Rubber Soles Weaken Knees, Ankles, & Stabilizing Skills, Says GRV Shoe Inventor

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 26, 2014) - Rubber-soled shoes with extremely unnatural traction are restricting fundamental movements humans have been doing for millions of years... until the sneaker revolution. The negative effects of this massive shift to unnatural traction have never been exposed until now. Disruptive sneaker start-up the Groove Revolution (GRV) today announced its shocking discovery of problems caused by excessive rubber sole use.

For millions of years, humans lived on bare feet, which were like leather from lifelong callousing. Feet could naturally pivot, twist, spin, and slide on natural surfaces. Humans often had to chase prey and flee from predators on mud and grass that was slippery from dew or rain, so eons of evolution imbued human beings with natural stabilizing muscles & stabilizing skills. Then, for more than 5000 years of footwear history, shoes had natural leather soles, which have naturally low traction as well, so feet were still able to move naturally in lateral directions.

Then, about 100 years ago, rubber tire companies started making rubber-soled shoes with extremely unnatural traction, which is beneficial for rain, snow, basketball, and many other activities; however, over the past 30-40 years, today's generations have become the first people in history to wear rubber soles almost exclusively, which can render stabilizing muscles in the knees and ankles significantly weaker because they are being used far less today than ever before.

Rob Corbett, inventor of GRV shoes -- the world's first sneakers with natural leather soles -- says, "While rubber soles are great for many activities, wearing them all the time like people do today is extremely unnatural. It's like having training wheels on your bicycle your whole life; they are artificial stabilizers that cause your natural stabilizing muscles & skills to get lazy, weak, and atrophied. Wearing our sneakers with natural leather soles is like taking the training wheels off your bike; it opens up your natural range of motion and enables way more fun. Of course, no one should wear leather soles all the time -- especially in obvious situations like rain and snow -- but no one should wear rubber soles all the time either, especially in music settings. The biggest reason why guys today are the most non-dancing people ever -- including me before GRV shoes -- is that rubber soles restrict basic movements that people were regularly doing from the beginning of mankind all the way through the Rock & Roll Revolution 50 years ago: twisting, spinning, sliding, grooving. Fundamental human motions that trigger joy have been blocked by rubber soles for an entire generation," Corbett continued, "I invented GRV shoes to unlock my natural groove at concerts, but then during the past 3 years of R&D, athletic experts I consulted with found important health benefits as well."

According to the world's foremost experts, the fitness potential for GRV's revolutionary leather-soled sneakers is enormous. Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Carol Frey MD, whom Men's Health calls a leading medical expert on athletic footwear, says, "GRV shoes finally introduce exercises that work on stabilization skills and keeping the body upright and centered in all conditions. These low-impact exercises recruit every major muscle group in the lower extremities, including those that stabilize the joints, which is an important factor in the prevention and rehabilitation of injuries."

Kinesiologist Todd Norman, who trains athletes from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and UFC, says, GRV shoes "teach you to get in tune with your body; they establish a higher level of body control."

USC's Clinical Exercise & Research Center in LA found that grooving in GRV shoes can burn up to 900 calories per hour, comparable to a spin class or jogging 6mph -- "but a lot more fun," according to Corbett.

Free Your Soul from Rubber Soles at www.GRVshoes.com