Super Shoes: Beyond Performance

Some Sweet Adidas Super Shoes.

I work with runners of all backgrounds — weekend warriors, high school and collegiate runners, elites, and Olympians. One of the topics that always comes up is super shoes (carbon-plated running shoes). I remember when the first super shoes came out in 2016 — the Nike Vaporfly 4% — it was so exciting for the running world. I couldn’t wait to try them or do run gait analysis with my patients that wore them!

Now, nearly every shoe company has some version of a carbon-plated, super shoe. In fact, recently super spikes have even been created for our track athletes. Super shoes are part of the running culture, but just because something is there, doesn’t mean we know how to truly integrate it.

I get a lot of questions from athletes about when, how, and how much to wear their super shoes. I also see many athletes who only want to wear super shoes and become injured. Because of this, I wanted to spend some time explaining super shoes, digging into the research benefits, and looking at what wearing super shoes realistically looks like from a runner’s standpoint. I think there are a lot of articles out there about the shoes and how they impact performance, but there isn’t much about how our bodies react to the shoe.

With every technological advancement, there is a responsibility to make sure that our athletes are prepared to integrate that advancement into their training. Across all levels of competition super shoes are worn, but often without explanation, education, or a plan. It reminds me of when barefoot running was the trend. The research was bright for barefoot running, particularly when it came to running form, but clinically I saw a significant increase in lower leg and foot injuries.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with barefoot running, but going from a shoe with a 12 mm stack height and protection from the elements to a zero mm shoe drop or barefoot is a big jump for our anatomy. With super shoes, I have seen similar clinical trends. However, there is an added psychological layer because super shoes are proven to improve race times and many athletes don’t want to give up seconds, let alone minutes even during training.

What makes super shoes special

All running shoes have what we call an upper (the top part of the shoes) and a sole. The sole is made up of the outsole (the part we can see that makes contact with the ground), the midsole (where most of the shoe technology lies), and the insole (the removable part of the shoe our foot contacts). Shoe companies have spent most of their time crafting and building midsole technology. Midsole characteristics include various foams, cushioning, and the heel-to-toe drop or stack height (1).

The difference between super shoes and a typical running trainer is the curved carbon plate and lightweight energy-absorbing foam in the midsole. The carbon plate and foam act like a spring to store energy on impact and act as a rigid lever during push-off. As you run, there is compression of the foam and plate that occurs and stores the energy. The faster you run, the more compression there is and therefore the more benefit you get (2). This midsole technology is often lighter, less dense, and is more resilient than that of a typical trainer (1).

It has been surmised that the performance benefits that come with super shoes are related to the metabolic energy saved because of the stiff plate, lever created, and energy storage rather than biomechanical changes (5).

The performance benefits of super shoes include:

· Increased running economy (3–5)

· 4% reduction in metabolic energy cost (3–5)

· 2% improvement in performance for road running (5–6)

· 1–1.5% improvement for the new super spikes (6)

Can running shoes reduce injury risk?

There is debate in the running medicine world whether shoes can decrease injury risk or have a positive influence on running biomechanics. Most research does not support that running shoes reduce the risk of injury (1).

Over the last decade, a lot more research is coming out but the theme that has emerged is that the most important factor in choosing a shoe is if it is comfortable or not.

Some of the research related to super shoes states that the foam of the shoes and the shape of the carbon plate may reduce the load on the body. Yet, there is still debate on how various loads on the body such as, ground reaction force (GRF), tibial acceleration (TA), and vertical loading rate relate to specific injuries.

Additionally, there are few studies that have been done to look at the relationship between cushioning (the foam) in the midsole and injury risk. One study did find that a thicker midsole may have more of a protective effect against injury than minimalist shoes(7). All this is to say that there is little to no evidence that super shoes decrease the risk for injury. At this point, we must look at the clinical impact, training load, and anatomy.

What does our anatomy have to do with it?

How strong an athlete is, their biomechanics, training load, and how often they wear the super shoes will all impact how their body responds. In a research setting, we would change one variable at a time to try and determine how the athlete responds to the shoe. However, in the real world and most clinical settings, this is not always possible.

In the human body, the Achilles tendon and the intrinsic muscle of the foot act as springs to absorb energy upon ground contact, store the energy and release it during push-off. If the athlete is strong enough and has good control and mobility of the foot and ankle complex then they will likely not have any issues running. But many running athletes don’t spend enough time working on strength and mobility, so they begin at a disadvantage.

There are two main types of contractions when it comes to muscles. Concentric, the shortening movement (think showing off your guns or your biceps muscle), and eccentric, the lengthening movement (think about the quadriceps when you are running downhill). Of the two types of contractions, eccentric muscle contractions are the most difficult and can create more muscle soreness. When we load the springs of our body it is eccentrically. Therefore, if the athlete doesn’t have enough strength eccentrically or enough mobility in the ankle joint (talocrual or subtalar) to tolerate super shoes then they may not be a good fit.

In our practice, we have found that athletes that become over-reliant on super shoes and/or have had a history of lower extremity injuries, such as an Achilles tendonopathy or posterior tibialis tendonopathy, tend to have increased pain and issues while wearing super shoes.

How should super shoes be integrated into training?

So, with all that said, what should we do as athletes, coaches, or clinicians regarding super shoes?

First, identify athletes that have latched onto the idea that the only way they can compete with others is to wear their super shoes. This can be a huge mental barrier to implementing positive change. If an athlete is in this state of mind about their shoes, likely something else is going on and they may need support from a sports psychologist.

Secondly, since most running injuries are related to overuse — too much, too soon, too difficult — I would start by slowly introducing the change from trainer to super shoe into the athlete’s training plan. The tendons, muscles, joints, and ligaments can adapt but they are slow. Much slower than what the brain wants to do, when the excitement of possibly running fast and more efficiently takes over!

No matter what shoe your athlete uses it is better for their body to mix it up. I generally tell clients to have more than one shoe that they run and train in so their body is exposed to a variety of movement patterns and variable forces. This is no different when it comes to super shoes. Too much of a good thing can be detrimental

I would recommend that the athlete does not wear the super shoes for all training runs. Depending on the individual athlete, intensity of training, and how long they have been using the shoes, I may suggest wearing them only part of a training run. To avoid overloading an athlete’s anatomy, ideally, super shoes are worn most often during competition and performance, not in everyday training.

Lastly, I cannot overstate the importance of strength and mobility for running athletes. The stronger you are and the more mobile you are the better your movement patterns, running form, running economy, and feel for the ground will be. I would even venture to say adding some eccentric strength for your calf muscles, intrinsic foot strength, hip mobility, and hip strength will set you up for a more successful transition or use of super shoes.

Good luck and thank you for reading!

xo Kate

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References:

1. Agresta C, Giacomazzi C, Harrast M, Zendler J. Running Injury Paradigms and Their Influence on Footwear Design Features and Runner Assessment Methods: A Focused Review to Advance Evidence-Based Practice for Running Medicine Clinicians. Front Sports Act Living. 2022 Mar 9;4:815675. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2022.815675. PMID: 35356094; PMCID: PMC8959543.
2. Joubert DP, Dominy TA, Burns GT. Effects of Highly Cushioned and Resilient Racing Shoes on Running Economy at Slower Running Speeds. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2023 Jan 10;18(2):164–170. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.2022–0227. PMID: 36626911.
3. W. Hoogkamer, S. Kipp, J.H. Frank, E.M. Farina, G. Luo, R. Kram, A Comparison of the Energetic Cost of Running in Marathon Racing Shoes, Sports medicine 48(4) (2018) 1009–1019.
4. K.R. Barnes, A.E. Kilding, A Randomized Crossover Study Investigating the Running Economy of Highly-Trained Male and Female Distance Runners in Marathon Racing Shoes versus Track Spikes, Sports medicine 49(2) (2019) 331–342.
5. Hoogkamer W, Kipp S, Kram R. The Biomechanics of Competitive Male Runners in Three Marathon Racing Shoes: A Randomized Crossover Study. Sports Med. 2019 Jan;49(1):133–143. doi: 10.1007/s40279–018–1024-z. PMID: 30460454.
6. Kim Hébert-Losier & Milly Pamment (2023) Advancements in running shoe technology and their effects on running economy and performance — a current concepts overview, Sports Biomechanics, 22:3, 335–350, DOI: 10.1080/14763141.2022.2110512
7. Agresta C., Kessler S., Southern E., Goulet G. C., Zernicke R., Zendler J. D. (2018). Immediate and short-term adaptations to maximalist and minimalist running shoes. Footwear Sci. 10, 95–107.