Ask The Coach : Do Heavy Runners Really Have To Stick To Heavily Cushioned Shoes?

Coach Jojo “Jomac” Macalintal is the Head Coach of TriMac Coaching and has been doing marathons, triathlons and cycling races for over 15 years. Today he remains a consistent medalist in his respective age category in local triathlons and duathlons. He is a certified level 2 triathlon coach by the INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON UNION (ITU). Coach Jomac is also a certified level 1 spinning instructor for MADD DOGG ATHLETICS as well as a certified trainer for TRX SUSPENSION TRAINING SYSTEM. To top it off, he’s also the running consultant and an official endorser of ADIDAS PHILIPPINES.

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For big guys, finding the right shoe can sometimes get really tricky. Is being big synonymous with using motion controls and other shoes that has a lot of cushioning? Can they use racing flats? That’s the question our email sender Perf asked our SBR.ph in-house coach. Find out what Coach Jomac has to say.

From Perf:

I’m a big guy who enjoys playing in a little man’s sport. I weigh in the vicinity of 260-270 pounds and I find that buying shoes is a little challenging. I have 2 high mileage cushioning shoes but I never really enjoyed running on them because they are clunky. I always end up using my precision 9 (which the guy in the store was very hesitant and tried to discourage me from buying). I recently tried on a pair of brooks green silence and I kind of liked it. I held off in buying the pair because I understand that these are racing flats. Do heavy runners really have to stick to heavily cushioned shoes? By the way, I have normal arches and I think that I’m a suppinator because my shoes are worn down on the outside part of the sole. Thanks!

From Coach Jomac:

Hi!

Big guys don’t have to stick to cushioning shoes only. I always choose shoes based on comfort and function. If you find your previous cushioning pairs to be “too clunky,” you can try some very lightweight cushioning shoes like the Adidas Supernova.

Racing flats are fine, if you like how they feel. But of course, they are intended for racing/ short workouts, and wear out much quicker than your regular training shoes. You can try Adidas Adizero Tempo, which is very lightweight, like a racing flat, but has the added cushioning of a training shoe.

Good luck!

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