---
title: "Study suggests minimalist running shoes improve running economy"
published: 2016-02-01
updated: 2026-08-04
category: "Ciencia"
source: "https://dev-abp.massivoai.com/en/articles/estudio-sugiere-que-tenis-minimalistas-mejoran-economia-de-carrera"
---

# Study suggests minimalist running shoes improve running economy

**A study published last month in the Journal of Sports Sciences suggests that running in minimalist shoes improves performance by enhancing running economy.**

Minimalist shoes have been the subject of major debates in recent years within the running community worldwide. There is much said both in favor of and against them. Minimalist shoes are those that interfere as little as possible with the natural movement of the foot, mimicking as closely as possible the experience of running barefoot. They achieve this through a lighter design, reducing the thickness of the sole and the midsole and eliminating technologies aimed at reducing impact and stability.

In[this study,](http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2015.1136071)26 athletes tested running in both regular and minimalist shoes. When they wore minimalist shoes, the runners achieved a better time in a 5k test and were more economical while running (that is, they required less energy to run at a certain speed compared to when they ran in regular shoes).

The researchers considered that the (light) weight of minimalist shoes was the most relevant factor for the improvement in running economy. The athletes also reduced their stride length and increased their stride frequency (both factors associated with a lower injury rate).

Although the results of this study might invite more than one person to switch once and for all to the minimalist trend, it should be taken with caution. Other studies have found that people who switch to minimalism get injured two or three times more than those who continue running in their traditional shoes. More studies contradict this, and so the eternal debate goes on...

If you are interested in jumping into the world of minimalist shoes, our recommendation would be to make the transition slowly. It makes sense, as this study suggests, that minimalist shoes improve performance in short races like 5k, since they weigh less than traditional shoes and therefore require less energy to run and achieve good times. In fact, the performance-focused line of major brands is characterized by shoes as light as a feather.

But it would be for the specific purpose of gaining a few seconds in short races. The issue of injuries, stride pattern, and long-term benefits or drawbacks is still up for much debate between minimalists and traditionalists.

A Buen Paso uses [Massivo](https://massivoai.com), the event-registration platform that powers this article.