Altra Zero Drop vs Asics Review

Altra vs Asics

Altra was created by two running friends Golden Harper and Brian Beckstead while still in high school. In those days, runners were getting lots of injuries due to the type of shoes they wore. They were uncomfortable. This was making running a chore.

Apart from the exercise being tiresome. Most runners sustained injuries which could be eliminated if the shoes were designed better. This is what Golden Harper and his partner started doing.

They modified their running shoes by cutting and removing the padding from the heel and ultimately sealing the sole together once again using the toaster oven.

This was a stroke of genius! Innovating a great product in a simple and stylish way. Their premise was that the height of the heels was a factor of injuries for runners. They started selling their newly designed shoes and runners took notice. The shoes had no heel lift.

When they wore the shoes, they were thrilled with the difference. Little did they know it was the start of something extraordinary. Today, Altra is among the top leading brands in the shoe industry globally.

Altra Zero Drop vs Asics

What We Love About the Altra

Design

In every shoe designed and produced by Altra, there are two special characteristics that we runners and bodybuilders love about them. They are foot-shaped. And have the zero drop feature.

Foot-Shaped Toe Feature

The one unique feature of some running shoes designed and produced by Altra is the foot-shaped toe box which is designed with consideration of the natural foot. One huge benefit of this design is that it gives your toes space to spread out comfortably when running or working out.

It also increases stability of the runner while strengthening his or her feet muscles. This is what every runner wants when training. The space for your toes allows you to increase the strength and power you generate in each stride. Therefore making you run faster than your competitors or training buddies.

When Altra was designing this shoe, they wanted it to create an experience that is close enough to the human foot. The goal is for runner to feel as though they have no shoes on.

They are made them in such a way that they are so light. This enables you to flex and bend your feet in the same you would barefooted. Such a running shoe not only promotes proper biomechanics but also improves your performance. It is said to drastically reduce your risk of injury when working out or running.

Three Lines

Altra has been continuously designing and producing new shoe models over the years. In 2017, they had five new models which brought them huge success. They have also been updating their existing models over the years. All Altra shoes fall under one of the following categories:

• Neutral
• Dynamic Support
• Trail

Each category has its own unique characteristics to fit a huge number of consumers with different situations, needs and perspectives. All models regardless of the category are zero drop, well cushioned for comfortability and others have a foot-shaped toe design.

The Trail shoes include the Altra Golden Spike, Altra Superior 3.5 and Altra Lone Peak 3.5. Neutral shoes include the Altra One V3, Altra Escalante and the Altra Torin 3.0. Dynamic Support shoes include the Altra Provision 3.0 and the Altra Paradigm 3.0.

Asics

Asics became popular about seventy years ago when its founder Kihachiro Onitsuka started designing and creating basketball shoes in his apartment in Japan.

He later expanded and started working on running shoes known as the Marathon Tabi which was released to the market in 1953. His organization grew and expanded in the year 1977 when it was merged with two other organizations.

They now started selling shoes on large scale in the United States. The new merger was named Asics which is an acronym in Latin (Amina Sana in Corpore Sano) which means a healthy mind in a healthy body. Since then, Asics has grown to quickly become among the top brands in the shoe industry today.

Design

Asics design has always been fantastic. Their design has not only improved the quality of running shoes but the experience too. After relocating to the United States and staying for a while.

They designed and produced the California jogging footwear which had a couple of exciting features such as the reflectors on the heels to enable motorists to see runners who train at night. They had a flared sole for comfort in both short and long laps.

Lab Test

Back in the year 1990, Asics officially launched a Research Institute of Sports Science in Kobe, Japan where the organization does a couple of tests and assessments to improve its existing designs and create new designs.

The lab has enabled designers to come up with remarkable innovations such as the Gel shock absorption mechanism on their footwear. This system softens the impact force when a runner’s foot hits the ground. The midsole feature which also came along later prevented injuries and overpronation.

Impact Guidance System

This is one of Asics’ key innovations that combines the well-designed midsole plates and the external heel counters to enable the runner to have a very natural movement of the feet when running.

Every feature you see on an Asics footwear has been analyzed and tested to ensure you always have a wonderful experience when training and to enable you to run smoothly and faster.

Shoes for You

Asics has a wide variety of running shoes to fit your tastes and preferences. So, if you are looking for a shoe that is light and has a lean cushion, the Dynaflyte 3 is a great option. If you want a well-cushioned shoe, the Gel Nimbus 20 is ideal for you.

If you are a beginner and you are looking for the perfect shoe for you, the Road hawk FF 2 will work wonders for you. In short, Asics has everything for you depending on your situation, needs and preferences at the moment.

Conclusion

The Altra and Asics are great shoe brands for you to consider when buying running shoes. They have a wide variety of shoes to fit you and your preferences. So, which one should you choose between the two?

Depending on what you are looking for in a shoe, you should test each brand to see which one suits you best. When you wear it, you will know it right there and then.