Man do your feet stink: On minimalism and barefoot

Is it finally safe to step outdoors again? Has the dust settled? After the meteoric rise of the barefoot and minimalist movement, it would seem as though the shoe genre is falling back to Earth. This, according to many industry analysts pointing to the 10% fall in minimalist shoes during the first quarter of 2013, could mark the beginning to the end of an era. That development is in contrast to SportsOneSource's quarterly reports of the last few years, in which the minimalist category had some of the highest growth, while sales in categories such as motion control and stability stagnated or fell.

Sales in motion control shoes rose by more than 25% in the first three months of the year and hot on its heels was a 10% increase in stability shoes. In fact, barefoot and minimalist type running shoes only represented 4% of total running shoes in SportOneSource's analysis. Was barefoot really just a fad? Or was it just sorely misunderstood, a tortured sole looking for a home?

My feet hurt just thinking of this.

Much of the barefoot movement came about because of some pilot studies looking at various Kenyan tribes and one particular tribe in Mexico that runs long distances barefoot. It was reported that it was more fuel efficient- you spared your glycogen reserves more (your carbs), because your VO2 max was lower and you could use your high energy fat reserves longer- basically you were a running machine and super efficient. Your foot fall contact was light and your turnover quick- you were faster and you weren't stomping/slapping the ground when you ran. Maybe it was because you were more self-aware that you were running over hard surfaces, you could feel every stone and every crack, that you ended up changing your gait and your knee and hip alignment and you got less injured. These were all the reasons presented in these few pilot studies suggesting the benefits of switching to barefoot.

But new evidence is coming out that contradicts everything. Injury rates didn't fall, and in a lot of cases, they increased. New studies show that VO2 fell when going barefoot, and efficiency went down with it. Even the Kenyan foot strike data was disputed. And more science about the rearfoot strike being more economical at submax speeds has come out contradictory to the idea that barefoot is more efficient in terms of running.

After such a HUGE increase in the barefoot movement at the start of the decade, it seems to have come crashing down. But why? Most people who aren't in the know don't read all the scientific literature to see why it was or wasn't such a great idea. If I could hazard a guess as to why minimalism has slowed so much, it would be because of a lack of knowledge. People just jump head first into these things without ever knowing the how-to's and why's of the situation. People get injured and don't know why, when these shoes and the whole minimalist ideals are supposed to prevent injury.

The main thing that people don't realize is that barefoot running takes a long time to transition to. A long time. Especially if you've been running in big motion control and guidance shoes for so long. This is one of those things where you run maybe once or twice a week for 15 minutes at a time just to get used to it. You work your way up, GRADUALLY, to the point where you are able to run everyday barefoot or in your minimalist shoes, then you start ramping up your mileage in your minimalist shoes. Too often have I come across a poor soul that has destroyed their achilles or knees or shins from thinking they can do the same workouts they had previously been doing whilst in standard runners, but now in their trendy new barefoot shoes. And one of the problems was that dealers were all too happy to sell them to an unaware customer without warning them of the potential dangers of transitioning too fast to barefoot.

Vibram revolutionized the running scene and took the community by storm but people never knew how to get the most out of them.

 Which brings me to another point. Motion control shoes and stability shoes exist for a reason. People, if you haven't noticed, are different. We all have different running forms, our foot falls all differ slightly, and we each have our own, individualized gait. You could have the strongest feet in the world, but if you overpronate or you run knocked knee, guess what? Barefoot shoes aren't going to change that- it is just how you run, it is what is most natural for you. You do it naturally because it is what works best for you, it may not be efficient for others, but it gets the job done for you pretty well.

Maybe this decrease of the barefoot/minimalist is a good thing (much to the chagrin of podiatrists everywhere). Maybe it gives everyone a chance to step back and re-assess the realities presented. Some people swear by it and have found huge success with it. Others have scoffed at barefoot running and called it nothing more than a passing fad. There still remain many benefits of trying barefoot once and a while- it does indeed help to strengthen your feet and will get your foot speed turning over quicker, both of which are useful for being the best runner you can be. It has also drastically changed the running shoe market today. Heel-to-toe drops in running shoes are disappearing. Consumers are calling for shoes that are lower to the ground but offer more padding and cushioning than a traditional minimal barefoot shoe. Barefoot running will always have a niche I think, and minimalist shoes are great tools for becoming a better runner but the go-to shoes now are going to be lightweight trainers. Shoes which offer more neutral, cushioned shoes that offer a higher performance ride like the Saucony Kinvara and Virrata, the Brooks Pure Project, the "Zero Drop" style shoes like the Altra Instinct, and the New Balance 1400 and 890.

Until next time!

It's the pits: On Anti-odor Garments

I've just had the pleasure of sitting through my first round of product-rep "displays"/ meetings. It's an odd thing to have all these sales people come into your business carrying racks of blue-bagged clothes and wheeled bags full of the new shoes that are coming out with. Sure, you get some free stuff here and there, it gives you the chance to try it out, and I will be writing about some of the coolest things that are coming out in the next little while. But you start to see come commonalities between the companies. One of the "neatest" is the new anti-odor clothing that they have all been working on. While each manufacturer has their own unique and special name for their technology, and it goes without saying that each maintains that their new product is the best, it seems that all the high-end garments are headed towards anti-odor fibers.

All the new high-end tech and performance gear is headed towards these anti-microbial and anti-odor garments. And they all seem to be using something of the same sort of material as well- a silver nano-particle weave. Silver's use as an anti-biotic dates back to the 19th century where it was used in many bandages and disinfectants before anti-biotics started gaining wide use. Silver dollars were dropped into milk bottles to prevent milk curdling before the pasteurization process was made common place. The same thought process is now being applied to create these new antimicrobial running garments.

First, a little background info on how silver may work against microbes. While silver's antimicrobial properties have been know for hundreds of years, we still don't know exactly how it works. Some of the proposed mechanism are that it can bind to thiol groups and inactivate certain enzymes by altering certain bond types within cell membranes. Changes in bonds can alter protein shape and ultimately alter their function, usually for to the determent of the microbe. Silver has also been hypothesized to alter the actual DNA of these microbial organisms by again altering bonding between the two strands of DNA.

Running garments make perfect mediums for bacterial growth; they are damp and warm. Bacteria thrive in such an environment and when they reproduce and colonize, they create metabolic by-products. And while some bacteria can smell nice, a lot smell musty or just downright awful. You'll know from opening up your compost bin and getting a nice face full of that smell. It isn't exactly the most pleasant smelling bucket int he world. What the silver weave does is prevent the growth of these odor-causing bacteria.

Previous incarnations of anti-bacterial/anti-odor garments focused mainly on anti-bacterial sprays. These "fumigated" shirts worked well... so long as you never washed them. The problem with these old technologies was that the anti-bacterial spray was completely gone in 10 washes. This new silver weave allows for longer shirt life and keeps you smelling great. And who likes to smell rank all the time anyway?

Said no one ever

Not only that, but some of the companies have even developed new anti-bacterial sprays that last longer. For instance, the New Balance rep came in and said that the new spray they were working with depleted to 80% efficacy after 10 washes but then after that the efficacy remained at around 80% for the rest of the garment's wearability. This represents a huge step forward to creating performance garments that you aren't afraid to wear to the gym or on group runs as well as on your own daily runs.

**Remember to always wash your workout gear with a sports-specific wash. This will preserve the efficacy of both the silver fibers and the spray treatment.**

There's a bunch of cool and exciting stuff coming out in the next little while. I'll be sure to keep you posted on all the newest developments and products as I get them. Team Runner's Mark Signing off!

What's The Deal with Protein

If you've frequented the gym any time in the past little while you'll have noticed, or perhaps heard, the little wire sphere bouncing around in plastic bottle, shook by "hardcore-look gym rats" (as is often the term muttered by some of the more slight runners I've bumped into at the gym). Amongst groups of these inverted triangles you may hear utterances of "whey", "casein", "alanine" or something along those lines. What does it all mean? And why should you care too?

Protein is an essential part of your diet. It is needed to keep your body functioning, be it from building and regenerating muscles, down to the intricate nature of how your body works- enzymes and cellular signaling functions. In terms of training and running, protein supplementation has been studied time and time again and proven effective when trying to build or maintain muscle strength and improve regeneration post exercise. Yet, what protein source is the best? When should you take it? Before you work out? During? After? When's the best time to take it? In today's blog we're going to look at some of the science behind protein supplementation.

The Basics

Protein- The basics

Proteins are chains of 20 (or 22 if you add the two additional created by genetic code) Amino Acids, 10 of which are considered essential to human adults. Essential Amino Acids (EAA) are ones that humans cannot create ourselves, we must take them in from external sources in order for us to be able to create some of our own enzymes and proteins. When our body is starved of proteins, we call this being in a state of negative nitrogen balance. Nitrogen Balance = Nitrogen intake - Nitrogen loss. Being in a negative nitrogen balance means you are losing more nitrogen through urea than you are taking in via diet. This creates a whole host of  problems, least of which includes muscle wasting and degradation.

Nitrogen Balance and Amino Acids- Phillips 2004- Nutrition

Thus, to build muscle we want muscle to be in positive energy balance- the reason why protein supplementation post exercise is so important. If you resistance train or work your muscles to the point of exhaustion (any kind of exercise really) you can go into negative protein balance. By eating food loaded with protein or supplementing with amino acids, you can decrease the breakdown of muscle protein and maintain a positive balance needed to gain muscle mass and maintain muscle growth- especially important for those shorter-end running events or recovering after long runs for distance athletes.

Protein Balance and degradation- Phillips 2004-Nutrition

But what's the optimal dose? How much protein supplement do I have to take to get the maximum effects? is it just the one scoop that they give me? or do I need two? What's the deal? Much research has shown that the perfect dose is right around 20g of protein post workout. You're more than welcome to take more, but the relationship between the fractional biosynthesis rate (FSR) and protein intake is asymptotic, not linear. This of course varies person to person based on individual physiology, but the fact remains that the process is saturable, there are only so many amino acid transporters that we have to be able to move amino acids into our body. 

The leveling off of Protein Synthesis Rate with increase supplementation- Moore 2009- Am J Clin Nutr.

So, if protein supplementation is good, all amino acids must be good right? Not so, Essential Amino Acids are just that, essential (Emphasis). 18g/day of EAA has the same benefits as taking 40g/day of whole source/mixed sources of amino acids. There seems to be something about EAA, specifically one in particular- Leucine, which is playing the role of muscle bio synthesis. 

So, you've looked around for the best source of protein but wait! You've hit a snag! You've come across sites that claim their protein source is the best! 

Whey- Milk derived protein source

"Why protein (the highest quality and the best form of protein) is incredible stuff. It provides the body with the necessary building blocks to produce amino acids that are used for building muscle tissue. Whoa! Nearly every bodybuilder know the importance of protein supplementation. Studies have been conducted that compare whey whey protein to other sources. They have found that whey protein contains the perfect combination of overall amino acid makeup... and in just the right concentrations for optimal performance in the body." ~bodybuilding.com/store/whey

Casein- Beef derived protein source

"Beef protein is specifically designed to allow the recycling of amino acids back toward the muscle-building pathway and prevents and prevents the build-up of debilitating toxic scavengers such as ammonia. This amazing product is the only protein with this technology that is capable of recycling aminos back into the anabolic muscle building pathways for increased nitrogen retention and improves muscle growth and performance." 

~fabmuscles.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=230

Two hilariously written product descriptions about two different protein sources. Odd that Soy protein didn't have such a hilariously macho write up...

Regardless of the hilarity of the body building sites, the question still remains, which protein source is the best? 

Whey vs Casein vs Soy

Most supplements on the market today are made of whey-derived sources of protein. Whey is considered a "fast" source of protein, casein a "slow" source, and soy falls somewhere in between as an intermediate source. Ingestion of whey, when compared to casein, results in rapid gastric emptying and quick amino acid spike within the blood (why it is referred to as a "fast" source- it is digested and enters the blood faster than casein). However, because it enters the blood so quickly, it also results in a larger insulin spike- likely due to the higher Leucine content in whey than in casein.

Whey Insulin Spike vs Soy & Casein In Blood- Tang et al 2009-J Appl Physiol

Leucine blood concentrations Whey vs Soy vs Casein- Tang at al 2009-J Appl Physiol

Each group was matched for essential amino acid content, 10g total, yet the big differences were because of Leucine content and the insulin spike. And while some may scoff at such a high insulin spike, challenging that it damages your body and increases your chance of type II diabetes, this suggest that the spike of insulin is required to increase biogenesis of the muscle.

But what about a functional measurement of muscle synthesis? Well, it would appear that Whey has the highest fractional synthesis rate of the three protein sources. 

FSR Whey vs Casein vs Soy- tang et al 2009-J appl Physiol 

*However, casein is called a slow reactor for a reason. The time scale of the previous data MAY have been to short and it didn't last long enough. Unlikely, but perhaps a flaw in the previous study to consider.*

Importance of Timing

So you've selected Whey protein as your choice for a recovery supplement. Now what? When should you take it in relation to working out for best results? Well, depending on the length of your planned workout, ingesting before may be more beneficial. Protein takes time to be broken down into usable amino acid fractions (~45min). By ingesting before your workout, you are "priming" the system and setting it up for immediate use post exercise. It may be worth splitting your 20g protein dose into two doses- 10g before and 10g after. Protein synthesis is still highest post meal/exercise, but you can prime the system to speed the process along.

Recommendations

So how much do we actually need? 

-Sedentary people need need about 0.8g/kg body weight/day of protein

-Strength athletes needs about 1.4  to 1.7g/kg body weight/day

-Endurance Athletes: 1.2-1.4g/kg body weight/day

Protein use can seriously improve performance because o the gains seen through faster recovery. It is important to keep this in mind while training and looking to get the most out of your athletic performance. 

Check out our the Runner's Mark website for more info and be sure to check out some of our protein supplements in our shop section.

Keep checking back for more running news and cool blogs!