RUNNING SHOES
How to Select the Right Running Shoes for You
Looking for the best running shoes? You’re not alone. Runners everywhere ask the same questions: Should my shoes be heavy or light? Do I need thin soles or thick cushioning?
Questions about running shoes and which ones are the best for running arise very often at our seminars and clinics, and in course discussions. It is really not that easy for many people to make a correct and informed choice in an ocean of information coming from the shoemaking industry catalogs, ads, and press. The abundance of different designs, all appealing, makes the actual choice an almost unbearable suffering. While colors and styles should always remain personal preference, the design — and most importantly the sole of the shoe — is what really makes the difference and should be understood very well.Here’s the truth: the shoe isn’t the main factor — your technique is. Shoes matter only when they support correct running mechanics. That’s why Pose Method® focuses on how you move first, and then guides you toward shoe choices that let that technique shine.
👉 Want a step-by-step guide to running technique? Start with our Learn How to Run course.
Updated September 2025 with the latest insights on running shoes, while featuring original 2016 video.
Should Running Shoes Be Heavy or Light?
Running shoes should be lightweight – ideally under 10-11 ounces. Heavy shoes change your foot’s path, slow your stride, and disrupt your natural timing.
However, weight alone won’t prevent injuries or improve performance. If your technique is off, even the lightest shoes won’t help. In fact, with correct running mechanics, lightweight shoes simply support what your body is already doing well.
→ Discover how to run light – with or without “light” shoes – in our Pose Running course.
Thin Sole vs. Thick Sole Running Shoes
Thin soles allow you to feel the ground and react faster. By contrast, thick soles (and oversized cushioning) dull sensory feedback, delay support timing, and interfere with proper foot placement in addition to creating unstable support landing.
Pose Method® teaches landing on the ball of the foot and pulling under your body. A thick heel makes this nearly impossible. That’s why thin, flexible soles work best – but only if you pair them with proper mechanics.
What Kind of Running Shoes Prevent Injuries?
This is one of the most common and important questions we hear. The honest answer: no shoe by itself can prevent injuries.
Shoe companies design models with more cushioning, stability, or motion control — but research shows these features don’t consistently reduce injury risk.
Instead, what does make the difference is running technique. With poor technique, even expensive shoes can’t protect you. On the other hand, with good technique, almost any simple, lightweight shoe will support safe running.
SPORTS EDUCATION FOR EVERYONE
Most runners try to “train more.” We teach you to move better. Running is a skill-based sport, so the key to improvement is in working on your running skill, i.e. your technique or how you run.
Running Shoe Advice (Pose Method® Perspective)
What kind of shoes are better for running? Training? Racing?
Dr. Romanov recommends lightweight shoes with thin soles that you feel comfortable in. Comfort matters – don’t ignore how you feel in the shoe. But there’s a deeper philosophy behind this advice, rooted in biomechanics and decades of coaching:
1. Your Running Shoes Must Be Light
So light that their weight doesn’t break the natural feeling of your foot as part of your leg. Psychologically, the foot should feel like a seamless extension of the leg. Biomechanically, heavy shoes alter how the foot moves through space and time – its speed, acceleration, and trajectory can all be disrupted.
While heavy shoes can occasionally be used for strength development, they should never be worn permanently. Thanks to modern materials, there’s no excuse to run in shoes heavier than 10–11 oz.
👉 Rule of thumb: if your shoe feels heavy in your hand, it will feel even heavier in your stride.
2. Your Running Shoes Need Thin Soles
Running shoes should have thinner soles than walking shoes, with minimal or no cushioning. This matters for several reasons:
- Ground feel & timing: Thin soles sharpen your sensory connection with the ground. Thick soles dull it, delaying neuromuscular response. At running speeds, every hundredth of a second counts – elite runners spend just 0.15–0.20 seconds on the ground per step. Extra cushioning increases support time, disrupts timing, and adds stress to joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.
- Stability & alignment: Excessive cushioning and thick soles exaggerate pronation or supination, making pre-existing imbalances worse. Decades of research have not shown cushioning or “motion control” shoes to reduce injuries. What matters is how you run, not what padding is under your foot.
- Pose Method® landing: In Pose Running, you land on the ball of the foot, not the heel. A thick-heeled shoe doesn’t make sense – it blocks natural heel freedom, restricts ankle mobility, and reduces the calf’s elastic stretch-reflex effect.
Comfort & Practical Choices
While biomechanics set the principles, comfort is non-negotiable. Choose shoes that feel natural, not forced. Some lightweight racing flats meet Pose Method® requirements and can be excellent for training and racing alike.
✅ Pose Method® Running Shoe Advice (Simplified):
- Lightweight (under 10–11 oz)
- Thin, flexible sole with minimal cushioning
- Low heel-to-toe drop if any
- Comfort you can trust — the shoe should “disappear” on your foot
Editor’s Note:
Dr. Romanov had maintained his opinion about running shoes for decades when first cushioned and otherwise modified running shoes started appearing on the market. While he based his point of view on his experience and common sense, there were no studies at the time to support his opinion. Below is a brief list of some of the recent studies that provide support for Dr. Romanov’s point of view on running and athletic shoes and their effect on technique and related injuries.
- Fuss FK, Scharl T, Nagengast N. A new method and set of parameters for evaluating the cushioning effect of shoe heels, revealing the inadvertent design of running shoes. Bioengineering (Basel). 2025;12(5):467. doi:10.3390/bioengineering12050467
- Vincent HK, Coffey K, Villasuso A, et al. Accuracy of self-reported foot strike pattern detection among endurance runners. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. 2024; (Article 1491486). doi:10.3389/fspor.2024.1491486
- Wang, I. L., Graham, R. B., Bourdon, E. J. P., Chen, Y. M., Gu, C. Y., & Wang, L. I. (2020). Biomechanical Analysis of Running Foot Strike in Shoes of Different Mass. Journal of sports science & medicine, 19(1), 130–137. PMCID: PMC7039018
- Kulmala J-P, Kosonen J, Nurminen J, Avela J. Running in highly cushioned shoes increases leg stiffness and amplifies impact loading. Scientific Reports. 2018;8:17496. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-35980-6.
- Mercer, M. A., Stone, T. M., Young, J. C., & Mercer, J. A. (2018). Running Economy While Running in Shoes Categorized as Maximal Cushioning. International journal of exercise science, 11(2), 1031–1040. https://doi.org/10.70252/HFJZ5821
- Rice HM, Jamison ST, Davis IS. Footwear Matters: Influence of Footwear and Foot Strike on Load Rates during Running. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 Dec;48(12):2462-2468. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000001030
- Fredericks W, Swank S, Teisberg M, Hampton B, Ridpath L, Hanna JB. Lower Extremity Biomechanical Relationships with Different Speeds in Traditional, Minimalist, and Barefoot Footwear. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2015;14(2):276-283. PMCID: PMC4424455
- Boyer ER, Rooney BD, Derrick TR. Rearfoot and midfoot or forefoot impacts in habitually shod runners. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2014 Jul;46(7):1384-91. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000234
- Shih Y, Lin KL, Shiang TY. Is the foot striking pattern more important than barefoot or shod conditions in running? Gait Posture. 2013 Jul;38(3):490-4. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.01.030. Epub 2013 Mar 16.
- Squadrone R, Rodano R, Hamill J, Preatoni E. Acute effect of different minimalist shoes on foot strike pattern and kinematics in rearfoot strikers during running. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(11):1196-204. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2014.989534. Epub 2014 Dec 20.
- Gillinov SM, Laux S, Kuivila T, Hass D, Joy SM. Effect of Minimalist Footwear on Running Efficiency: A Randomized Crossover Trial. Sports Health. 2015 May;7(3):256-60. doi: 10.1177/1941738115571093.
- Shih Y, Lin KL, Shiang TY. Is the foot striking pattern more important than barefoot or shod conditions in running? Gait Posture. 2013;38(3):490–494. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2013.01.030
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Pose Method® of Running: A Master Course on Running is approved for 20 contact hours towards continuing education for Certified CrossFit Trainers, Board Certified Athletic Trainers and Physical Therapists.
