How to crack the middle of your foot?
i do this every night:) i take the part of my foot by my pinky toe and push it inward and down. as if i am trying to fold my foot in half hot-dogg style. or twist it clockwise i that same spot. hope i helped!
Which running shoes are better - Nike, Adidas, Reebok?
widepart provided a great answer - the best shoe is the one that fits your specific needs. Weight, body type, & foot characteristics will all come into play. Find a reputable running store with trained staff (not a chain store in the mall) A good store will let you run outside or on a treadmill to try them out. I would also suggest that you go to runnersworld.com and select Shoes & Gear. This will provide great information on what goes into selecting the proper running shoes, and the ShowFinder will help you determine which shoes might work best for you. Another good site for information is roadrunnersports.com Good Luck!
Help me improve on my running form?
There is no such thing as a proper running form. All people are slightly different. Some tiny anthropometric differences can result in a different way of movement. Attempting to change your running style will often make you less efficient and more prone to injury. If your posture is good, there is no need to change the way you run. For example, you know how some coaches obsess on how your foot should land? Well, I know of only one serious study where they actually used a high speed camera to record the foot strike (120 pictures per second, not that youtube crap). They analyzed a large group of elite half-marathon runners. It turned out that a vast majority of them were landing on their heels. Not quite what you'd expect. And they don't seem to have a problem with it. You can read about it here: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/04/... If you try to force yourself to run differently you will become less efficient and possibly cause injury. This was proven by the two studies on the Pose method where they converted a bunch of runners into midfoot/forefoot runners. You can read about those studies here: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/09/... and here: http://www.sportsscientists.com/2007/10/... The best piece of advice I can give you is to mind your posture, relax your arms and shoulders, and most importantly forget about your feet. There is another reason for it, actually. When you focus on what your feet are doing, you tend to make your feet and ankles a little tense just before you hit the ground. This will make you grow tired more quickly and it will also make you more prone to injury. I have to tell you, people who focus on what the feet are doing, don't really understand the running mechanics, and they are focusing on the consequences of movement rather than the causes of movement. So relax, forget about your feet, and just keep running.
What are some tips for planting your foot when running?
There are three ways that your foot can hit the ground.In a heelstrike style (rearfoot), which is by far the most common (75-90% of runners), your heel strikes the ground first followed by the rest of your footIn a midfoot strike, the outside edge of your whole foot contacts the ground first.Thirdly, there is a forefoot landing, where the outside edge of the forefoot contacts the ground first, followed by the heel coming down after.Unless have struggled with a lot of chronic injuries in your knee or shin, it would be better to focus on increasing your stride frequency or doing some stretching and strengthening exercises before you consider altering your footstrike.Hope this helps, we have more information on this if you are interested, just let me know, and I will send a link :)
What is the best running shoes??
The brand isn't as important as the type. The 3 basic types are: Motion Control: usually for Heavier runners who tend to pronate severely (pronation is the rolling inward of the foot s you strike the ground) Stability: for the average runner Cushioned: for the lighter, faster runner or for the runner who does not pronate enough. Also, you need the right shoe for what you are doing; don't run in tennis shoes or play basketball in walking shoes. (I know this is obvious, but you'd be surprised what people do.) Don't use cross trainers unless you are primarily lifting or using elliptical trainers & stationary bikes. Finally, check out Runner's World or The Running Times. They each do shoe surveys that are quite helpful. Oh, one more thing - I buy from Road Runner Sports on line; they rate and categorize shoes for you and carry all major brands. Me, I need a motion control shoe, so I use the Brooks Beast. I love the Brooks line.
Knee/foot/back pain walking on concrete floors all day. Shoe suggestions?
I started working at Home Depot a few months ago, and within a month started experiencing knee pain, as well as lower back and foot pain. I assume this is from walking on concrete floors all day. I've tried a few different shoes and insoles but I'm still having problems. I've read lots of guidelines online for how to pick out good shoes, but I REALLY need some specific brand and/or shoe recommendations. I don't want to spend a fortune on them because with my work, shoes are dirtied and sometimes torn within a few hours at work, but I really do need something that will help with this knee pain. I feel 80 and I'm still in my twenties! Anyone who works in a similar environment, on their feet all day, on concrete floors, moving heavy objects around, please help me out here and be as specific as possible. Thank you!
What are the health benefits of wearing Vibram shoes for running?
You will find anecdotal evidence all over the internet of people with persistent running injuries that went away once they started running in FiveFingers. I, for one, am able to run three miles without one or both of my knees screaming in pain for the first time in years. Professor Lieberman at Harvard has already conducted some rigorous research that concludes there is no evidence that running shoes do us any good at all (http://barefootrunning.fas.harva...). I suspect the next phase of his research will be to investigate whether those heel-strike-inducing squishy sneakers may in fact be conducive to injury. If he finds that to be the case, look out, that would essentially suggest that the entire multi-billion dollar sneaker industrial complex is built on false pretenses.
What are some good running shoes that have a "wide toe box"? I’m a teenage girl with a lot of pain in the area of my foot where bunions are developed. I've heard that such a shoe would help my pain in that area.
I have run a few half marathons and I hiked the entire Appalachian Trail last year (all 2,189 miles). I always had a great deal of leg and foot pain running, but I pushed through it. About 800 miles into my AT through hike, I discovered really wide toe boxes and I’ve had much less pain ever since. So I know where you’re coming from.First, I’d like to point out the difference between traditional wide shoes (size 2E, 4E, etc) and a wide toe box. 2E shoes don’t do anything for me because they seem to be widest at the ankle and heel. I don’t need the extra space there, and you probably don’t either.Altra shoes (all models) have really wide toe boxes. They are a small shoe company that specializes in this kind of shoe, I discovered them during my AT through hike and I have been in love with their shoes ever since.Some of the big companies have made special lines with wide toe-boxes, like the Nike Free and the New Balance Minimus. I have run half-marathons in both of these, and I didn’t love them like I love my Altras.There are some other companies you could look at, like Veevobarefoot, Merrel, and Salomon. I’ve heard good things about them, but I haven’t tried them myself.