First things first. The Muscle Runners are made of the highest quality components and natural fibers! They need to be broken-into and there is a break-in period of about a week or two. During the break-in period please follow the suggested instructions below:

• Wear semi-thick & long socks, & squeeze the foam:
  The collar-foam behind the heel is a little firm at first. Squeeze the foam in the collar with your fingers, or attach a clip to it overnight, to help it break-in sooner.
• Tight mid-foot fit:
  If the shoe is too tight, then remove the laces for a few runs until the natural fibers have taken their natural shape.
• HEELX tabs:
  If the tabs rub on the back of the ankle, then gently bend them back. They might have been pushed forward during transportation.

Any muscle intensive workout requires the body to be warmed up as to avoid injuring the unprepared cold body's muscles, tendons and ligaments.

• Roll your leg muscles with the Fascia Crusher:
  Using the supplied (if purchased together) Fascia Crusher massage roller, roll your calves, the muscles around your ankles and the legs' tendons and ligaments.

Perform 1 of the following 2 exercises, or both partially:

• Isometric Calf & Achilles exercise:
  Stand on the ball of your feet on an edge of a stair or elevated ground so that your heel is off the ground and your ankle at 90 degrees. Hold this position for between 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Rest 2 minutes. Then repeat 4 times.
  This static/isometric exercise will help strengthen you Achilles and fascia at the top of your Gastronemius (upper calves).
• Calf Raises with 1. Straight Legs & 2. Bent Knees:
  Perform two-leg calf raises in the Muscle Runners by lowering your heels to the ground and raising them in a slow and steady motion, hold at the top for 2 seconds, then lower your heels very slowly. Perform this calf raise with only 1 foot when you've grown strong after about a 1 month. Perform 2 sets of 15-30 reps with stiff straight-legs to strengthen the upper calves (Gastrocnemius) and the Achilles. Then perform another 2 sets of 15-30 repetitions with bent knees to strengthen the lower calves (Soleus) and the Achilles.

Test your current strength & readiness:

• Shorter Distance Run: Limit the distance to only 1 or 2 miles for the first couple of sessions as to evaluate your leg strength and to ensure giving the leg muscles and tendons enough time to adjust to the greater force applied onto them.
• Lower Frequency Of Runs: We only encourage running 2 to 3 times a week with the Muscle Runners until proper strength has been built in the calves, Achilles and ankles.

The ideal running gait for the shoes:

• Running Gait: The athlete is encouraged to approach and strike the ground with the forefoot, between the front half of the arch and the ball of the foot, then roll forward towards the ball of the foot, and then initiate lift-off. Even though the heel can be lowered to the ground to help alleviate some of the weight off of the calves, it is encouraged that over time the athlete would avoid touching or putting too much weight on the ground through the heel portion of the shoe.