Community Corner

What to Consider When Buying Athletic Shoes

Jack Grella, a salesman at Athletic Shoe Factory, 3 Forest St., has some pointers on picking footwear for when you're running or playing a sport.

Grella, a Fairfield resident who normally works at the Athletic Shoe Factory at 2475 Black Rock Tpk. In Fairfield, had more to say about minimalist sneakers than we could fit in the video:

With minimalist shoes, you tend to run more on your toes than on your heels and then toes as you stride in a run.

That kind of stride puts more of the impact on your calves and quad muscles  rather than on your knees and back, he said.

"So you grow the muscles (on calves and quads)," he said, and you protect your knees and back from possible injuries. The book "born to Run," (by Christopher McDougall, published in 2009) started the popularity of minimalist running shoes, Grella said.


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