One might intuit that running barefoot would exact a lower energetic cost than running in shoes since shoes add mass to the foot. Although this is true for typical weight running shoes, lightweight cushioned shoes and barefoot have been shown to have similar costs. Other studies have indicated that there is an energetic cost of cushioning in running. Thus, the cost of barefoot running may reflect the combined effects of a decrease due to lower mass and an increase due to greater muscle actions for cushioning. We hypothesized that running barefoot on a cushioned surface would minimize both the mass cost and the cushioning cost. PURPOSE: To quantify the separate effects of shoe mass and cushioning on the energetic cost of running. METHODS: 12 male experienced barefoot runners ran at 3.35 m/s with a mid-foot strike pattern. Subjects ran both barefoot and in ultra-light cushioned racing shoes (~150 g /shoe) on a treadmill with a rigid deck and barefoot on the same treadmill equipped with a cushioned belt made with foam slats. In additional trials, small lead weights were added to the feet/shoes (~150, ~300, ~450 g). We measured the subjects‟ rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to quantify energetic cost. RESULTS: The mass effect was similar for all footwear conditions: approximately 1% increase in oxygen consumption per 100 g of mass added to each foot. The energetic costs of running barefoot with and without the treadmill surface cushioning were not different (p=0.52). Contrary to our hypothesis, running in ultra-light cushioned racing shoes had the lowest energetic cost: 3.4% less than the weight-matched barefoot condition (p=.02). There was no significant difference between the energetic cost of running barefoot with no added mass and shod with the ~150 g running shoe. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that when mass is controlled for, cushioned shoes provide an energetic advantage over running barefoot.
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机译：人们可能会认为，赤脚跑步比穿鞋要低得多的能量消耗，因为鞋子会增加脚的质量。尽管对于典型的轻便跑鞋来说确实如此，但轻便的缓冲鞋和赤脚已被证明具有相似的成本。其他研究表明，在跑步中缓冲会产生巨大的成本。因此，赤脚跑步的成本可以反映出由于较低的质量而导致的减少和由于用于缓冲的更大的肌肉动作而导致的增加的综合效果。我们假设赤脚在有缓冲的表面上跑步将使整体成本和缓冲成本最小化。目的：量化鞋子质量和缓冲对跑步的精力成本的单独影响。方法：12名有经验的男性赤脚跑步者以3.35 m / s的速度跑动，脚部有中脚跳动。受试者在具有刚性平台的跑步机上赤脚和超轻减震赛车鞋（约150 g /鞋）跑步，在同一台跑步机上赤脚跑步，该跑步机配备了由泡沫板条制成的减震带。在其他试验中，将较小的铅重添加到脚/鞋中（〜150，〜300，〜450 g）。我们测量了受试者的耗氧量和二氧化碳产生量，以量化能量消耗。结果：在所有鞋类条件下，质量效应都是相似的：每增加100克质量，每只脚的耗氧量增加约1％。在有和没有跑步机表面缓冲的情况下赤脚跑步的能量消耗没有差异（p = 0.52）。与我们的假设相反，穿着超轻型缓震赛车鞋的能量消耗最低：比重量匹配的赤脚状态低3.4％（p = .02）。在没有增加重量的情况下赤脚跑步的能量成本与约150 g的跑鞋的磨损之间没有显着差异。结论：我们的研究结果表明，控制体重时，与赤脚跑步相比，软垫鞋具有更大的优势。
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