Join The Barefoot Running/Shoe Revolution

[ian quinto]

ya Ian, there are a bunch of different styles and almost everyone says they are for running. how should i know which to snag?

I have seen these a lot, are they literally a replacement for shoes? Or is this just a running thing?

the vibrams aren't just for running.

in fact, you don't need shoes at all for running or walking or standing.

the key is being barefoot.

the vibrams are just protective gloves for your feet. they are super flexible with a thin layer of cushioning to protect you from sharp objects.

once you decide to wear these shoes or just straight up go barefoot, you must learn how to run "correctly". most people run incorrectly, they land heel first; watch the first video on the first page of this thread to see why that is bad.

the correct way to run is to either land first on the midfoot or forefoot. the faster you go, the less your heel makes contact with the ground. watch slow-mo vids of olympic 100m sprinters. their heels don't hit the ground at all.

the vibrams won't entirely replace shoes. if you're doing construction work or going to a job interview, then the they might not be very appropriate. however, there is a competing company that makes "normal looking barefoot shoes". check out www.terraplana.com/vivobarefoot.php . i have a pair of their shoes as well, they're nice and way better than regular shoes, but the vibrams are still the best.

[Peter Robson]

I swear I saw a video of Rashad Evans training in these before his fight vs Rampage.

[Kevin Green]

great post, Ian! I'm currently dealing with shin splints for years. I run practically every day. And I've spend thousands of dollars searching for the right shoe with little success. Now, I'm gonna go to the track and try running barefoot.

To Kevin: where did you buy your fivefingers?

There is a place near Wilmington and a spot in Philly. You can buy them online as well

[ian quinto]

I swear I saw a video of Rashad Evans training in these before his fight vs Rampage.

yup. i saw it too. the vibram facebook page posted it on their wall. i gotta find it.

[ian quinto]

the WRONG way to run



vs

the RIGHT way to run



see the difference?

[ian quinto]

http://www.terraplana.com/vivobarefoot_facts.php

barefoot Running According to the Experts:

WARNING!


Do not rush into barefoot running. Listen to your body and allow your feet and gait to readjust naturally. We recommend walking in Vivobarefoot shoes in your every day life to help adjust to barefoot. Don't run before you can walk!! We also recommend visiting one of our barefoot running specialists for a training session (see details at the end of this document). Think on your feet!

BAREFOOT RUNNING STRENGTHENS

Barefoot running strengthens the foot-ankle complex and the rest of the kinetic chain (knee, hip, core and even upper body).

Scott Jurek, Seven time champion of the Western states 100 mile endurance run, Physical Therapist.

Barefoot Running promotes Front and Mid -strike which allows the runner to take more advantage of elastic energy stored in both the Achilles tendon and the longitudinal arch of the foot. This develops more calf and foot muscle strength, and avoids uncomfortable and potentially injurous impact.

William Jungers. Barefoot Running strikes back. Nature Journal. January 2010

Running Barefoot/Minimalist strengthens the intrinsic or postural muscles in the feet and lower leg.

BAREFOOT RUNNING STIMULATES

The sole and tips of our feet have 200,000 nerve endings connecting us to the world and helping us balance. The stimulation is a connection from foot to body and foot to brain, this sensory perception is often denied because of thick layered and inflexible shoes.

Dr. William A. Rossi, Why shoes make 'Normal Gait Impossible' Journal of the American Podiatry Association, 1999

The soft materials in modern running shoes allow a contact style [heel strike] that you would not use barefoot. The foot no longer gets the proprioceptive cues that it should... a midsole can impair the foot's ability to react to the ground. This can mute or alter feedback the body gets while running.

Dicharry, Jay, MPT, Director of the Center for Endurance Sports at the University of Virginia, 2010).

Modern running shoes reduce sensory feedback without diminishing injury inducing impact.

Michael Wharburton. Barefoot Running, Sports Science Journal. Gateway Physiotherapy, Queensland, Australia, 2001.

BAREFOOT RUNNING ENCOURAGES NATURAL POSTURE

Most runners land with heel strike, it's like someone hitting you on the heel with a hammer about 1.5 to 3 times your body weight.

Daniel Lieberman, Ph.D. Harvard University, Shoes may have changed how we run. As Reported in BBC, January 2010.

Running with trainer's [and heel striking] increases impact on the knee by up to 36%.

Casey Kerrigan MD, The Effect of Running Shoes on Lower Extremity Joint Torques, PM &R, 2009.

A shoe with any heel height, trainers included, alters the entire body posture.

Dr William A. Rossi, Why shoes make 'Normal' Gait 'Impossible Journal' of the American Podiatry Association, 1999

When running barefoot the runner compensates for lack of cushioning by adjusting the foot-landing angle to a more natural mid to front foot strike, giving it a softer landing.

Michael Wharburton. Barefoot Running, Sports Science Journal. Gateway Physiotherapy, Queensland, Australia, 2001.

BAREFOOT FOR KIDS

After 8 weeks of wearing Vivobarefoot kids shoes, average sideways range of motion improved by 25.6%, while average upward/downward range of motion improved by 36.8%. This improved the child's ability to move their feet improving flexibility.

Anette Thompson, 'Barefoot Technology' in school shoes: gait pattern and functional improvement over an 8-week period. Bernard Price Institute for Paleontological Research and Institute for Human Evolution, University of the Witwatersrand.

Flat feet are most common in children who wear closed-toe shoes, less common in those who wore sandals or slippers, and least in the unshod. A study of 2,300 children showed the incidence of flatfoot was 8.6% in those who wore shoes and 2.8% in those who did not wear shoes.

Rao, Ub et al. The influence of footwear on the prevalence of flat foot. A survey of 2,300 children. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 1992.

An Elevated heel of any height on a child's shoe shortens the Achilles tendon- the beginning of permanent tendon shortening.

Dr William A Rossi, (Children's Footwear: Launching site for adult foot ill's. Podiatry Management) 1999.

Soles that are over 6mm thick, prevent 80 to 90 percent of children's foot flexibility, thus denying the foot its normal step sequence.

Dr William A Rossi, Children's Footwear: Launching site for adult foot ill's. Podiatry Management. 2002

[ian quinto]

[MWTheory]

Things are too expensive for what they are. I'll just stick to walking around with my callused feet, and letting them get dirty as shit

[Orlando Rosæ]

I found this report on barefoot running on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/vi...ugall.cnn.html

[Ben]

Today, while walking around campus to classes, I decided to give this walking style a try (I had to wear shoes, sadly. I'll try walking barefoot outside next Monday weather allowing). It took a lot of getting used to, but I did notice the minute I got home and took my shoes off, it was the natural way I walked (probably from years of playing barefoot outside as a younger kid). Going to make this a project to do all my walking/running barefoot. If it's good for your joints, kind of hard to argue against it.