Hi I was wandering if Speed Trainers and Jump Soles really worked in improving speed???..
Anyone out there got em…
Originally posted by RickyHatton
Hi I was wandering if Speed Trainers and Jump Soles really worked in improving speed???..Anyone out there got em…
What are speed trainners i have never heard of them, or jump soles.
Hey are you a fan of Ricky Hatton the boxer! if so i think he is good but Junior Witter will give him the fight of his life.
(I am a X boxer, but now i am a Track Athlete (my first love).
nope,spent your money on a consultation with charlie francis instead
We’ve been all over these things in the archives- bad news!!
Matt,
Thanks for the link:
http://www.sportsci.org/traintech/strengthshoes/fch.htm
Strength Shoes: Pain, No Gain?
FC Hatfield II
Affiliation: Fred Hatfield MS SSC (associate strength and conditioning coach), James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807.
Acknowledgments: Dave Gerrard (reviewer); Will Hopkins (statistics, editing); Gord Sleivert (reviewer).
Correspondence: drsquat=AT=drsquat.com (Fred Hatfield)
Summary. A recent study found similar small gains (~1%) in sprint and jump performance when previously untrained young men trained for 10 weeks in regular shoes or Strength Shoes. Injury rate was much higher with Strength Shoes, probably a result of the inappropriate training program prescribed by the manufacturer. An earlier study of more experienced athletes showed trends towards better performance and less injury with normal shoes. I therefore cannot recommend Strength Shoes.
Reviewers’ comments.
The Strength Shoe is a sneaker with an extra platform (see picture). The idea behind the design, according to the manufacturer, is to “cause the calf muscles to support 100% of the body weight. This overload works the calf muscles in addition to the Achilles tendon.” The manufacturer also makes the unsupported and untrue claim that “the Strength Shoe has been medically documented to be the most effective way to increase vertical jump and speed”.
A study of the effects of training with the shoe has been reported recently (Porcari et al., 1996). I summarize that study here, and deal briefly with an earlier study.
In the recent study, 72 college-age men not previously involved in athletics or fitness training were randomly assigned to three groups of 24: a control group who did no training, a control group who trained in regular shoes, and a group who trained in Strength Shoes. The training groups trained three times a week for 10 weeks. They followed identical programs prescribed by the manufacturer. All subjects were pre- and post-tested for 40-yard sprint, vertical jump, standing broad jump, and right and left calf girth.
There were two dropouts in the no-training group, eight in the regular-shoe group, and 10 in the Strength-Shoe group. Seven of the Strength-Shoe dropouts and one of the regular-shoe dropouts were due to injury that could be attributed to the training.
The changes in performance and calf girth are summarized in the table. Both training groups showed a tendency to improve their sprinting and jumping by 0.5-1.6%. The Strength-Shoe group tended to do better than the regular-shoe group in the sprint and vertical jump, while the trend was reversed for the broad jump. There was also a tendency for the Strength-Shoe group to develop bigger calf muscles. None of the differences between any of the three groups was statistically significant, so we can’t say whether any of the observed differences are likely to be true for athletes in general.
Percent changes in performance and calf girth of college-age men in three groups after a 10-week training program.
non-training
control
regular-shoe
training
Strength-Shoe
training
40-yard sprint
(mean ~5.0 s)
-0.8
0.6
1.2
vertical jump
(mean ~59 cm)
-1.7
0.5
1.6
broad jump
(mean ~2.45 m)
0.0
1.2
0.9
calf girth
(mean ~36 cm)
0.3
1.1
2.5
In their promotional literature, Strength Footwear Inc. claim that up to 0.2 seconds can be taken off the 40-yard time (about 4%), nine inches can be added to the vertical jump (about 40%), and calf girth can be increased by two inches (about 15%). These claims were clearly not supported in this study. In fact, any slight gain that might be possible with Strength Shoes would appear to be more than offset by the higher risk of injury.
One of the problems with this study is that the subjects were not trained athletes. It’s possible that athletes with well-conditioned muscles and joints would not get injured with Strength Shoes.
Another problem is that the training program might not have been optimal… It’s possible that some preparative weight training should have been included in the program. Another possibility is that the intensity was too high for untrained individuals (ballistic shock is not well tolerated by untrained muscles or connective tissue), and that the volume was too low. A better balance of intensity and volume might have increased the gains in both training groups and increased the gains in the Strength-Shoe group relative to the regular-shoe group.
A final problem is that the study did not have sufficient power to detect the small gains that are important to athletes. The differences between the groups in some of the tests was around 1%–often a winning margin–yet these were not statistically significant. (In fairness to the authors, there were more subjects in their study than is usual in studies of performance enhancement.)
There is only one other peer-reviewed report of the effects of training in Strength Shoes. Cook et al. (1993) randomized 12 intercollegiate track and field participants to a Strength-Shoe group and a normal-shoe group. After 8 weeks of a training program supplied by the manufacturer, the normal-shoe group showed a tendency to improve more than the Strength-Shoe group on all performance measures: 40-yard dash (8.3% vs 6.9%), vertical jump (9.2% vs 3.3%), strength (torque) at slow speed (16% vs 10%), and strength at fast speed (13% vs -5%). Only calf circumference tended to get bigger in the Strength-Shoe group (2.3% vs 0.2% in the normal group). Two of the six athletes in the Strength-Shoe group complained of anterior tibial pain, and one of them had to drop out of the study because of the pain. None of the normal-shoe group complained of pain or dropped out.
You should also check out an amusing, no-nonsense report of a less formal experiment with these shoes by seventh graders. It’s part of CBC Television’s award-winning Street Cents site. Their conclusion: borrow a book about training if you want the most cost-effective way to enhance your performance.
I have had considerable experience with Strength Shoes, and with training athletes using them. My impression up until now has been that these shoes might enhance performance of experienced athletes if they are used with the right kind of training program. But the research to date indicates that the right kind of training program might produce even better results with normal shoes. I cannot recommend Strength Shoes.
Hatfield, F.C. (1997). Strength Shoes: pain, no gain? http:// www.sportsci.org/traintech/strengthshoes/fch.htm Sportscience Training & Technology
Cook, S. D., Schultz, G., Omey, M. L., Wolfe, M. W., and Brunet, M. F. (1993). Development of lower leg strength and flexibility with the strength shoe. American Journal of Sports Medicine, 21: 445-448.
Porcari, J. P., Pethan, S. M., Ward, K., Fater, D., and Terry, L. (1996). Effects of training in strength shoes on 40-yard dash time, jumping ability, and calf girth. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 10, 120-123.
REVIEWERS’ COMMENTS
Dave Gerrard MBChB FACSP
Lecturer and Sports Physician, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ. email
I believe the injuries in the Strength-Shoe group could be attributed to the shoes primarily because:
Being forced to exercise on the toes (in continual plantar flexion) would increase the eccentric muscle activity in the posterior compartment, which could lead to stress in the calf-muscle and achilles tendon.
This position could also translate strain to the shin area and contribute to medial tibial stress syndrome (“shin splints”).
Exercising in this position (on toes) would decrease proprioceptive stimulus (because the whole foot would not be in contact with the ground) and this could lead to ankle injuries. I believe it would be an unstable position.
Gord Sleivert PhD
Lecturer and Coach, School of Physical Education, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ. website | email
…The nature of [the] plyometric and sprint training certainly would expose untrained subjects to a reasonably high [risk of] injury. I would have liked to see more discussion of the paper using the trained athletes… It is probably the more important of the two studies.
In addition, I disagree with the conclusion that the intensity was too high and volume too low. I believe that both volume and intensity were too high and the rest intervals were too short. The short rest intervals probably meant that subjects were performing the exercises in a fatigued state and would be more susceptible to injury (as well as less quality in their training).
In the beginning program, subjects were completing about 750 yards of sprint and jump work. Most plyometric experts recommend twice a week training, not three times a week
This is my recommended list of equipment for speed training:
sprint spikes
stop watch/timer
medicine ball
Listen to the voice of bad experience. Save the rest of your money for food and massage. Make your massage therapist rich, not charlatans hawking gadgets.
http://www.drsquat.com/index.cfm?action=viewarticle&articleID=76
Strength Shoes: The Current Bottom Line!
Frederick C. Hatfield II, MS, MFS, CSCS
In 1997 I presented a review on the use of Strength Shoes to sportsci.org which ultimately ended up being called, “Strength Shoes: Pain, No Gain?” (http://www.sportsci.org/traintech/strengthshoes/fch.htm). What followed was a long process of battling cranky science and the company who makes the shoe, Strength Systems, Inc. The result was another review documenting new evidence in support of the Strength Shoe. To this day, people are still talking about the shoe, that review and the studies using the shoe.
“Cranky scientists”? Scientists are indeed “cranky”, but they are so out of necessity. When they conduct research they have many controls to try to control plausible rival hypotheses. Good idea on the surface, but it doesn’t always work. Training is an integrated process that involves several factors. Many are often purposely eliminated in a research setting. In an athletic setting, a study on weight training and gains in mass and strength is going to be influenced by conditioning regimens, nutrition, supplementation and other external factors.
Another factor is the practice of looking at data without considering how it was collected. During the review process, methodology is scrutinized, so it shouldn’t be a source of concern. In the case of the strength shoe research studies, however, some were poorly designed. I summarized a 1996 study (Porcari et al, 1996) as follows:
"In the recent study, 72 college-age men not previously involved in athletics or fitness training were randomly assigned to three groups of 24: a control group who did no training, a control group who trained in regular shoes, and a group who trained in Strength Shoes. The training groups trained three times a week for 10 weeks. They followed identical programs prescribed by the manufacturer. All subjects were pre- and post-tested for 40-yard sprint, vertical jump, standing broad jump, and right and left calf girth.
"There were two dropouts in the no-training group, eight in the regular-shoe group, and 10 in the Strength-Shoe group. Seven of the Strength-Shoe dropouts and one of the regular-shoe dropouts were due to injury that could be attributed to the training.
“The changes in performance and calf girth are summarized in the table. Both training groups showed a tendency to improve their sprinting and jumping by 0.5-1.6%. The Strength-Shoe group tended to do better than the regular-shoe group in the sprint and vertical jump, while the trend was reversed for the broad jump. There was also a tendency for the Strength-Shoe group to develop bigger calf muscles. None of the differences between any of the three groups was statistically significant, so we can’t say whether any of the observed differences are likely to be true for athletes in general.”
Later in my review, it was written:
"You should also check out an amusing, no-nonsense report of a less formal experiment with these shoes by seventh graders. It’s part of CBC Television’s award-winning Street Cents site. Their conclusion: borrow a book about training if you want the most cost-effective way to enhance your performance.
I have had considerable experience with athletes using the Strength Shoes. My impression up until now has been that these shoes might enhance performance of experienced athletes if they are used with the right kind of training program. But the research to date indicates that the right kind of training program might produce even better results with normal shoes. I cannot recommend Strength Shoes."
With the exception of the sentence, “I have had considerable experience with athletes using the Strength Shoes,” none of these words are mine! The reviewer added the conclusions. At the time I knew nothing about an amusing, no-nonsense report. “My impression” still remains the same, which is that the strength shoe can indeed help enhance performance of experienced athletes when integrated with other training methods. Furthermore, I recommend Strength Shoes under the appropriate conditions.
Ads for the Strength Shoe have claimed that up to 0.2 seconds can be taken off the 40-yard time, nine inches can be added to the vertical jump, and calf girth can be increased by two inches. I don’t believe these results can be guaranteed, but I do believe that proper use of the shoes can indeed yield results that warrant their use. The strength shoe is just a tool in your overall training. Used exclusively, it won’t make you a great athlete. I can say the same thing for squats, sprints, agility drills or any other exercise. It is an integrated approach to training that brings about peak performance.
posted by charlie
We’ve been all over these things in the archives- bad news!!
I was re-reading the old archives and there seems to be some dissagreement on calf training. Oneside of the argument sites that ben had exceptional large calf. While on the other side charlie and others say that bens ankles were exceptional small? Aren’t most sprinters ankles small? They can wrap they hand around their ankle. Also how can you tell if bens ankles were any smaller then any other sprinters?
I would use strength shoes for a few weeks building ankle strength by doing march drills and other walking methods. Would I do jumps and sprints? No. I remember watching someone use it an tear there achilles tendon after his 10 x 100m sprints. The funny thing is after his surgery he bought the new pair that included the balance peg for “proprioception”.Insane.
I can no longer travell to the track and i want to run 6 days a weak, of which 3 will be speed days. i will have to run on hard ground, concrete, near where i live. My idea was to wear a simple (home-made) version of the strength shoe so that my heel will not have to touch the hard surface. Also, to slightly lessen the impact on the ball of my foot. I’m serious. Is this an o.k idea, given the circumstances, or is it insane?
It will be much much much harder on your heel if you do it with the strength shoes. Plus you’ll have .5 second ground contact times.
how will it be harder on my heels with strength shoe?
Where’s the link from the old forum? Pete?
One on Sprint training tools here mentions it: http://www.charliefrancis.com/board/philboard_read.asp?id=473
There’s another big thread but I’m hopeless at finding anything!
That’s the same one Jimbo. Is this one it?
http://www.charliefrancis.com/board/philboard_read.asp?id=200
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/message/21826
Originally posted by Goose2
how will it be harder on my heels with strength shoe?
If you can borrow from anybody who has them try to just run 20 meters at tempo speed and you’ll see.
I just had to mention this because I thought everyone would get a kick out of it. Yesterday at the track I saw a guy running around in those stupid strength shoes and he was even running over the hurdles in them. He obviously wasn’t a track athlete (especially from his hurdle technique), just some trainer that was told they would make him faster. I desparately wanted to tell him to chuck those things, but people generally don’t appreciate unsolicited training advice, especially when you tell them they’ve wasted a lot of money.
The links to the archives about strength shoes are not working. Anyone?
Or shall we start a new thread perhaps summarizing the main points and commenting on past experiences?
What I have concluded…
1-the research done shows no significant difference in perfomance by those using the shoes
2-if there is a slight difference it is at the expense of higher chance of injury
Reason for likelyhood of injury...
1-too much stress/overload on the achilles tendon
2-too much stress on the tibial something another (gotta take a look at my anatomy book) causing shin splits
Please feel free to add to this.