The Art and Science of Running

Episode 16: Max Paquette, Injury Prevention, Strength Training, Footwear, Aging, Adapting & Quantifying Training, etc.


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Guest Bio



In this episode of the Art and Science of Running podcast, we speak with Max Paquette, Ph.D. about injury prevention, strength training, footwear, aging, adapting and quantifying training. Max is an accomplished runner as well as associate professor in the School of Health Studies at the University of Memphis, director of the Musculoskeletal Analysis Laboratory, and biomechanist within the Human Performance Center.



Max was a national level steeplechaser and coach in Canada as he studied and became an expert in the fields of biomechanics and injury prevention.



We follow Max on Twitter @BiomechMax and reached out to him after he tweeted:




New coaches, if runners ask you to coach them, ask one question before agreeing: "Do you own Nike whatever%?". If the answer is yes, turn them down.If the answer is no, take them on and demand that they wear them for racing. You'll look like a genius coach on paper.— Max Paquette (@BiomechMax) December 16, 2019




Max and Jacob discuss Max’s tweet and why it was both comical and controversial.



As we have discussed in a number of previous episodes (four, nine, fourteen, fifteen), we start with the fact that the Nike “whatever percents” have been proven to increase running economy.



The findings are clear. These shoes work and if you want to run faster you should use them.Max Paquette



Read the original research: “The Biomechanics of Competitive Male Runners in Three Marathon Racing Shoes: A Randomized Crossover Study.” Wouter Hoogkamer, Shalaya Kipp, Rodger Kram



Footwear & Injury Prevention



One of the most commonly asked questions about the Vaporflies is, “Do they reduce the risk of injury?” or “Do they increase the risk of injury?”



We discuss this anecdotally a bit in Episode 15 with Geoff Burns, but we also wanted to ask Max given his expertise in injury prevention.



There have really been no studies on shoes and running injuries. It’s really hard to tease out the single variable of shoes.Max Paquette



There is a difference between “risk” and a definitive “cause” of injury.



Max has discussed this topic in other spaces as well:
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