Minimalist shoes for heavy runners

meerkat70

I currently run in Brooks Adrenalines (fitted at a good running store, and generally a shoe i've been happy with). But I've been off road for some time, so am more or less starting over with running, and have been wondering about possibly trying some minimalist shoes as I phase back into running again

I wondered how 'safe' minimalist shoes were for significantly heavy runners? Also, what sort of drop I should be looking at? Because I've not been running for quite some time, I'm essentially learning again, so assume I don't need to 'transition' as such, just ease in as I ease into running?

Suggestions would be very welcome.

JenMc14

Brooks has the Pure Project shoes that aren't quite minimalist, but are lighter than their others. I don't know how a true minimalist shoe would work for someone heavier. My husband has vibram bottomed New Balance that he deadlifts in, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't like running in them. A lot of his mass is muscle, but he's still pounding 205 pounds on his poor knees. A running store associate or a physical therapist will probably have much better advice for you.

billsica

well I think true minimalist shoes would be 0mm drop.

I have a pair of brooks pure cadence with a 4mm drop. It only took a week or so from regular sneakers to those to be comfortable.

meerkat70

well I think true minimalist shoes would be 0mm drop.

I have a pair of brooks pure cadence with a 4mm drop. It only took a week or so from regular sneakers to those to be comfortable.

I wondered if a 'true' minimalist shoe would be too much for someone carrying a fair bit of weight? That's really I guess the heart of my question.

I wondered about the cadence, as I really do love my brooks. Interesting you had such a quick transition. How do you find them to wear?

scott091501

I recommend Hoka One Ones to my heavier athletes. They kind of combine the minimalist movement with a wider base sole. It does a really good job of dispersing the impact over a larger tread. As you lose weight you can stick with the shoe or move to a more traditional shoe.

http://hokaoneone-na.com/about_story.html

ThickMcRunFast

I would go to a running store and get fitted, but a few things:

I ran in Adrenaline's for a long time, then switched to Pure Cadence (12mm drop to 4mm drop) to help my foot and ankle strength. They work well, but shoes will be very specific to each runner. If it ain't broke...you know?
Transitioning to true minimalist shoes if you have been using traditional drop shoes in the past will take an adjustment. I tried running in Newtons once (I think a 3mm drop, even though I was used to 4mm by then), and after a few miles my legs were aching. There will be some calf pain. Go slow.
Minimalist shoes are a big trend right now, but its all about what works for your feet. Make sure the store you buy them from has a good return policy.

contingencyplan

Depending on how much overweight you are it may be difficult, if not impossible, to run in a manner that minimizes impact/knee strain without the aid of some sort of cushioned shoes.

elleloch

I ran in Nike Free for a while and I'm transitioning now to a pair of New Balance Minimus ones. BUT... I am not "significantly" heavy.

Do you have a running store near you? I suggest going to get fitted and get advice there. You don't necessarily have to buy the shoes there, but they will have excellent advice for your needs.

rybo

Depends on what you consider "heavy". A taller athletic built guy can run in minimalist shoes and easily weigh 200 lbs. I'm 170-175 and have no issues at all because of weight.

I would still transition easy. Your ability to run will out pace your adaptation to minimalist foot wear. Keep your running sestions very short to start, and don't push it.

dbmata

I currently run in Brooks Adrenalines (fitted at a good running store, and generally a shoe i've been happy with). But I've been off road for some time, so am more or less starting over with running, and have been wondering about possibly trying some minimalist shoes as I phase back into running again

I wondered how 'safe' minimalist shoes were for significantly heavy runners? Also, what sort of drop I should be looking at? Because I've not been running for quite some time, I'm essentially learning again, so assume I don't need to 'transition' as such, just ease in as I ease into running?

Suggestions would be very welcome.

I went from Brooks Beast to Vibram Five Fingers, and those were the best choice for me. Did amazingly, fixed a lot of gait problems, and made running a possibiltiy to my life. I found the Komodos were a good balance between padding and minimalism.

scottb81

I wondered if a 'true' minimalist shoe would be too much for someone carrying a fair bit of weight? That's really I guess the heart of my question.

I wondered about the cadence, as I really do love my brooks.

I think the main factor would be how strong your feet and lower legs are right now rather than weight. If you always wear shoes and haven't been barefoot in 20 years then your feet and calves might need a lot of work. If you are often barefoot you will adapt more quickly.

WIth a 4 mm drop Brooks your calf will stretch at least 8mm further than it has been with each step. If your calves are not used to this because you are never barefoot there will be a transition time while the calf strengthens. During this transition time there is increased risk of calf muscle pulls.

I wear the Brooks Pure Connect and they are the most comfortable and most durable running shoe I ever had.

Warchortle

Just my two cents.. running is hard on the knees. Yes, the human foot was not designed for the a typical shoe we wear.. but we weren't also suited to sit all day then run long distance daily.

Does heavy mean... like long distance? high frequency? or just HEAVY? I personally wouldn't wear my vibrams for longer than 5 miles. I prefer having the heel support on longer runs.

JenMc14

I love my Pure Cadence, switched for Trances, but have really only run significant distances in the Pure Cadence. However, I do get achey knees (have always had some issues) after 2-3 miles. I am considering getting fitted at a running store, just to see if something else would be better for my knees, but I do love what I have now. (I would not consider myself heavy, though, at 135 pounds and 5'4".)

Rhayahana

I went from a traditional Brooks running shoe to a Merrell road glove. Never been happier, for me it fixed some issues with poor running form, and it has made my feet stronger. I can feel the road under my feet as well now, so I slip less, and can correct my balance a lot easier.

That said, I don't think they would be the perfect solution for significantly overweight people, the human body/foot may be designed to run but it is not designed to be overweight, so that has to be compensated by some form of cushioning in the shoes if the body is at, say, an obese level. At least, that's by my reasoning, I might be completely off since I'm no scientist.

silvergurl518

i have lightweight running shoes (the store calls them part of their minimalist line, but they're hardly vibrams):

saucony fastswitch
saucony kinvara
asics gel lyte 33

love them all!

meerkat70

I mean heavy. Like weighing a lot.

As I said, I'm re-learning after a lay off - so basically I'm back to C25. I doubt I'll be doing 10 milers this side of Christmas. :-)

Scott "I think the main factor would be how strong your feet and lower legs are right now rather than weight. If you always wear shoes and haven't been barefoot in 20 years then your feet and calves might need a lot of work. If you are often barefoot you will adapt more quickly. "

This is interesting, I hadn't thought of this. I was raised in SOuth Africa, so I'm comfortable barefoot, and tend to pad around at home and work without shoes. I only put them on in summer because British people tend to freak out when they see people wandering the streets shoeless! If I am in shoes, they're generally very flat flats (ballet pump type things).

I have very flexible feet, and a good stretch in my achilles. My legs are pretty strong. But I'm hypermobile, so have to be reasonably cautious with my joints.

I think I might pop down to my running shop and try a pair of the pure cadence then. Do you use them for very long runs as well as your shorter ones, Scott?

flumi_f

I started running in April at 86kg...(now 73kg) in Five Finger Speeds. I now run up to 7km in them, no problems. I just avoid street running and stay on unpaved paths.

It's a middle / fore foot gait. You need to avoid landing on your heel. And your body needs to get used to the bare foot shoes. Start slow as if you were starting off with running.

After running 30-45 min several times a week, I now run once on the tread mill (30min) and usually one run outside 50-60min a week. I do other work outs too (strength, arc, swimming), which is why I don't run more.

BTW - I went running in running shoes once during this time...got blisters on the bottom of the arch in 30 min. Went back to Five Fingers ;-)

My feet and ankles have become much stronger and leaner. I now fit into shoes, that hurt the top of my arch before ;-)

scottb81

I think I might pop down to my running shop and try a pair of the pure cadence then. Do you use them for very long runs as well as your shorter ones, Scott?

I use them for everything. The longest single run in them so far is 29 miles.

meerkat70

Thanks - some really useful information in the thread. I do appreciate it.

dbmata

As note, if you're already comfortable barefoot, vibrams would be an easy ramp up for use with running. I always wear sandals unless there is snow, and for me, it takes about a day r so of getting back into my vibrams if I haven't been in them for months.

ze_hombre

I think I might pop down to my running shop and try a pair of the pure cadence then. Do you use them for very long runs as well as your shorter ones, Scott?

I only run in my Pure's. Longest run to date is 10 miles.

Quick note about the Pure series, there are different version in the Pure series for over, under, and non pronators. I run in the Cadences, my wife runs in the Flows. Both are Brooks Pure's. OP would be wise to go to the LRS and get fitted properly as I can't remember which is which and am too lazy to use Google ATM.

Also, be warned that when you switch to minimalist style shoes you will need to relearn a lot of how you run. OP already said she is relearning, but its really important for anyone else reading this thread that they take note of that. As Scott mentioned you will need to stretch your calves, but you will also get more soreness in your shin muscles at first. The smaller drop shoes are great but they have a pretty steep learning curve at the beginning. Imagine how you walk when you are on a slippery surface and then trying to run like that (sort of, best analogy I can think of). IMO it would be really unwise to switch shoes purely for distance reasons as its a pretty different method of running, its not just changing shoes.

Not trying to talk you out of if OP. I love my Pure's and wouldn't go back to 'normal' shoes for love nor money. Just making sure you are aware that its a bit more involved.

doug_pierce

I'm pretty sure I qualify as a "Heavy Runner" (5'8" just under 200lbs). I love running in Vibrams. My typical run is 4.5-5mi, and I alternate runs between vibrams and regular running shoes.

artcwolf

I'm not running yet, but i'm walking a lot more. I picked up a pair of Fila Skele-toes and i haven't touched my nike's since.

Now the fila's are NOT the best by far, but at $25 it allowed me to try out minimalist shoes cheaply. My feet do not hurt after a good 2 mile walk, my knees do not hurt, and honestly when i wear my boots my body is starting to grumble about it.

Sometime in the next couple of months i'm going to buy me a pair of vibrams.

I'm also 5'8" 201lb, with knee problems from accidents.

resistance_freak

I will echo some of the others here and say that when you begin running in a minimalist shoe take it very slowly at first and add mileage gradually. When I switched from a traditional running shoe to a Nike Free, and then to Vibram Five Fingers I did not give myself the proper acclimation period and ended up injuring my achilles. Essentially, I took the stress off of my knees and placed it onto my calves and achilles and because they weren't strong enough at first to handle it, that's where the injury occurred.

I now wear a Merrell shoe with a Vibram sole (sorry, but I can't remember the model but it is a minimalist shoe) and I couldn't be happier with how I'm running in them. I've also dropped a significant amount of weight since my achilles injury so that obviously helps with the stress on my joints as well.

My advice would basically be to take it slow. Slower than you feel like you need to. Your cardio will almost certainly outpace your calves and achilles when it comes to being strong enough to handle the repetitive stress of running..

SpleenThief

What advantage are you trying to gain by going minimalist?

ThickMcRunFast

A note on distance: When I first switched to the Pure Series, I couldn't run more than 10 miles in them. I didn't have calf issues, it was just something about the design made my footpads hurt (not blister, just hurt a ton).

The second iteration of the series was much better. I ran 20 miles yesterday in my Pure Cadence 2s, and had no problem.

I have run as much as 14 miles in my New Balance Minimus trail shoes. I like them more for technical/single track running. I have cushier traditional Mizunos for mountainous running on smoother surfaces.

jmc0806

I use brooks Pureflow 2 which are a 4.5mm drop I believe and I weigh about 205lbs. I haven't had an issue. My transition was easy though since I'm not really a heel-toe runner and I bought them after about a month of getting into running

MinimalistShoeAddict

I wondered if a 'true' minimalist shoe would be too much for someone carrying a fair bit of weight? That's really I guess the heart of my question.

I wondered about the cadence, as I really do love my brooks.

I think the main factor would be how strong your feet and lower legs are right now rather than weight. If you always wear shoes and haven't been barefoot in 20 years then your feet and calves might need a lot of work. If you are often barefoot you will adapt more quickly.

I agree with this. Minimalist running will actually cause less stress on your knees and back as compared to traditional running shoes. The reason for this is that it will force you to land on your forefoot/mid-foot instead of your heel.

However your risk for calf strain, Achilles tendinitis and stress fractures in your foot will be greater unless you build up mileage very gradually. There are many exercises you can do to help strengthen the relevant muscle groups. However, please don't increase mileage too quickly!

I started running last fall after reading Born to Run, which I highly recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307279189

I run in 0mm drop shoes (or barefoot) 95% of the time and only occasionally run in 4mm drop shoes. My first marathon in October will be ran in my Vibram Bikilas:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/products/Five-Fingers-Bikila-Mens.htm

Good luck!

Docmahi

they are the only shoes I can run in - I have underarmor spines that I wear for general gym use and I have tried running in them but my stride always lands on my heels and results in a shorter stride and shin pain - when I switch to my minimalist sole shoes (I run in vibrams) it automatically fixes my stride and I land on the ball of my feet.

it took a few weeks of running in them for my calves to get used to actually having to carry a lot of the load in my changed stride - but for someone who never runs I was basically able to go from running 10 min intervals with shin pain to 30-45 minute intervals, essentially a 5k at a slower pace (I have no desire to run over that haha)

so I would vote give them a go!

MinimalistShoeAddict

Very interesting video from the Author of Born to Run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_usxrvKvus

DavPul

I would go to a running store and get fitted, but a few things:

I ran in Adrenaline's for a long time, then switched to Pure Cadence (12mm drop to 4mm drop) to help my foot and ankle strength. They work well, but shoes will be very specific to each runner. If it ain't broke...you know?
Transitioning to true minimalist shoes if you have been using traditional drop shoes in the past will take an adjustment. I tried running in Newtons once (I think a 3mm drop, even though I was used to 4mm by then), and after a few miles my legs were aching. There will be some calf pain. Go slow.
Minimalist shoes are a big trend right now, but its all about what works for your feet. Make sure the store you buy them from has a good return policy.

i'm putting all my chips on this answer right here