The Science of Running in a Zero Drop Shoe

In our latest podcast, we talk all about the value of Zero drop running. We compare it with high drop shoes, and eventually talk about the Altra Paradigm 6 (more later on that).

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Doctors of Running aims to use knowledge of human movement, clinical biomechanics and performance to bring you cutting edge reviews, science and knowledge. Featuring reviews of the latest shoes and shoe technology from the perspective of physical therapy professionals.

[josephavendano]

Thank you for a great, clear explanation of the difference in drop and how it affects my knee hip and calfs in a way NO shoe salesman has ever explained to me.

[blackbke]

Drop doesn't matter too much to me. As you guys said: it depends on how the shoe reacts when hitting the ground.
I combine zero drop minimalist Altra's for shorter runs, with 8mm drop maximalist Saucony's with carbon plate for longer runs; both mid-forefoot striking. It's the best of both worlds: Altra for that great road feel and Saucony when I'm going to feel the road too much.
But no heel striking for me, gave me too much trouble when I started out running (took me 8 years to find out).

[amandawalker]

Thanks boys, especially bringing up that the drop is dynamic.. couldn't stop laughing at the costumes 😀

[tripsntricks]

I have plantar and was always struggling especially when running long distances. I switched to Altras and so far my feet is loving it. Felt more balanced and just over all sensation from the ball of my foot is like massage on my feet. Yesterday I finished my first 107 km (66.4 miles) race with my Altras and ZERO issues with my feet. I got sore legs but that's about it. No pain in my plantar, no knee pain, no blisters etc. I ran a number of ultras but this is the best feeling my feet has been after an ultra race especially considering the fact that it is my longest race so far.

[cookinginpawleys]

Also, we don't have any wide toe boxes with higher drop. My guess is that a high drop/wide toe box would slam your toes into the front and/or the combination would just be unstable and sloppy. I can't think of any wider toe box shoe over 5mm.

[seamuscavanaugh]

I'm a former barefoot shoe nut and still pretty much only use zero drop shoes but it was nice hearing a more measured reasonable breakdown from guys who aren't trying to win converts to any camp here. a lot of the zero drop stuff is made by people who will have you believe it's a panacaea when it's just a different style of shoe lol

[IThinkNowListenUp]

A Toyota compact car, a heavy benz and pickup truck are all going to perform differently if they all used the same shocks, struts or spring.... Yet the foot industry want to talk about a shoes performance as a "one size fits all discussion"

[patricklachance]

For the style of running required on trails, zero drop and wider toe box makes a lot of sense and feels more natural in that environment.
Road running is almost completely different.

[brunocassettari]

How about different stack hight’s among zero drop shoes😉. I started playing with zero drop last year, slowly doing 1Km warm ups before plyos. I did that on Vibran 5 fingers. Later I got my first Altras, and immediately noticed that you could heel strike with the later, while with the Vibrans’, unless you are Wolverine, your ankle/legs won’t be able to handle the pounding so your foot will naturally work more to absorb the impact, moving the landing slightly forward and changing the gait a bit (thr heel touches the ground afterwards, which is not “normal” with “normal” shoes). I found this to be an extraordinarily valuable experience, but mainly to create awareness of these these things, and monitor my feet motion more than ever before during gait cycle, also on higher drop shoes and start to differentiate them, without trying to force anything though.
Great topic guys.

[IThinkNowListenUp]

Just as they sell different shocks and spring weights for cars.... Imagine if the shoe industry began specifying shoes based on user weight so that foam type and stack height were based not only use case but also user weight at the heel.

It's absurd to think that a heavy person in a zero drop shoe with certain foam type will be the same as a lighter person. At stand still, a heavier person probably has a negative drop. While a lighter person will more likely be at zero drop at standstill depending on foam.

A slight positive drop for a heavier person at standstill will likely be near zero drop at stand still.

[hekunator]

This is very valuable info since I'm constantly having proximal hamstring problems. I suffered a nasty case case of proximal hamstring tendinopathy, which eventually developed into tearing of the semimembranosus tendon. Surgery was the only option. Fast forward a year, and I'm fully recovered. But as I ramped up my mileage a few weeks ago I'm feeling the all too familiar tightness creeping up on my previously asymptomatic leg. It really flared up after finishing a run on Nike ZoomX Invincible Run. I never had any hamstring-related problems when I was training in a more minimal shoes, for example Asics Gel DS Racers. Maybe switching gradually to zero drop shoes might place the stress more on my ankles and calves, rather than hips, and help with constant hamstring tightness? I'm also rehabbing aggressively with the help of isometric and eccentric exercises.

[NeuroPulse]

Extremely good content guys. Thank you.

[Bestdayever]

I tried the Torin 7 and ABSOLUTELY LOVED the feel and comfort of them… but I CAN’T do Zero-Drop right away… so a lot of us buy other shoes to take baby steps to get down to zero drop… I think it would be an absolute brilliancy if Altra came out with 5mm drop shoes for people that want to slowly move to Zero… a lot of us buy other shoes with lower and lower drops to eventually get to that point, but it would be super smart of them to have us buy their products instead of competitors… just a thought.

[yakiweiss]

Very interesting talk! from my experience over many years of running, of course unscientific. running with rotation of like 6 pairs with different drop shoes, just works good for me. Its makes me a versatile runner, shoes replacement becomes a non issue for me. Thank you guys, keep up your good work!

[permanentwave]

Need to know about bad knees and rocker vs zero drop please discuss as mbts had helped me with knee pain

[permanentwave]

Tell me please about the mizuna benefits for knee pain

[ShouldaWaved]

Guy with the hat explained it well for my bird brain about zero drop vs high drop, maybe zero drop would put less stress on my metatarsal joint in big toe too

[edwarding]

Loading pattern changes for me depending on pace. So slower requires lower drop. If I am pavcing faster i will not feel slamming on the heel with a high drop shoe.

[Maxyshadow]

Great vid. Like the Alien zero drop still feels a bit like a negative drop to me. I ended up switching to Altras some time during my 3 year battle with PF, which has not fully returned, or when it begun I've felt the warning signs and been able to fix. Now a Altra convert.

[i.p]

Very good points. My altra rivera feels like a negative drop because of the very soft midsole and my heel strike. I actually bottom out on a downhill and I am only 68kg.