MIPS Project Challenge:
The company wanted to complete research on the science of running to help them create the best shoe for the sport.

MIPS Role:
Under Armour’s project focused on the biomechanical and physiological assessment of shoed running and comparing the differences between traditional running shoes and the company’s newly designed running shoes. Under Armour hypothesized that the company’s new shoes could reduce the potential for injury by minimizing biomechanical risk factors and reducing the metabolic demands of running. Thirty individuals with two different foot-striking patterns (rearfoot and forefoot) were recruited. Subjects were asked to run twice a week at self-selected paces for four weeks. They used traditional running shoes for the first two weeks and Under Armour’s new shoes for the last two weeks. Biomechanical measurements and analysis were performed at the end of each two-week cycle. The kinematic and kinetic measures, muscular activations and metabolic consumption rate were used to test the hypothesis. The outcomes of the study were then used by the manufacturers to make evidence-based decisions on shoe design.