gender specific running shoes (Read 99 times)

I was checking out the Altra site & saw that their shoes are  gender specific.  anyone know about the general differences between men & women  feet?  Are their other running shoes other than Altra that have gender specific shoes?

Last I checked, all makes & models of running shoes, like all makes & models of every other shoe, come in mens & women's versions. I had no idea what the difference was; now I do thanks to the google (which disagrees with the above statement that there is no difference). But if the shoe fits, wear it.

I had a pair of Brooks Ghost that were "womens". I believe the only difference was the colorways.

It's difficult to do regarding manufacturing, but one difference that should be addressed is the amount of cushioning needed between different sizes. Someone wearing a small shoe, man or woman, is likely much lighter than someone wearing a large shoe. Yet, the shoes are made with exactly the same midsole material, often the same thickness. I was looking at a size 14 shoe in a store once, and was intrigued by how thin the midsole was, so I compared it to a size 7 of the same shoe and they had about the same thickness.

Some companies will use a different last (mold of a foot) for women's and men's shoes. I think you could find out online. Foot size varies, and I know a few women who buy men's shoes because they fit them better.

In the end, if the shoe fits, wear it.

I've been mulling over a device to measure relative "cushion" as well as "responsiveness" between shoes. We are all at the mercy of the manufacturer's descriptions of their shoes, as well as reviews by other people who may or may not be the same size/weight as us (however, I've found Ginger Runner's reviews and observations to be pretty close to mine, so I trust them).

If a company describes their shoes as "moderately cushioned with good responsiveness", what does that MEAN without some sort of empirical evidence?

I'm thinking of making a device that would more or less mimic the arc of the lower leg upon impact while running, with a set amount of weight on a metal arm and a heel-sized rounded end that would be in the shoe. a micrometer that would be set to zero when the shoe is barely making contact with the bottom plate of the device, and then raise the arm to a set and repeatable distance and let it drop, measuring the distance it travels past zero (the "cushion") and the amount it rebounds before falling again (the "responsiveness"). The device could be made to measure both the heel, ball, and combined impacts. Although it may not be accurate for all runners regarding force of impact, it would be the same to ITSELF, and rates of "cushion" and "responsiveness" could be compared between different models or even sizes of shoes.

I think manufacturers all have their own testing equipment, but unless they are all using a standardized piece of equipment, their numbers are meaningless. If they all used the same machine, it would be relevant. Stack height is not a reliable indicator of cushion. For instance, the Hoka Bondi with a stack height of 37mm does not feel as cushioned as Skechers GoRun5 with 22mm to me. And the Saucony Freedom feels really soft in the store but only has 23mm (I haven't run in them).

Mens and women's shoes are made on / from gender specific lasts which makes them gender specific

Gumbee: talked with a good friend who I consider an expert since he is highly intelligent & has worked in footware for many years in different capacities & he basically told me what you just said.

Altra gives a lot of attention on their website about how they do have gender specific lasts. After doing a bit more research I found that  In general women do have narrower heels, higher arches & higher insteps than men. I have a good running friend who wears Kayano's in men's size 9 1/2.  She is barely 5' but very muscular.  I know a small % of women wear men's shoes & small % of men (Hey Phidippides what's up?) wear women's shoes.  Bottom line is " if the shoe fits wear it "

I am interested because I get asked running shoe questions by people I know &  working at an outdoor equipment store that sells footware it sometimes comes up too.   I got a question into Brooks about the new Adrenelines & posed the question of gender specific shoes/lasts.  They have always been excellent at responding quickly.  Will do further research.

And I believe only a few companies use multiple true lasts for different sizes; most are just mechanically scaled up/down proportionately from the main last, Men's 9 or Women's 7.

so I have submitted queires into 3 different running shoe companies about this.  so far one  has responded & only talked about the size (1-2 size differences depending on shoe model & individual person) & width.  The questions I posed was about the shape of last, instep, & arch differences.  I already know about the size/width differences.

thanks Kkittankat !    although very brief that is the best article seen so far & first to mention Q-angle.  A friend  mentioned to me about the Q-angle of women's  shoe lasts & its importance  because of women having wider hips.    not sure of how many companies actually go through the work/expense of developing this in women's shoes or just stick with "shrink it or pink it"