Just as you'd wear a swimsuit to swim or tap shoes to tap dance, your training shoes should be adapted to the physical activity you're performing.
This article aims at bringing a bit of light to biomechanics jargon, help you understand what your feet are actually doing down there, how to care for them, and share recommendations on the kind of footwear that might suit your needs.
1. FEET = FOUNDATIONS
Many of us have already heard the words “overpronation, oversupination, high arch, or, flat foot” without really grasping the concept or being explained what it meant.
Here's what's what:
Imagine (or do) standing upright on your feet, with the big toes and small toes flat on the floor and the tibia perpendicular to the floor.
In this position your ankles are neutral.
Shift your weight to one leg and try to lift the big toe and arch of the opposite foot, contracting the inside of your ankle.
This position is the supination.
Come back to the center and this time try to lift the small toe and the external part of your foot off the floor, pushing the arch against the floor and contracting the outside of the ankle.
This position is the pronation.
Now here's where the individuality comes in:
A healthy amount of pronation (called neutral pronation) is when the weight is well distributed on the foot with the big and first toes handling a bit more of the load (because they are made for it).
An unhealthy amount of pronation can be leaning towards underpronation (also called oversupination) = too much on the outside, or overpronation = too much on the inside.
Flat or high arched feet are physical malformation that can be genetic (born with it) or developed during adulthood.
For flat feet, the arch normally develops during childhood as the tissus are build (an other reason why making kids walk/run is important).
High arched feet tends to sustain more stress and lead to more injuries than their counterpart, they can also be symptoms to underlying issues such as genetic or neuromuscular disorders.
In both cases, strength and mobility training can lead to a perfectly worry free life.
When we walk, run, jump, or do anything with our legs, our feet naturally go through different phases that include pronation and supination to produce or absorb forces. The way our ankles move affect how the tibia and fibula will move, which in turn will affect how our upper leg bones react and so it goes for the whole body. Thus, a stable and strong foot/ankle is an ankle that has mobility and strength in these different phases.
If you want to, you can quickly assess yourself by checking the outer-sole of your shoes or by recording yourself walk/run in slow motion.
Here’s a way to translate what you see:
Don’t be alarmed if your feet aren’t the most stable (yet), as I said, a lot of these compensations can be fixed with a little bit of toes, feet and ankle work.
For example:
Overpronating and flat feet will tend to:
Collapse inward, lacking movement around the outside of the foot/ankle, hamstring and the Achilles,
The whole foot might be tensed, even more around the outside of the ankle and big toes,
The larger range of motion in the inside of the ankle can be due to a lack of strength in the push of the big toe and arch of the foot, calf muscles and glutes,
This can lead to issues with shin splits, pain in the arch & when bending the toes, heel & low back pain, Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendon inflammation, general ankle instability.
Underpronating/Oversupinating and high arched feet will tend to:
Collapse outward, lacking movement around the inside of the ankle, arch & big toes, the calf muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps & hip flexors,
The whole foot might be tensed, even more around the inside of the foot and toes,
The larger range of motion on the outside of the ankle can be due to a lack strength in the tibialis anterior, toes, calf muscles, glutes, and abductors,
This can lead to issues with shin splits, Plantar fasciitis, Achilles tendon & metatarsal joint inflammations, ankle sprains or fractures and back pain.
If you're looking for exercises to improve your gait (walk/ foot movement) or foot stability, I'd advise building a routine that includes a good variety of plans and ranges of motion. Every exercises can be used to improve both overpronation and oversupination. If you need to be more specific: do more of what you struggle with and build tension where it moves to easily. These can also be used as prehabilisation exercises (particularly interesting when you're practicing activities where the ankles have a big role to play).
You could look at exercises such as:
general manipulations and massages of the sole, toes and ankles,
mobilisations, coordination drills and stretch like the ankle dorsiflexion stretch (with or without toes extension,) ankle sits (toes tucked against the floor or ankle flat), picking up things with your toes, moving the joints in many plans (flexion, extension, circles, deviations, toes spread, etc),
calf raises (unilateral or bilateral) and variations where the foot is placed vertically to the step (on the inside and the outside), heel raises and variations,
tibialis raises (unilateral or bilateral) and rotating variations where the pull starts from the big toes or the outside of the foot,
toe specific exercises (like the big toe press, exercises for the hallux valgus, etc),
one legged exercises such as split squats, KOT lunges, step over, etc.
Of course in case of a specific injury, if you struggle to grasp how to move your little joints, or to know which movements would be most beneficial, I invite you to see a therapist, be curious and ask them questions to learn more.
2. SHOES OVERUSE
Many of the common injuries that happen when standing for a long time, walking, running or hiking come from repetitive stress and overuse of specific muscles/tendons. Whether you use your body or not, injuries are somewhat inevitable but the risks can be reduced with proper footwear and support. Thing is, we tend to forget that shoes also have an expiry date.
Don’t keep the same shoes for too long.
The life span of walking, running and hiking shoes is estimated to 450 to 800km. For example: if you walk around 5 km/6500steps a day, 5 days a week, your walking shoes would last from 6-12 month.
These are theoretical numbers and you won’t get hurt as soon as you pass the 800km barrier but, once the shoes stop supporting as they used to, the body will naturally change its biomechanics to compensate. These compensations can then lead to increased tension and fatigue in the feet and ankle and eventually injury. This is especially important for people who need specific/strong support.
This unconscious change also leads to a reduction of speed and gait efficiency, not great if your goal is performance.
Obviously, taking proper care of your shoes will extend their lifespan, check the manufacturer's advices for that.
If not the shoe, change the sole.
If the shoes are all good and it doesn’t make sense to buy a new pair, or you just don’t have the budget for it, you can simply change the insoles. Visually check them once in a while, be aware of how they feel (if you can sense the ground it’s kinda late but it’s a good input) and find a fresh pair of insoles to swap with the old ones.
You can find insoles in running/hiking stores as well as in some pharmacy. If you can, test your footprint (at the store or with a podiatrist) to see if there have been changes in your positioning and pick the insoles accordingly.
They can be costly, I know, but still cheaper than a new pair of shoes or physiotherapist appointments, it's all about priorities.
3. PICKING THE RIGHT PAIR:
WALKING / HIKING SHOES
Maybe you have a job that requires you to stand up or walk a lot, maybe you just enjoy using your legs to go from A to B. Either way, and for the same reasons as with the running shoes, there are some things to prioritise if you want your ankles, knees and hips to stay happy and healthy.
Nowadays, you might hear about “urban hiking” vs “regular hiking” shoes, the main difference is the terrain and the time you’ll spend in them. You want to adapt the support and the grip of the shoe depending on where you walk, just as with trail and road running shoes.
Your toes should be able to wiggle around, they shouldn’t have to fight for space and climb on one another.
Your heel should be held in position while still being able to move, too much/little tension can cause skin inflammation.
Some shoes have more stretchy upper part tissues, this is important for people who need more volume above the forefoot (high arched feet).
The tissue should be breathable (ideally your socks too) except if you plan to walk through mud, rain or in the cold.
Find a pair with the kind of support that you need, either more around the arch, mid foot or the ankle.
The cushioning level will vary depending on your use, still there should be some impact absorption as well as stability.
You can use road running shoes for your everyday walk and trail shoes for hikes that do not require support around the ankles (like in rocks and snow).
Two ways to test walking shoes stability and quality:
Bend the shoe upwards to bring the toes to the heels. The shoe should bend at the ball of the foot, not randomly elsewhere along the arch. This indicates good sole support.
Hold the shoe at the toes and heels and twist it, there should be moderate resistance. This indicates good lateral support.
RUNNING SHOES
There a two main runners profiles:
“Heel strikers” hit the ground with the heel first, a typical movement for beginners and people who have never trained their technique. If you’re one of them, traditional running shoes with taller heel and forefoot closer to the ground could be good for you.
“Mid foot strikers” attack the floor with the middle of the foot. If this is you, you might want to check shoes with less height difference between the heel and the toes (also called “drop”).
ROAD RUNNING SHOES
They come with more or less cushioning, a soft base will absorb forces and impacts, while a “bare-foot shoe” offer minimal absorption and a better feel of the ground.
They usually have flat soles to tract on pavement.
Some have “rockered soles” (very curvy soles), the goal is to increase the “rolling motion” of your gait, they can be interesting for some but offer less stability.
The cushioning and width should be based on your needs and preferences.
TRAIL RUNNING SHOES
There are 3 main types: light trail (more like road shoes), rugged trail and off trail. The more difficult the terrain the more technical and sturdy the shoe is.
The sole structure is made to decreases slipping and sliding chances and increase traction on soil and rocks.
The cushioning and width should be based on your needs and preferences.
My advice: Find a specialised shop where they assess your foot shape and running mechanics before guiding you towards the good pair. A good shop should offer a wide range of prices. If you already know your size and needs you’ll find good deals on internet.
Keep in mind that running shoes are an investment in your health and pleasure. Don’t be cheap on your joints and change them as often as they need to be.
WEIGHTLIFTING SHOES
You want to feel steady, able to “grip the floor” and drive force from and into it. The shoes should be hard and they should stick to the floor. Your foot shouldn’t be moving around, your toes yes. No cushion, no foam: you want to be as stable as you’d be barefoot. Basically “No shoes is the best shoes”.
FLAT SHOES OR WITH HEELS?
Heels have the benefit of compensating a lack of ankle mobility, while I’d say “when possible work on that limitation instead of just compensating for it”, they can be a good tool for those who can’t do much about it (like due to old/sticky injuries).
Olympic and powerlifters can/should consider these shoes to help with depth and power in their specific field.
For those who can/want work on their mobility (although being able to go deeper into a squat thanks to the heels would also be working on mobility) or don’t need specific equipments, go for the most natural position you could get: flat.
If your gym allows, you can also train barefoot or in socks.
CROSSTRAINING / CROSSFIT SHOES
If your training includes mixe of weightlifting, jumps, sprints and short runs you might need a pair that is less specific than the two previous examples. These are often sold under the name “indoor training” or “Crossfit shoes”
They should have some cushioning while also being hard and sturdy. “Barefoot” or minimalist shoes (no drop) can do, regular trainers can be good as well.
They should be breathable as crossfit/cross training tend to be more sweaty sports.
TO CONCLUDE
You don’t need 4 pairs of shoes to practice multiple sports, figure out what you need the most, be smart about it and it should be good. You can also build your shoe collection overtime and simply change the soles when you need to.
You could also just strengthen and improve the hell out of your feet's mobility and workout barefoot. The barefoot trend of these last years can be a good inspiration when done properly: gradually. Just as your feet will adapt to new shoes and insoles, they also need time to adapt back to the ground, for example, if you've always had heels on your sneakers, chances are that your Achilles and calf are a bit too tight to run flat and won't be able to bounce and absorb your weight as well as they usually do. Ignoring that can lead to really not fun injuries.
By now you should know a little more about what goes on in your ankles and should be able to pick what seems to fit your activities. As usual, get to know yourself and how your body responds to certain stimuli, reflect on the outcome, adapt and progress from there.
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