There has been an increasing trend for over- and supinators to use neutral running Shoes recently. It is said that, if you do not have a strong malformation, it is best to just use a neutral shoe. That will help you to develop your foot and knee muscles, make them stronger and, most importantly, make you less injury prone.
From my own experience as a supinator i can tell you, that i was affected way more by injuries when i used a shoe which “supported my foot perfectly”. I was utterly devastated, because every time i started to run more frequently, and started to prepare for a race i experienced growing knee and ankle pain.
Then i discovered the Nike Free 3.0. For those of you who do not know this fabulous shoe i will explain it a little bit. It is a shoe that is meant to simulate barefoot running (and in my opinion does pretty well at simulating it). One would think that that kind of should would be like poison to Overpronators and Supinators, but i can tell you that it is the complete opposite. Since i have started using it my ankle and my knee both have gotten a LOT stronger, i can literally feel it. I have experienced situations in which i would have sprained my ankle, or hurt my feet seriously recently, and due to my strong improved muscles around my ankle i didn’t get hurt at all. Also i do not experience even the slightest knee pains, even after a long run i feel perfectly fine.
I run about 60 Kilometers/37 Miles a week and i am currently preparing for a half marathon and i have never felt this confident before.
There is one restriction i must make though. If you do fast, or very tiring workouts, that’s really not the time you want to improve your knee or ankle strength at.
I recommend minimalist running shoes for that purpose (for neutral Runners, aswell as for Overpronators and Supinators) and for Races aswell.
A great example for a minimalist Running shoe is the Saucony Grid Tangent. It offers slight, but sufficient cushioning. But be aware that there are are similar shoes offered by every major shoe manufacturer: Nike, Saucony, K-Swiss, Adidas, New Balance, and so on
The other great thing about those minimalist shoes is, that they are usually pretty cheap <$100. They have no pointless, excessive cushioning, that ends up destroying your knees and ankles. Your muscles won’t end up degenerated and last but not least you will suffer fewer injuries.
Keep in mind that my suggestion is based only on my own experience and that i cannot recommend the use of neutral shoes if you have a strong malformation.
Best regards
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