>>‘Minimal’ shoes, with very little cushioning, were trendy a few years ago, but not so much anymore.

I had thought minimalist shoes (like barefoot) were to train you to not come down on the point of your heel first, essentially sending an impact up the skeleton rather than using the mid or forefoot where the calf muscles can cushion.

I'm not a runner. The closest I come is 'trail runners' for hiking (not trail running). I've found I'm less sore at the end of the day with ones with less or negative heel (e.g. Altra). But WTH do I know? And I may have stumbled into some kind of religious argument - I remember barefoot runners being pretty vehement.