Strength shoes produce mixed results depending on what you’re measuring and which version you’re using. The original Strength Shoe brand, popular in the 1990s, showed no superior effect on vertical jump height compared to the same plyometric exercises done in regular shoes in multiple studies. However, newer raised forefoot platforms used during plyometric training have shown significant gains, with one 8-week study finding a 7.2 cm greater improvement in countermovement jump height compared to the same program done in regular shoes.
So the short answer: the concept behind strength shoes has some scientific support, but the results depend heavily on the specific design, how you train, and whether you account for the added injury risk.
How Strength Shoes Work
Strength shoes and raised forefoot platforms share the same basic idea. A thick rubber platform sits under the ball of your foot, keeping your heel off the ground. This shifts your center of pressure forward and forces your ankle into a dorsiflexed position, meaning your foot is angled upward relative to your shin. The result is that your calf muscles and Achilles tendon are under constant tension during every rep, every landing, and even while standing still.
Research using EMG sensors confirms this increased muscle demand. Studies on forefoot-elevated footwear show significantly higher activation in the gastrocnemius (the main calf muscle) during both walking and squatting compared to flat shoes. During standing alone, the body compensates for the shifted center of gravity by increasing calf muscle activity, predominantly through eccentric (lengthening) contractions. This constant eccentric loading is the core mechanism that’s supposed to build more explosive power over time.
The theoretical chain goes like this: higher eccentric loads on the calf muscles lead to greater lower-body strength and tendon stiffness, which allows the muscle-tendon complex to store and release elastic energy more efficiently during jumping and sprinting. It’s essentially forced overload on muscles that are already critical for explosive movement.
What the Jump Height Data Shows
This is where the picture gets complicated. Two older studies by Cook et al. and Porcari et al. tested the original Strength Shoe brand and found no advantage in vertical jump improvement compared to the same plyometric program performed in regular athletic shoes. Both groups improved, but the strength shoes didn’t add anything extra.
A more recent study using a different style of raised forefoot platform told a very different story. After 8 weeks of plyometric training, the forefoot platform group jumped 41.7 cm on average, up from 30.7 cm at baseline. The regular shoe group improved too, going from 29.8 cm to 34.5 cm. That’s a gap of over 7 cm favoring the platforms by the end of the program, and the difference was already statistically significant at the 4-week mark (+4.4 cm advantage).
Why the conflicting results? The specific platform design likely matters. The newer raised forefoot platforms may create a more pronounced dorsiflexion angle or distribute load differently than the original Strength Shoe. Training program details, participant fitness levels, and how jump height was measured also vary between studies. The takeaway is that the concept can work, but not every product delivers on the promise equally.
Effects on Speed and Agility
Evidence for speed improvements is thinner. The same 8-week study that found strong jump gains also tested agility and found improvements with the raised forefoot platforms. But there’s limited controlled research specifically measuring 40-yard dash or straight-line sprint times with these devices.
What we do know from broader biomechanics research is that forefoot-dominant running mechanics increase the demands on your Achilles tendon and calf complex. Runners who switch to a forefoot strike pattern in minimal shoes generate higher tendon loading rates and greater total tendon impulse compared to heel striking in standard shoes. In theory, training through this increased load could build the calf strength and tendon stiffness that contribute to faster push-off during sprinting. In practice, the gains are likely modest and come with real trade-offs.
The Injury Risk Is Real
The same mechanism that makes forefoot platforms potentially effective also makes them potentially dangerous. Keeping your heel elevated and your calf muscles under constant tension increases the rate and magnitude of Achilles tendon loading. For habitual heel strikers who suddenly switch to this type of training, the risk of Achilles tendinopathy goes up meaningfully.
Researchers who found positive jump results with raised forefoot platforms explicitly noted that “an excessive overload in that region could induce a higher rate of injury around the ankle.” The Achilles tendon is already the most common site of tendon overuse injury in humans, and strength shoes concentrate stress right there. Lateral ankle stability is another concern. The elevated, narrow platform changes your base of support during dynamic movements like cutting and landing. Ankle sprains typically happen during landing on uneven or unbalanced surfaces with the foot in a plantarflexed and inverted position, which is exactly the kind of instability these platforms can create during lateral drills.
If you’ve never done plyometric training before, jumping straight into a program with forefoot platforms is asking for trouble. Even experienced athletes need a gradual progression to let the tendon adapt to the increased loading.
Strength Shoes vs. Other Training Methods
The more practical question isn’t whether strength shoes work in isolation but whether they work better than alternatives. A systematic review of plyometric training across different footwear types found that minimalist shoes and rigid-soled shoes both led to higher improvements in neuromuscular performance compared to standard cushioned athletic shoes. Peak power during jump tests was higher when athletes trained barefoot or in minimalist shoes than in regular athletic shoes.
Rigid footwear specifically showed improvements in vertical jumping ability across two studies when compared to standard shoes. And thinner-soled shoes improved change-of-direction performance compared to thicker options. The common thread is that less cushioning and more ground feel seem to enhance plyometric training outcomes, likely because they improve energy transfer and proprioceptive feedback.
Strength shoes do something different from minimalist shoes: they add load to the calf complex rather than simply removing cushioning. But the question is whether that extra calf loading produces meaningfully better results than simpler, cheaper, and lower-risk options like training in flat-soled shoes or doing targeted calf raises alongside your plyometric program. For most athletes, the answer is probably no. The one study showing large gains with raised forefoot platforms is promising, but it stands against older research showing no advantage with the original Strength Shoe, and the injury risk tilts the cost-benefit analysis further.
Who Might Actually Benefit
Strength shoes or raised forefoot platforms make the most sense for athletes who already have a solid plyometric base, healthy Achilles tendons, and a specific need to develop calf power and ankle stiffness. Think volleyball players or high jumpers who have plateaued on traditional jump training and want an additional overload stimulus. The 8-week study that showed positive results used a structured plyometric program, not casual use, and the participants trained consistently over the full duration.
For the average person looking to jump higher or run faster, you’ll get more reliable gains from a well-designed plyometric and strength training program in regular flat shoes. Squats, deadlifts, box jumps, and depth jumps have decades of evidence behind them and don’t concentrate injury risk on a single tendon. If you do decide to try forefoot platforms, treat them like any new training stimulus: start with low volume, progress slowly, and stop if you feel pain in your Achilles tendon or ankle.