Reshod Walking Shoes

Reshod walking shoes are custom-built walking shoes featuring a patented rocker sole. The rocker sole enhances the natural walking motion of rolling through a step from heel to toe. While most shoes allow this natural motion by bending under the ball of the foot, the Reshod sole is shaped to act as a fulcrum in producing the roll-through motion. As a result, your natural walking motion is enhanced. This can enable walkers to walk faster as the use of proper foot motion is enforced by the rocker sole.

Each pair of Reshod walking shoes is custom built from shoes you provide. The original sole is removed by a professional cobbler and replaced with the patented rocker sole. The advantage of this process is that you can reuse uppers that are still in good condition once the original soles are worn. In my case, I have a favorite model of shoe with an upper that fits well. I provided a new pair to become a Reshod walking shoe, assured that I would get a pair of shoes that fit well.

The process takes the cobbler four to five hours per pair of shoes, and he groups them into production runs once a month. The turn-around time depends on when he receives the shoes, but may be 15 days plus shipping time.

Reshod is the project of racewalker Carmen Jackinsky. She has always experimented in modifying her shoes for performance. But she has many years of professional experience in the athletic shoe industry, including running the fit and wear testing department of the shoe development team of a major athletic shoe company.

The patented Reshod rocker sole is about the same weight and height as soles commonly found on motion control or stability running shoes. I found this to be a big advantage over the heavy and thick rocker soles found on the MBT Swiss Masai shoes, for example. I can wear the Reshod shoes and not feel my feet weighted down.

The rocker sole creates a teeter-totter effect with each step. The low firm heel helps make a stable foot plant, then the midsole pivots the foot onto the toe for a powerful toe-off. With a regular athletic shoe sole, the shoe bends to allow the toe-off, which can create friction and pressure on the bunion area. Stiff walking shoes don't bend, but also don't pivot to allow a toe-off, leading to flat-footed walking. The rocker sole enforces a proper walking motion of heel plant, roll-through, and toe-off. Walkers should be able to increase their walking efficiency and speed with a rocker sole.

Because the sole enforces a roll-through step and has a low heel, you notice a difference in how you use your muscles. If your walking motion has been a lazy flat-footed stride, you will need time to get used to rolling through a step and using your calf and buttock muscles with each step. It takes a few walking sessions to train these muscles and build up your time in using the shoes.

I looked forward to trying Reshod walking shoes because I am very sensitive to pressure over the bunion area and very particular about the shoe uppers I can wear. I provided a pair of New Balance 825 shoes to Carmen and got my Reshod shoes back a couple of weeks later. The fit was as comfortable as the original shoes and the weight was very similar. As I prefer lightweight walking shoes, that was very important to me.

Walking in the shoes, I could feel the difference in the way my calf and leg muscles were working, especially on both uphill and downhill inclines. But my feet were comfortable at all times and didn't fight the shoes or have any areas of unusual pressure. My walking pattern has gotten lazy and flat-footed, and I could tell that the shoes were shifting me back to the proper roll-through from heel plant to toe-off.

I wore the shoes only for short walks at first, to allow my calf and leg muscles to adjust to the new demands. But I worked my way up to six mile walks and appreciated the difference that the shoes made. I haven't begun to train for speed yet this season, but Reshod shoes are highly praised by racewalking friends. The rocker motion can add power and speed to your stride.

While Carmen originally developed shoes for walking fast and racewalking, the Reshod sole is appropriate for any fitness walker who wants to walk properly and efficiently. The sole may help you to improve your speed by enforcing proper walking foot motion. You will feel the difference in the training effect on your leg muscles. I look forward to further distance and speed training with the Reshod walking shoes.