Originally Posted by
ZombieJesus12
You guys arguing about stride types are missing the point entirely.
We're supposed to run barefoot, evolutionarily speaking. Our feet and legs are evolved to run that way. And for those of you that gone running with no shoes, you already know this is true. It's a million times better than with shoes. If you haven't tried it yet, then you have no idea what you're talking about.
Anyway, when you run barefoot, you land on the outside of your midfoot, then your heel dips and you push off again. That's how our feet work. That's why we have an arch. There's a shape in architecture based on this concept; basically it can support weight above the curved portion, and the curved shape allows it to stretch out and accommodate more weight without breaking.
That's how our feet work. When you land on your midfoot, your arch stretches out to support your weight.You land light and fast under your center of gravity. If you don't believe me, then go outside, find a park, and run around in your bare feet. You'll see it yourself.
So back in the 70s when running became a big commercial market, Bowerman made a shoe that he thought could change running for the better. He figured that if you had a comfy heel, you could land on it when you run. And if you did that, you could take longer strides, and thus run faster. (By the way, seriously that was what he thought. That's like a 4 year old's understanding of science) So he made up the Cortez, which really introduced the idea of a thick-soled running shoe, and ended up changing a lot of the western world's ideas about how we run.
So basically in the last 30 years shoe manufacters have spent a whole lot of time making up crap for running shoes. Things like "pronation" and "arch support" are absolutely ridiculous if you think about them - as I explained, an arch IS ALREADY ITSELF A SUPPORT SYSTEM! So why would you put a little bit of rubber underneath it and pretend like that's how it workds
It's completely ridiculous.
When Reebok says the ZigTech will save you wear and tear on the leg (like in the ads how you use 10% leg muscle or whatever it was), thus enabling you to run fast. That's not how the body works. Your legs are SUPPOSED to work a lot when you run! When they don't get exercised because you have a shoe like this, they muscles become weak! You don't become faster because your body is using less energy for your legs and can like transport that energy to your lungs! It's all more idiotic 4 year old ideas about how human beings work.
I mean, I would wear these casually. When you walk, it's supposed to be a heel-toe movement, so having a huge cushioned sole might be comfy in some limited use. But if you're running in this, you're not doing anything close to what nature intended your body to do. That's the bottom line
