Barefoot Training
I recently listened to Mark Verstegan of Athletes’ Performance present on barefoot training. I thought it was a good lecture but the thing that was the biggest eye opener was the visual pictures. The pictures from this post are from the presentation and Mark got the pictures from this —> research paper.
Before we go any further, understand that the tribes that are so often referenced to on the subject of barefoot training, are born and raised in a TOTALLY different environment than us. We are required to sit for hours at our job, we walk and run on concrete, we have been jammed inside of awful shoes our entire life, we have postural deviations that non-existent in the less technologically advanced cultures, and we DO NOT RUN (we drive) as our main source of transportation, etc, etc. These are significant differences. I don’t think I need to go into much more detail as common sense should guide you from here.
I am a fan of barefoot training and minimalist shoes but PLEASE take the above as advice. If you are going to try going the “minimalist shoe” route, ease into it, proceed with caution and progress logically (especially if you have any current foot issues).
Now, for a visual of what a foot should look like:
The foot on the left (B), is that of an adult Bagabo man that has NEVER worn shoes (this is what our feet should actually look like. Notice the separation and straightness of the toes). The foot on the right (A), is that of a Bagobo boy that had only worn shoes for a few months… Such a drastic change in a short period of time. They say a picture is worth a thousand words (clichés are clichés because they are true).
Your foot will conform to the shoe you wear
Plantar fasciitis never existed until the first “supportive” shoe was created…. Man made plantar fasciitis and we are told to buy supportive shoes and are over prescribe with orthotics and arch supports….. Which make our feet weaker and mask the problem, which leads to more problems up the chain (ankle, knee, hip, low back, neck, shoulders).
Cowboy boots!?!?!
If your toes are unable to spread apart (as in every toe enclosed shoe), it is impossible for them to be in the correct anatomical position. Therefore the muscles in the foot stay asleep and CANNOT activate. There are 26 bones in the foot (one quarter of the bones in the human body are in the feet), 33 joints and over 100 muscles (kind of sounds like the feet are a wee bit important). And we just destroy them with our foot wear.
So what you are looking for in a “minimalist” shoe: 1) a flat sole from toe to heel and close to the ground. 2) a very flexible/pliable shoe. 3) a wide toe area so that the toes are not crammed….even better is something that spaces the toes like a vibram five finger.
Resistance to barefoot and minimalist shoes
The two common arguments (not really arguments) against minimalist shoes are: 1) “Those toe shoes are so ugly”. And I say, if you are not in high school, you should be far past caring what people think about you. 2) “My job won’t allow me to go barefoot or wear minimalist shoes”. This is a better excuse, but the take home message is to get out of your shoes as often as possible, train with a minimalist shoe, wear flats to work instead of high heels (for females), and start taking better care of your feet.
DN
