How To Choose the Right Heel-Toe Drop for Running Shoes
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- See the full post: strengthrunning...
Heel-toe drop is the height differential between the heel and toebox of your running shoes. It can range from 0mm to over 12mm. How do you know which drop is right for you? Coach Jason Fitzgerald explains how to effectively rotate shoes and use them as "training tools" to help you improve.
Jason Fitzgerald is a USATF running coach, 2:39 marathoner, and the founder of Strength Running (one of the web's most popular running blogs and coaching businesses). A member of the Greatist Expert Network, he's also the 2017 Men's Running Magazine's Influencer of the Year and a contributor to Competitor Magazine, Active, Runner's World, Lifehacker, and other major media.
Visit strengthrunnin... to learn more about barefoot running, getting faster, injury prevention, and lifting for speed.
Twitter: / jasonfitz1
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I couldn't figure out why my ankle was hurting so much when I was running. I went to a shop and they put me as a heal striker. Changed my heal to toe drop and it made a huge difference.
Some good info(having a variety of shoes is great), But I don't like how you repeatedly put 0-drop & minimalist in the same basket. They are two different things with the main difference being stack height & cushion(which you unfortunately didn't find any time to talk about in this >7min video.) There are several 0-drop shoes from; Altra, Newton, & Topo with medium to high stack height( >20mm) & varying cushioning, none of which are considered minimalist shoes.
ViperDFS my question also. If you are a mid to forefoot runner but have planter fasciitis, is the best shoe have a drop of 8 or less but well cushioned? Or is something like pegusus Turbo with drop of ten or other highly recommended shoe with drop of 12 still ok or will it mess with your stride and impact? Thanks.
Exactly! zero drop cushioned shoes are not minimalist, I love my zero drop shoes, but they are a bit cushioned for mixed terrain. several videos I have watched equate zero drop to minimalist, and it's BS.
Hi what are a good 0drop cushion shoe thanks
@@derekrossiter5047
Altra Escalante,
Altra Torin,
Topo Athletic Fli-Lyte 3,
Topo Athletic Magnifly 3
@@jeffwagner8108 Missed your reply. Whats the latest with your running and shoes? Have you had any re-occurring plantar fac or was it a one-time injury?
I dont recommend anything over 8mm for anyone. 8mm can be good for racing, and a recovery jog when your calves are sore from a prior day workout. 6mm is great for everyday jogs. 0-4mm is nice to run on a couple times per week to hone the intricate runnnig muscles&tendons from your knee down.(as long as you use good mid-forefoot form)
I love your meta review style of presentation!
great content and extremely elucidating video man! congrats
Thanks Jason. Good job explaining drop.
My dad is having the Bunions toes. I m looking for a nice running shoes for him, which drops or type of shoes would you recommend? Thank you!
What is best for hiking? Higher 6mm vs lower 4mm drop
Tend to have some knee pain when descending, or hip pain with heavy backpacks
Many shoes these days are 0-5 mm drop but would not be described as “minimalist” as they are well cushioned and at times not very flexible. E.g. Hoka, Altra, Topo, Saucony Kinvara, NB fresh foam, brooks pure
It’s looking like the lower drop is making its way around in many types of shoes and not just those brands catering to people subscribed to minimalism. Wouldn’t you agree @strengthrunning?
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my asics fuzex lyte size 11 has a 10mm drop. I ran 3miles in 28min quite comfortably.
Be very careful running for 30 years moved to 0 drop achilles tendonitis for almost 2 months going back to the 8/12mm
i've been suffering from Calf injuries, i had 6mm drop, going to try 10mm and see how it goes!
Always ran in 5/6ish, but got pulled into the 0 drop craze. I started slowly and carefully. I'm now on the sofa nursing my first ever calf strain. 😭
Excellent advice sir!
Thanks a lot for the information! How does this topic relate to running technique e.g. using forefoot , middlefoot or heel? E.g. how does the drop of a shoe factor if you run mainly on your forefoot?
the higher the drop the more biased to a heel strike. But none of this is as drastic as folks imagine it is, unless you're going from literally zero to 12 mm. but heres the thing. most folks are a terrible judge of their own gait. everyone thinks they forefoot strike but few actually do. If you're a heel striker, like most folks are, and you go to a zero drop shoe, you're just shooting yourself in the foot. stick with a "normal" shoe for most things. zero drop shoes are not forgiving to heel striking.
My running shoes are 8mm drop and I'm thinking about switching to 4mm drop shoes. Since I always use one pair of shoes ( I don't have multiple pairs in rotation) I wonder is that change too big...
helpful
I had a sprain a couple of years ago that can bother me once in a while. I also over pronate which complicates things. I'm also slightly heavy at 6' 1". I tried the zero drop Escalantes on high mileage runs and while they were fun, the aggravated my PT. Going to try the New Balance Vazee Prism and thinking of Brooks Ghost for longer recovery runs. Does that sound wise? Thanks.
What's a good drop for someone with ankle, knee, calf, and Achilles pain?
I believe a higher heel is better for Achilles pain. And lower drop is better for knee / hip
The lower the drop the more you work your calf, soleus and achilles so if you’re having calf pain the solution is usually higher drop.
The ankle and knee are more complex so it depends on what part is painful. Raising the drop will give relief to parts of the ankle/knee and increase work load of other parts.
Brilliant!! Thank you!
Great video
What is the main drawback of wearing working boots which haven't a flat platform? Thanks.
Thank you
It seems to me that the surface angle you walk/run on would make a difference. For example I am doing a hike this week that is four miles with an altitude gain of 4,000'. I switched from Speedcross 3 to 4 trail shoes b/c the heel drop is greater in the newer model shoe. My Achilles tendon has been tender lately and I don't want to make it worse. Don't PT folks recommend a heel lift for people with tendonitis?
The drop needs to be classified & help us understand their purpose- try that for us
Im thinking that maybe switching from a 12mm to an 8mm shoe will decrease heel lift and thus top of foot pressure?
In theory it should be like that
Wish I watched this video about 10yrs ago.
i got constant knee injury. I ran in hoka vanquish now in bondi 5.(5-6mm drop) you think i should increase the drop to 10mm like salomon shoes or decrease to zero? i dod lots of research but no decisive opinion has been found! please advise.
A knee injury needs to be treated - and your shoe choice is likely irrelevant. We have treatment protocols for two major knee injuries here: strengthrunning.com/injury-prevention-program/
great! thank you for the reply, much appreciated
0 drop shoes are most natural to human running mechanics.
Men, I have spent a fortune in running shoes, each time I go to the store they recommend stability shoe (i.e. Kayano 25, UltraBoost ST, Vongo 3 and so on) however, I also tried neutral shoes (Nike Fly, Nimbus, Adidas Adios, Glycerine 16 etc. etc. ) and the only result is moving the pain from the back of the heel (only the left one, to my calf (right one). My probation level according to adidas test is 8% left foot and 14% right one. I ran a marathon 3 years ago and couple of half marathon this year but I can get rid of the pain. Any advise will help. Thanks.
Did you try barefoot running? I have heard good things about it.
those so called tests they do at running stores are nothing more than a scam sales tactic buddy. literally. every human in the world pronates, including the most elite runners in the world. These morons would try to put Hussin Bolt in kayano because they're a bunch of know nothing high school kids working for min wage doing what the boss says, which is sell sell sell. never listen to these morons. get what you find most comfortable.
Hi, I'm searching everywhere for a while and I can't find an clear answer for my problem. I'm not a 'runner' like I won't go for a 2k run or something like this.
In fact I play ball hockey. So I jog on the court but I also sprint and change direction very often. But I have a problem with my left achilles tendon. It's painful as hell. I tried minimalist shoes and it was worst than anything I ever tried. I was thinking about a shoe with a 8mm heel drop but everyone is telling me that I will spain my ankle if I use a higher heel.
So like I said, I can't find a clear answer. Some people are telling me to go with a running shoe with a higher heel, others with a crossfit shoe, I had people telling me to go with volleyball shoes and other with minimalist shoes.
Which way should I go ?
As Jason said in this video, the lower the drop the higher the stress on the achilles tendon. I think this pretty well answers your question.
What drop is maximum for mid to forefoot strikers? Thanks!
25
Your argument could be used entirely to argue the opposite and the conclusion could be to use the higher drop shoes sparingly.
I believe the problem with high drop shoes is that it puts too much stress on the knee, which is particularly problematic for heavier people.
Neutral shoes with lower drop, may effectively put more stress on the lower part of the leg, compared to the higher drop shoe. One might argue however that this how our bodies evolved to deal with the running stresses.
O believe the host of this UA-cam channel prefers high drop shoes because he is lighter and for him it is not a problem to transfer lower leg stresses to the knee, which again, can be dangerous for a heavier person.
Or, a heavier runner is a heel striker & would benefit from a thicker heel
@@runningmole indeed, either people know how to properly execute the so-called barefoot technique, which would naturally lower the tension due to a smoother landing.
Or if it the person is a heel stricker, then a high heel would be appropriate until the person learns the barefoot technique.
However I'm aware that many people don't even understand the benefits or risks of both techniques, and are not even willing to learn them.
The fact that so many people are heel stickers, could be related to the fact that high drop shoes are available for a long time in the market...
So many variables associated with this scientific discussion...
Unloaded heel to toe ratio is meaningless.It is more important to know what the loaded heel to toe ratio of a shoe to predict the amount of possible eccentric loads created in the lower leg.
Low drop is one thing, but low with no cushioning is another hurdle.