A little history. Before the minimalist movement, most running shoes gave you an offset of around 12mm. With the introduction of "barefoot" shoes, you generally had the choice of 12mm or 0mm – a dramatic difference.

But some companies like Topo and Saucony (among others) decided that they wanted to meet us halfway, offering offsets of 3-4mm. Altra offers a 0mm offset (called Zero-Drop) in shoes with plenty of cushioning – taking the barefoot out of barefoot shoes. Saucony has lowered the offset in most of their training shoes to 8mm,new balance sport shoes and many other brands have offerings with offsets between 4mm and 8mm.

Glad you asked! new balance sneakers saleBy lowering the offset in your shoes, you're training your lower body differently. Think about it – if you have a thicker heel in your shoe, you're more likely to land on your heel. If you have a thinner heel in your shoe, you're more likely to land closer to the midfoot or forefoot, which is more bio-mechanically efficient. You're lighter on your feet and distributing impact forces more efficiently. All good things!

Now, this doesn't mean you have to go out and buy a pair of Topos or Altras today. It's just food for thought. Mixing a zero-drop or low-offset shoe into your weekly running routine can have benefits. You're working your achilles and calf muscles differently, new balance trainers online and teaching your body to run more efficiently.

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