The Monday Shakeout: The Challenges of Zero Drop Trail Shoes
By Matthew Klein
In this week's Monday Shakeout, Matt discusses a highly specific type of shoe and the unique challenges that lay with it. A great read for any runner as Matt touches on the impacts of both zero drop shoes and multi-terrain running.
Although my body does not always agree with them, I really enjoy low and zero-drop shoes. While continuing to work on my own calf strength, I have always had challenges with ankle mobility and calf muscle flexibility. These challenges make extensive time running in low/zero drop shoes difficult. The recent trends of rocker geometries have helped me spend more time in low-drop and zero-drop road shoes, but low and zero-drop trail shoes have still been challenging.
How Body is Challenged Differently by Trail Running
Trail running is distinctly different from road running due to the varied terrain, surfaces, obstacles and climbs. There is often much more elevation gain/loss in trail running due to frequent/longer climbs and descents. Road running is often (but not always) less vertically challenged. Any climbs are also less steep, whereas trail running can sometimes feel like trail climbing depending on where you are.
From a biomechanical standpoint, the steeper a hill, the more ankle dorsiflexion mobility is required. Most people will often land on the front of their foot and their heel will drop below the level of their toes. Essentially, almost every step climbing these steeper hills can feel like a calf raise off a step due to the depth of motion that occurs. This may be difficult not only for those with ankle or calf mobility/flexibility deficits but also those with calf strength deficits. Although the hip extensors (glutes/hamstring/adductor magnus) are primary movers going uphill, the knee extensors (quads) and calf muscles contribute a great deal. If the calf muscles do not have the adequate range of motion required, an isometric contraction is required at each foot step at whatever the available range is, often leaving the heel off the ground. This can induce more muscular effort from the calf muscles to maintain the joint in a stable position with only the forefoot in contact with the ground while dealing with the forces being generated from above. For those who do have the mobility, the calf muscles produce their greatest forces (torque is how we often measure it) in greater degrees of dorsiflexion. So going uphill requires the calf muscles to work their hardest because of the range of motion they go into.
Impact of Shoe Drop on the Trails
While a shoe with a normal heel drop (difference in height between the heel and forefoot) of 8-10mm may take some pressure off the calf muscles because they don't have to go into as a deep a range, zero and low drop shoes do not provide this offloading. A zero-drop trail shoe will require the calf muscles and ankles to go through their greatest motions to achieve uphill locomotion. In other words, zero-drop trail shoes will require the runner to have greater amounts of ankle/calf motion and greater amounts of calf strength from the user. This is unique from road running as going up steep climbs is less common and one reason that appropriate ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and calf strength is already important, but becomes more important with certain types of footwear on the trail.
For the above reasons, anyone wanting to use a zero or low-drop trail shoe should spend additional time working on ankle dorsiflexion range of motion and end-range calf strength (into dorsiflexion). The greater ranges of dorsiflexion the ankle/calf muscles go into, the greater amount of force (torque) they need to provide. This could be problematic if an individual does not have the range, force production capacity (strength) or a combination of the two. Thus, even if you are comfortable wearing zero or low drop trail shoes, additional time should be spent making sure your ankles have mobility in the appropriate direction(s) and you spend time working on end range ankle strength. Given the recent suggestions that once someone has healed, training people in end range positions where they often get hurt when not prepared can reduce their injury risk when appropriately prepared.
Exercise ideas for the above scenario regarding going uphill include weighted calf raises on a step (heel can drop below the step), ankle dorsiflexion mobility and eccentric calf exercises. The eccentric component in an exercise can improve range of motion and provide a strength stimulus at the same time. Therefore, it may be a great idea to combine them for this situation. This can take a minimum of 6-8 weeks to making a lasting impact (assuming you are healthy) and must be continued to maintain it. So if you haven't started strength work and you run trails, now might be a good time.
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