There are few people more ill-suited for minimalist athletic shoes than I am. In fact, I couldn?t run more than three miles without severe knee and shin pain before I discovered the Saucony Hurricane, the only motion-control shoe that can stop my feet from turning outward when I run.But, all my workout buds have minimalist footwear. And, yes, I?ve read ?Born to Run? and ?Chi Running? ? the minimalist runner?s gospels. So I decided to give it a try with the Saucony Hattori.
At 4.4 ounces, the Hattori is little more than a piece of treaded foam with some thin fabric on top. But the first thing you?ll notice about it is comfort. It molds to your foot. Also, while you?ll quickly be identified as a true fitness geek by anyone who knows running shoes, you won?t be instantly shunned as a freak in the way that the wiggly-toe Five Fingers wearers are.
During the minimalist revolution, there are a whole lot of people who strapped on shoes like the Hattori, took off for an ?easy? 5k run, and came up injured because suddenly all the padded sole that protected their joints and arches was gone. So that?s exactly what I didn?t do. Instead, I walked around in them for a few days ? at work, through my neighborhood, just like normal shoes ? and got used to them.
After a couple days and maybe eight miles of walking, I did Crossfit in them (think: high-intensity circuit training with a lot of free weights and calisthenics). Because they?re so thin, there?s a much more efficient power transfer for doing things like dead lifts, or even air squats. And, because your shock absorbers are gone, you?ll pay extra attention to your form when doing box jumps. After all, if you come down hard on a minimalist shoe, it?ll jar your whole body. Goodbye slop, hello control.
I should also mention that this is my favorite jump-rope shoe of all time. Not only are they light, but that extra clearance you gain with the slim soles makes it easy.
After about two weeks of walking around and doing Crossfit in my Hattoris, I tried running in them. It was a short run (a 400-meter warm-up), but I was thrilled with them. Again, if your form is bad, you?ll quickly feel it, so it?s actually very difficult to run poorly in Hattoris, unless you?re a masochist. Like with jumping rope, I was very light on my feet, and had silent, efficient footfalls.
I really don?t see myself running hard or long in Hattoris for quite some time, but I think it?s possible if I?m patient. Meanwhile, because of the efficiency and control that I?ve gained in the gym, the Hattori is easily my favorite cross-training shoe of all time.
-- Bryan Harris, Everyday Health SEO Editor
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