not running you’d be hard pushed to not recognize the link between your day shoes and pain-free running.

My ultimate aim is to end up as near barefoot as possible. But in the mean time I will make sure to stay pain free, which will allow me to build up my crucial skills at running. That will allow me to gradually shift to more minimal shoes. But I’m in no hurry as this process may take me years. Take the time to find the right shoes for you. This may take a while and it likely won’t be cheap, but the pain-free result will be worth it.

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This is my second go around with ToeSox and my toes couldn’t be happier. In my first review of ToeSox, I described the joy of activities done in socks or barefoot made better by the more true, free feeling of wearing socks tailored to one’s foot. The idea was that traditional tube-like socks are an unfortunate compromise in comfort and performance for certain types of activity and ToeSox are an option that doesn’t make any compromise.

Well, ToeSox has more to offer than the basic model with grips on the sole – now they have sport socks. I had the pleasure of experiencing three different ToeSox products. Though based around the same principle of five-digit support and foot freedom, these three models are designed for a specific performance and feel. Based on the “weight” of the material, I was able to try the Ultra Lite, Light Weight, and Medium Weight models.

These three ToeSox products seek to bring the comfort and performance of ToeSox – without the grips – to activities that are practiced in shoes. The Ultra Lite model, for example, champions relevance in sports like running, cycling, and climbing and the minimalist version of shoes utilized for each activity. The Light Weight ToeSox are the most like a normal pair of socks you’d wear with shoes in a game of basketball, at the grocery store, or working in the back yard. These socks are the weight and feel of your everyday socks. Lastly, the Medium Weight product is branded specifically for the great outdoors. These would work great in any instance where life gets a bit more cold and rugged. Perfect for slipping into hiking boats, these socks fit alongside any activity that would normally call for wool socks.

So far there probably isn’t any doubt as to what the intended application of these three products is, but you may still be wondering, “What’s the big deal? I already have socks for those kinds of activities.” There are some universal value added components to the ToeSox concept, regardless of the application. These points of performance include moisture wicking technology, as well as blister protection. With a quality fabric to keep feet dry and the added performance of the five-digit design, the consumer is less likely to experience moisture and rubbing during activity that can lead to blisters, which are small injuries with big consequences. A tiny blister, for example, can be the difference between being able to go for a jog or not.

The relative simplicity of something like the socks we wear often leaves them unquestioned and neglected. It’s a fun exercise to think that there’s a chance we haven’t been doing the best job with regards to designing something as simple as a sock.

ToeSox are available for $10-15 at shop.toesox.com.

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