@@Black-Circle I've had Nike free shoes, they are not really that good. They have too much padding. Only good thing they have they are flexible. I've changed to barefoot shoes after those and my feet feel a lot better now after getting used to walking naturally. More space for toes and ankle is not getting hurt.
Hey mate, a bit weird to connect here, but are you a resident Indian? If so, I want to ask if you know where we can easily purchase locally-produced barefoot shoes from, without heavy custom and shipping duties?
Another benefit he doesn’t mention is how much more toe room you have in barefoot shoes. Once you get used to your toes not being deformed and squished into narrow toe boxes you will NEVER want to go back. This is another reason to not go for the cheaper water shoes.
@@Brohan_69 depends on the shoe shape. Sneakers and and boots usually have good toe room but dress shoes and stylish shoes often make the toe box pointy.
@@MaaveMaave I haven’t seen any sneakers with a wide enough toe part. Yeah they are better than dress shoes but better does not mean good. Goglee vivo barefoot shoes and find an image from the top, that’s how the toe part of shoes should be. Unfortunately it doesn’t look the best and that’s why you’ll never see em in commercial sneakers.
It's mainly thanks to your first video about barefoot shoes that I started wearing them as well, and now all my shoes are barefoot and I'm never going back. My lower back pain is gone, my knees hardly ever hurt anymore, no more sprained ankles and running injuries. It's a major health improvement, mostly thanks to you!
What shoes do you own? And what would you recommend? I want to buy a pair too, since I already have problems with my lower back and hope this might help a bit too.
@@MD-cq4np My first pair were the Merrel Trail Glove 4, which are a good transition shoe imo, because they are a little more sturdy than other barefoot shoes. I still wear them for running. Nowadays I mostly wear TadeEvo shoes, which are some of the most minimal shoes out there. It's almost like wearing socks. I absolutely love them, but wouldn't reccomend them if you're not already used to wearing barefoot shoes.
@@CatBloom42 I have checked Vivo Gobi but it seems there are not designed to run / do any kind of workout, if so do you recommend the Trail Glove for beginners?
@@AR-ly5zt Actually, after wearing the Merrells for a while, and reading lots of reviews, I wouldn't recomend them anymore, because they are notorious for coming apart after only a couple of months. It's not worth the money, unless you can find them for very cheap. Xero Shoes are affordable and pretty decent quality. I've got a pair of their hiking boots and they are holding up fine. If you decide to give them a try and you're in the EU, make sure you order from their UK site to avoid high shipping costs.
Pretty well-thought out explanation of how barefoot shoes differ from regular shoes and I would recommend them but a note of caution: if you don't take time to adjust to them you do risk injuries such as achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis especially, I suspect, if you are walking/running on hard manmade surfaces (as mentioned in another comment).
it fine if you run on soft surface.. the problem is it is outside and soft surface... the risk just never made sense.. since if you injure your feet... you will be out for very long time for walking.
I've had plantar fasciitis for over a year. Barefoot shoes are one of the few things that helped me. It's the heel lift in most shoes that bothers my feet. That and the fact that regular shoes weakened my feet.
Plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis are generally the result and symptoms of a much larger issue involving various muscle groups and their tightness or weakness. If your glutes are tight they pull on the hamstrings which can put strain on the calves down into the Achilles and so forth. Usually because the pain is felt in the foot people focus on the foot as the issue. But the body is all connected and by the time it gets to this point there has already been significant time passed where the knee perhaps is out of alignment or one's gait because of tight muscles or overly weak muscles that force the stronger muscles to do more work or bear more load than they should. Walking this way for months or even years is what causes the imbalances that lead to these issues. That's why thigh stretches, calf stretches, and glute stretches tend to relieve the pain, as well as leg strengthening exercises and with enough consistency can eliminate it altogether.
@@lhughes6656 yep. I think mine was caused by an adjustment to how I walked as a result of hyper extending my big toe. In trying to avoid putting too much weight on my toe, I was walking with excessive supination.
Thank you for mentioning *walking* in barefoot shoes. I've watched several reviews/videos, but they're all a bout running. I don't really run, but was curious about walking in such shoes. You video was super helpful!
@@tatiaxyt8564 I've been hiking in Teva sandals or Merrell trail gloves for years. I suggest walking around the house either barefoot or in house socks. Then walk around the yard barefoot. Pretty soon you'll get your natural stride back.
I grew up in Central American, the country side and we were walking , running and playing all the time barefoot on the mud, hills and climbing trees. I have always had one flat foot but never had problems as a child, since I became and teen and play sports and have to wear shoes for school and go out for social gatherings , i have had terrible pain and can’t do running anymore at 29, I will try barefoot shoes this year
@Murat Gadjiev you aren't wrong, but that guy may have been making a subtle comment about the sad stateof school play yards, most of which are open, hot expanses of asphalt or concrete. It really sucks, I wish they all were dirt and grass (I'm a teacher, can't help but think abouy this aspect)
I actually had a whole hour dedicated to this topic in my gym class in high school where we watched a short video on barefoot running and it's benefits. Everyone ran laps in their socks for a couple days aswell
Same, I have always ran on the balls because that was my body did naturally and I never thought about it One day someone notice and said I was running wrong and it was bad to me, but running using the heels is so uncomfortable
@@eduardogutierrez8839 Yes, a coach told me when I was 15 years old that if I continued running on my forefoot that I would have achilles tendon problems. So I deliberately changed to heel striking -- and I've had recurrent achilles tendon problems/Haglund's deformity ever since (50 years). My coach was a wonderful human being and a great runner himself (4:01 miler in the 1960s), but I think he was wrong about forefoot running. And he had recurrent achilles problems himself. I think he just succumbed to the conventional wisdom of the times. You really have to decide for yourself what makes sense and what FEELS right. I'm really glad people are doing that now. The design of conventional shoes never did make any anatomical sense, which I suppose is why so many runners spend so much time injured. It's a tragedy that the shoe companies have profited so much from selling products that are actually harmful.
what kind of hellish shoe do you have to have to not land on the ball of the foot while sprinting? since anime characters don't really jog they also never land on the heel even in normal shoes.
My dad has been running in full marathons barefoot for years, and I've been slowly following his footsteps along the way. At first it's definitely difficult getting used to the proper form. As well as with the condions especially during a sunny day when you take that first step on a blazing asphalt. But you'll get used to the heat eventually, it's the mix debris of broken glass and rocks you have to look out for. And the furthest I ran was about 10 that I plan to improve. But it's an experience I wouldn't trade back with regular running shoes. Very insightful video!
I did gymnastics for about ten years when I was a kid. This taught me to how to run barefoot. Even though it's been 7 years since I've quit I still run on the balls of my feet, I still do all the things that are shown in the video.
That's a very important remark because we forget that how much damage we carry from development phases of our lives i.e. When we still growing. If for example your feet and joints grew properly and strong like in your case thanks to your sport where you functioned barefoot, you are a lot less likely to be so negatively damaged by conventional modern footwear in adulthood. I only knew growing up in modern shoes, plus played basketball in usual narrow toe boxed thick padded shoes and my feet were a disaster for as long as I remember. I'm trying to fix it now but obviously if had grown up running barefoot in Africa or at least doing gymnastics instead of basketball i wouldn't be in this situation.
As someone who walks both barefoot and in high heels I must say that walking quickly on the pads of your feet only looks strange if you don't know the correct technique.
Can you explain a bit more, please? I'm trying to transition by walking in barefoot shoes and i'm basically practicing the toe step until I get tired and then switch back and forth. I never really learned to walk in high heels, it always hurt too much and i only managed a few halfway elegant steps and then just looked ridiculous and clumsy. Is there overlap between barefoot walking/running and walking in heels? Pls help ;)
@@blitva1 I'm not sure how well I can explain it, but basically I just engage the same muscles as I would if I were walking in heels; keep my knees very slightly bent and held mostly stiff with minimal movement, swinging my entire leg from the hip instead of knee
I've tried walking without using rocking and heels and for me it just feels weird. Even watched a vid on it. Even in sandals like genesis or barefoot I still do some heels and rocking. Been wearing barefoot shoes for about 2 years now.
Wow! I watched a RU-vid video a year ago that had a medieval reenactor demonstrating how people in those times walked, on the balls of their feet. I thought, "What bullshit!" He didn't explain the way you just did. Now I get it!
Dude, this makes sooooo much sense. I have wide flat feet and I’ve ALWAYS ran on the balls of my feet. For the longest time I thought I had a fucked up running gait because of my wide flat feet. But I’ve experienced everything you’ve said with running on the balls, literally felt like I was too toe running sometimes. Incredible video!
Thank you so much for this thoughtful, concise and informative explanation. I knew something felt "off" with traditional running shoes, and you did a great job of explaining why.
Love your vids. I've been wearing Xero Prios for a year+ and now have two pairs. The switch to "barefoot" shoes has been awesome. Never going back to the nonsense of thick shoes. From what I understand, the history of the heal in shoes goes back to its utility with controlling the stirrups while in the saddle and was then popularized by French kings of way back b/c they liked the way it made their calves look. So, it has nothing to do with bio-mechanics or what is best for the body. The mindless use of the heal has exacted a large price that most people will not even care to consider when you tell them that heals are bad. It's much the same when one comments that it is better to sit on the ground than in chairs, but, hey, most want to be part of the heard and only a limited few will contemplate what is truly best for the body.
Thank you for this very good video on the WHY of barefooting. I've so far only run and walked using common, padded shoes. Your explanation (and contrasting) of the mechanics of both styles helped me understand the benefits of switching. Thanks!
Great info! I was forced to switch to barefoot shoes after conventional padded footwear caused severe plantar fasciitis. It was a long road of healing and adaptation, but now my feet and ankles are much stronger, more stable, and noticeably more muscular.
Xero terraflex is a supreme shoe along with "as nature intended" (ani) shoes both have lasted me three years now and my feet went from being sore to so so strong
I fully agree with you. And I would say, that when running on "natural surfaces" it makes absolutely sense. But running on hard concrete surfaces or other man-made unforgiving surfaces, I anyway recommend some cushioning. Just loose / minimize the stupid heeldrop (that the heel i raised xx mm) and have a roomy toebox. I have a very high arc and wide front foot. When in the army, I once walked myself to a broken bone in my left foot and the foot collapsing. It took some time to get well again. After that I have always worked to strenghten my feet. That takes a lot of "no shoes" work and time. Whenever I can, I walk shoeless. I can recommend sand, walking/running in sand. I've taken up ultra-running. My experience is, that after 6 hours, I need a higher arch support and a toebox that gives play for natural movement, but keeps the foot from flattening.
I love running shoes for more than 10 years,not just running,I wear running shoes all the time everywhere until recently I switched to barefoot shoes.I can feel that my walking is slowly getting more stable more confident, I still wear running shoes while running,but that will end someday.Thank you.
Great video man!! I been using barefoot shoes for running for four years now and I can't use regular shoes any more, even at work, but as you said nowadays is easier to find zero drop shoes for the office. I think you just forgot to tell how hard the transition could be, becase with "low tech feet" the muscles, mostly the calves, are weak and lazy, and sometimes is hard to get them in shape.
As a kid I always got yelled at for walking flat foot or on my toes. Still do it as an adult. I hate how it feels when my heel hits the ground first so I 'don't walk properly' (heal, toe movement)
It's just important to drop the heel all the way, so you're not literally tiptoeing. Otherwise you strain your calf muscles and can tighten and ultimately shorten your Achilles tendon.
Excellent video. i have been watching 100's of videos as i migrate into the minimalist shoe market and your descriptions have brought other great points to think about. thank you.
As an obese guy I would never use barefoot shoes until I lose some weight (l already lost 20kgs, 50 to go) as you’ll need that extra cushion to support your weight... Although when I want to run I use the barefoot methood, even with 70kgs extra weight the back of my leg didn’t store that much of fat compared to other obese people or other body parts
Hamza Haytham you got this bro!Incredibly happy for you that you already lost 20. I also went from morbidly obese to a bmi of 25 but I didnt like how it felt so I hover around the 26 zone. YOU GOT THIS!!!!
Hey mate, you might try Huaraches if you haven't already! A traditional leather laced huarache sort of floats underfoot while running and feels even more minimal than minimalist shoes. I'd recommend the Luna Venado or Gladsoles for the best sole materials. I'm not as big of a fan of Xero or Bedrock's models.
Been wearing the vibrant five fingers for the last 11 years. I give that speech about every other month. Look up the fox run technique. It demonstrates how to properly run in barefoot shoes. This technique hurts for a few weeks as you build up the muscles in your feet that you’ve never used. But I am faster and can go farther than I ever did in conventional shoes. My heels never touch the ground. Thanks for making this video
I don't get barefoot shoes but I really love the $20 converse knockoffs because of how thin and pliable they become after a couple weeks wearing. I love how much I can feel the ground and that my feet are very content with the freedom, but also the slight bind at the ankle for support. Shoes have always been an issue. My feet just don't do well in them and probably never will
To be exact when you land on the heel the impact goes all the way up to the hip bone, when you shift your landing too much to the toes the knee gets a beating, "middle" foot is the optimal way to run, just like seen in the vid.
5 лет назад
*Szoterr Jason:* _"… when you shift your landing too much to the toes the knee gets a beating,…"_ - That's inaccurate. Fore-strike running overloads the foot arches and ankles, not the knees. How do I know? I've read several papers and other articles about this topic (which I could provide references for if required). In addition, I also have some direct personal experience. Fore-strike running doesn't do a thing to your knees.
For the everyday office: merrel vapor glove 3. For running: vibram fivefinger v-trail Be aware that after 8 months you can put them in the trash bin. Still they are great to wear.
I bought a pair of cheaper, Chinese made shoes, a couple of month ago. The intention was to use them for running. It turns out that now i'm using that pair almost exclusively, and when i'm forced to use something else, the "regular" shoes, sandals, whatever, just feel very uncomfortable. Even shoes that are well broken in and i really loved before. I'm now a bit worried about the winter, because i don't know if i will find good winter barefoot shoes. Another annoyance is that it's very hard to find really small ones for a 2 year old kid. Not a huge problem yet, as there are shoes with thin soles and quite flexible available, but no true barefoot shoes. One thing to be aware of: I am a heavy (read fat) guy, and because of a knee injury i wasn't really fit when i started using these shoes. As a result, a lot of pain in my ankles and feet muscles at first. After a little while, the muscle pain went away, but the ankles still hurt a bit after a long, fast walk on concrete. It is, however, getting better. The bigger surprise was that without changing anything else in my lifestyle, eating habits, etc., I did lose some weight. My guess is it's because it encourages a better posture and higher cadence while walking, so a lot more muscles work a bit harder during walking. You don't really notice it at first, but the body is a bit tenser, the core muscles are used a bit more, your legs get used a bit more, so overall walking has a stronger effect on your fitness than it used to. I've heard doctors advising against this type of shoes because your body is not strong enough, your feet are not used to it. I think that's very wrong. You can still walk barefoot around the house or on the beach, so just take it one step at a time and you will get strong enough in no time. Unless you have a very specific condition, a disability of some kind (i'm not a doctor, so i don't really know what that could be), there is no real health issue with barefoot shoes that i could see.
I bought these. Really comfortable to walk in and I have started to run in them. www.amazon.co.uk/WHITIN-Unisex-Minimalist-Running-Barefoot/dp/B07KN4NF44/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=whitin+shoes&qid=1566940698&s=gateway&sprefix=whitin+&sr=8-3
Check out Lems and Xero shoes. Lems Primals have been my staple enclosed shoe for years, and I also have some of their boots and marine shoes. I use Xero DIY huaraches instead of flip flops, but I tie them like sandals
wait so i've always been running on my toes and have joked around saying i run like an antilope before.. but that's actually how you are supposed to run? i can actually not run on my heels at all if i try i'll just trip over my own feet and end up on the floor before i've even gotten a meter.. on top of that i run much faster on my toes and running on my toes has allowed me to catch many a bus where i would have missed that bus if i hadn't ran on my toes. now the shoes i mainly wear are sketchers with memory foam.. mainly because i can't stand for too long and this helps me a little (my back is slightly twisted causing me to get fatigued in my legs quicker as i tend to overuse one over the other due to only standing on one leg or using more muscle in one leg and letting the other drag behind by swinging it along )
Then go to the doctor for your back, but wtf don’t wear MEMORY FOAM. LEGIT THAT’S THE WORST, PLUS YOUR FOOT IMPRINTS INTO THE FOAM the most, so it legit messes it up even worse if you walk wrong.
@@nabranestwistypuzzler7019 well that's the thing the doctor can't do shit because it's too minor. i only have one small part of my back that is twisted ever so slightly. a doctor that looks at it will just say oh yeah take a painkiller if it bothers you believe me the reason i know i even have the twist is because i've been to the doctor for it before.. on top of that i was born with flat feet meaning i physically need a shoe that forms to my feet. if i don't i'll be sore after walking 2 metres. i've actually had less pain while wearing these shoes as it gives me the dampening my own feet cannot give me
Thank you sir I have covered only half of the video byt still I know that I'm gonna watch the whole video, very interesting and informative Have a good day
I've had two pairs of xero shoes for over a year and I've found that over time I've started to walk heavy with my heels. Especially in my xero sandals the bottoms of my feet start to burn in pain after hiking. My body is thinking backwards lol
Do you lean back while walking? I have that bad habit. To prevent it I focus on bending my foot behind me, and putting it down under me instead of in front
i like the way he thought out every thing he presented and said so clearly. never leaving out any detail or syllable (the way he says “feet” and “toes” has an ASMR affect to me). very helpful information. his beautiful blue eyes and his nice healthy looking bare feet kept me locked in. i expect those ankle tan lines are long gone by now after all the great barefoot running. great content and great vid!
Arch support is something that's made up by shoe companies to shore up the problems caused by regular shoes. As he said, you use your arches in walking/running barefoot, so "supporting" them is counterproductive. Instead you gradually transition into minimal shoes to strengthen your feet to not need support to function. I used to get plantar fasciitis regularly, and after walking mostly in vibrams for a year, it's never returned. YMMV.
After starting running on Merrell's I never had knee pain again and, it also helped increasing mobility for Crossfit. No more normal running shoes for me
To anyone getting bare foot or minimalist shoes I suggest alternating regular shoes and barefoot shoes for about a week or so. I noticed a extra soreness in my calves when I first started. Pay attention to this and do not be afraid to give a rest day if it is severe. Also do not assume your barefoot shoes distance/pace/duration should be the same as your normal routine (especially if you go a long distance or 1 mile or greater). I love barefoot shoes for walking/moving but do prefer regular shoes at my work (I stand almost 8 hours out of my 8 1/2 hour day). I were bare foot shoes to/from work and wear sneakers at work. Also one thing he does not mention is that the shortening of your running stride means your calf is straighter up and down when your weight is shifting to the leg I think this is better as well. Keep in mind the angle is only shorted by maybe a few inches, so its impact may be small.
Yeah, smaller companies just don't have the 'economies of scale' that bigger companies do unfortunately. But if they keep getting better, then they may have an opportunity to produce more for less cost. But I will say, a short-term price for a long-term benefit was definitely worth it for me!
As soon as it gets warm I throw out the shoes and don't look at them for the rest of the warm seasons. I walk barefoot everywhere and I'm used by now to the weird looks while I don't care. It's pretty cold in Germany during the winter so I wonder if those shoes are also protective from that
they do if you have real wool (filz) insole, 100%woolsocks(no cotton or syntetikmix), and keep them dry like take second pare socks and soles with you if for changing if wet. I am wearig the soleRunner Trainer". they are slippy on snow but snow in germany??? my old solerunners (holes in the soleafter 3 years using) will become a new 3mm sole with profile for winter,I will glue by my self(sole+glue=15 euro). regards:)
Excellent! I noticed the same positive differences after switching to barefoot shoes. Your walking technique looks great by the way. No bobbing of your torso, which usually comes from landing on heels. Instead, your body flows smoothly in an efficient forward trajectory.
It doesn't feel the same though. I understand that people don't want to drop a bunch of $$ on another pair of shoes, but its worth it. I will gladly pay a short-term price for a long-term health benefit.
Thank you for this video. I wish I encountered this video sooner. Running barefoot is straight forward but walking barefoot is not. And I couldn’t find any good explanation online so I had to experiment myself. My conclusions ended up being the same as yours but had I seen this video earlier, I would’ve saved myself months of exploration (and pain).
Same here! Many people say you have to walk by the forefoot strike technique. I often tried it but it didn't feel right and looked weird. Now I feel reassured concerning my own thoughts about walking in barefoot shoes.
5 лет назад
Running barefoot isn't "straightforward" either. There's a percentage of people that "naturally" heel-strike when running barefoot, including people who have never worn shoes. It's worth to mention that heel-striking while running is more energy efficient running at low to mid speed. Only at relatively high speed fore-striking becomes more efficient. That may well explain why some people "naturally" heel-strike running barefoot. Energy scarcity has traditionally exerted a huge selective pressure.
Kind of silly, isn't it? Paying just as much as you would for a lot more shoe, when basically all you want is a sock with a sole. Just get some water shoes instead.
Well, most barefoot companies also pay ethical wages, support high quality farming for leather, use plastic waste in the ocean to recycle, support a lot of projects etc. That is why you can't compare them to regular shoes
@@JohanVrolix nah man I had been wearing barefoot sandals for a while and started with short runs (10-20 minutes. my lungs couldn't stand more than that). couple of weeks break in between as well, due to other injuries (chronical backpain that is) in the end i usually never did more than 5k/25-30 mins. suddenly my foot just gave up. seems really common with people running with barefoot shoes because apparently you need to have a proper coach teaching you how to run right to avoid injury. other than that periostitis is generally common with people who run a lot, but that usually includes people who do marathons etc. not the ones who run only a couple times a week
