How Modern Shoes Harm Your Health and Performance 

It's insane to think that we made our feet adapt to shoes rather than the other way around

I was just searching "barefoot bioneer" the other day hoping to find something like this in your back catalogue. And here it is. Beautifully executed, jam packed full of info and just a dash of British sass. Thankyou so very much!!

Been barefoot for almost a decade now, and its been incredibly beneficial for me. Better ankle strength and mobility, less injuries from running, and it's fun! May not be for everyone, but it's been a fantastic experience for me.

I was raised in the running tradition of thick, squishy soles and heel-first landings, and always had some degree of foot, shin, or knee pain from running. Back then, I just thought that was the price you had to pay if you wanted to run. I switched to running either barefoot or in extremely minimalist shoes almost 15 years ago and I've never once regretted it. Not sure why it took me so long. I'm also a fencer, and I always fenced in extremely thin, zero-drop shoes. So obvious in hindsight.

In a related topic, I was born with flat feet, & wearing the wrong shoes has caused me a lot of pain if I walk or run any distance in them. Orthotics helped mitigate that a great deal, but aren’t actually the solution to the problem. Walking more barefoot or with the types of shoes like you spoke about, paired with specific exercises that build up the strength of muscles that support the arch on the inside of the foot aren’t a cure, but can make a noticeable improvement if you suffer from flat feet. Great video Adam, & I’ve actually been reading a bunch about this topic lately with many new studies suggesting many modern sneakers are actually very bad for our feet. Interesting stuff! 💪

I've been using barefoot shoes for almost 10 years, and for everyday wear anything else has become unthinkable - normal heels feel like stilettos to me now. But just a warning - there are limits. In a fit of early enthusiasm I did a 6 week trek in the high Alps with hardcore barefoot shoes. The ground was often brutally stony, and I ended up with bruised feet that took some weeks to heal. Didn't spoil the trek, but was less than ideal. I had a chance to discuss this with one of the most experienced and respected barefoot running coaches. His advice is clear - be pragmatic and adjust your footwear to the project. If you're doing a long trek with a pack on your back, you need a little more padding. So on the trail I now use a shoe by Inov8 that is still zero-drop and a low stack-height but has more of a mid-sole. You retain a natural gait and quite decent proprioception, but you don't get bruised.

Bioneer Preachin again! These shoes took me a while to get used to when I first got em but Damn once you adapt to using em ya never want to go back.

One of the most important advantages of minimalist shoes IMO is the fact that you don't have a big lever under your feet, so if you do step wrong then your ankle won't be wrenched to all hell. It's basically impossible to twist your ankle when not wearing shoes.

Fun fact: there's a reflex which causes the glutes to activate when the big toes are stretched out. If you have tight hip flexors, weak glutes and/or anterior pelvic tilt, it is CRITICAL that you improve your toe mobility and use shoes which allow your toes to get a stretch during each stride (e.g. exactly the kind of shoes Adam is talking about here) edit: forgot I made this comment - sorry to keep you all waiting! I didn't find the name of the reflex but it's essentially that the big toe attaches to the flexor hallucis longus muscle, which, when put under tension, activates the glutes and hams more because they share the same nerve innervations, L5 and S1.

I went minimalist in construction a couple years ago at this point, and the difference in my injury rate has been astounding. Anyone that needs a boot, look up the tactical research minimil. My casual shoe is the birchbury Bramford

Would be interested to hear you talk more about research related to modular training - i.e. doing several small workouts during the day. I started trying sets of 50 burpees once an hour and am getting some pretty shocking results.

@The Bioneer. You should do an interview with PJF Performance. He's an NBA vertical jump and strength and conditioning coach, but he preaches a lot of what you do here in relation to human health, and he tries to base his methods in as much science as possible. He's creating some absolutely insane athlete transformations.

I've transitioned to barefoot shoes and love the Vivo Barefoot brand as well. As a tip for anyone considering it, buy a pair to wear as your everyday shoe and wear them for about 6 months before attempting to run in them. Make sure to spend time massaging out the tendons on the bottom of your feet and stretching your toes as you transition. I would ocasssionally get some pretty intense pain in the tendons in my feet at first as I was loading them with my body weight when they weren't used to it. Now after about 10 months of wearing them I can run without any problems. I run at least 6 times a week and will run 5-7 miles each day on concrete without issues. I don't have any foot, knee, or hip pain and my running steps are not as loud as most of the people just walking by on the street. When I was wearing normal trainers, my steps sounded like someone slapping the concrete. I've paired them with some injinji socks and I don't get blisters anymore either. If you wear barefoot shoes with regular socks, the socks can still squeeze your feet enough to prevent your toes from spreading as much as they would like to so make sure to consider that as well.

FINALLY!! someone actually addressing the effects of not only walking in shoes but also on concrete, I'm from a small island in the Pacific and I remembered I've never wear shoes or slippers up until i was 9 or 10 when i started middle school and i kept wearing them throughout until my college years and I just recently went back into walking barefoot from the tight calves to the weak/inflexible ankles and poor body balance after going on a hike with my fellow village boys up a steep mountain and their feet was so grounded that they seemed to be slip resistant lol climbing up wasn't hard at all but when it was time to walk back down it started raining and getting slippery like stupid and out of all the boys I was the only one that slipped and actually ended up breaking a finger I then vow to adapt back to my natural barefoot days and I would say I'm feeling pretty good.

Somewhat surprised by not having a mention of five toe socks. Game changer in wide toe box shoes and even help with conventional footwear as far as letting the toes splay out and work independently. Injinji one brand I’ve used and would recommend. Cheers.

Played a few basketball games in barefoot shoes unintentionally, and realized I was having way less trouble keeping balance and jumping. Also my stamina improved as well, probably because I was forced to run lighter on my feet. The only issue would be longevity of the shoe, but otherwise I see no downsides

I’ve got flat feet and stand on cement at work for 8-12 hours. Switched to barefoot shoes and can’t believe how much better my feet feel. I’ve tried going back to regular shoes a couple of times and my feet felt horrible after an hour or two

What is your 5k time? Wearing barefoot shoes are only helpful on the surfaces on which humans evolved. Since modern humans don’t usually run on these surfaces, barefoot shoes will just create unnecessary problems. Most elite runners are either mid foot or heal strikers. It is not true that humans evolved to forefoot strike. Excessive forefoot striking can create big Achilles problems. It is most important to strike with the knee directly beneath the body; tib at 90 degree angle to the ground. That’s is all anyone needs to know about running form.

i would like to add that if your going to go barefoot running you'll also become more accustomed to harder and rougher surfaces and it will be easier to go hiking or rock climbing

I've always had big, wide feet, and never liked athletic shoes. In high school I wore skater shoes because they tend to be flat, and have wider toe boxes, but discovered barefoot shoes in college. I've been a fan ever since except for running on concrete with them. We covered the land in a hard substance and wrapped our feet in a soft one to compensate.

Please don't abandon your channel and passions you've helped me gain more knowledge about even the most simple things I overlooked. I especially love the mental training videos as well those are a gem.

I absolutely love to finally find a video talking about this. I've been barefooting for 13 years (not even minimalist shoes) in Scandinavian climate, and I know our knowledge is only scratching the surface of the benefits. In fact, I started because of a bet while off work sick due to a back injury, and I was heavily medicated with painkillers. 3 months later, I was off all painkillers, and I could run again! A hiking buddy of mine and I plan on reaching out to foot therapists (or the equivalent) to let them follow an experiment next year. We're going to walk the ox trail (hærvejen) in Denmark, which is around 500 km, and I'll be doing it barefoot, while my friend will walk in, hopefully, sponsored "top" hiking shoes. Our objective is to let the pros gather data on feet and footwear. Thank you for inspiring others, and I love your content. I'm new to your channel and only found you a few days ago.

Just FYI. Vivobarefoot 20% off code: "powerproject" You're welcome :) And remember to start slowly, a transition period. Extra sources that are useful "Mark bell power project" is a good podcast that talk about all this kind of stuff regularly, and bring on experts and interview them. "Exercising health" He is all about barefoot and is a great resource for barefoot running

Everyone who found this video interesting should read "Born to Run" by Cristopher McDougall. Amazing book!

The whole thing about sensory loss is really noticable when we put shoes on dogs. They start walking like they're in deep snow because they feel stuck. it takes them a while to forget the shoe is on and just run in it like normal.

I DID THE SAME THING!!! Read one paragraph about running barefoot, nomadic life, primative exercise or something, and took it straight to the gravel. I went for a pretty fast jog/sprint cycle and after about ten minutes I thought, "wow this feels great!" then about 4 minutes later I had to stop, my achilles was starting to get a little sore, and then boom! I was practically limping for a week. No long term injury, but yeah be careful with this, your heels and calves are just not used to it at first. Now I'm a bit more used to it, but I can't be sprinting on gravel lol.

Don’t ever stop making videos. You cover the best fitness/health/superhero videos on the site. Keep doing what you’re doing!

Barefoot shoes are awesome. Started about two years ago, but included barefoot running on concrete as it provides way more feedback and got me to stop over striding when running.

As a black American male, I find it really demoralizing to constantly frustrating to be shopping for shoes that are designed for a narrow ethnically European foot. I would pay extra for shoes that have a wider toe box, but many shoe manufacturers simply won't invest in those shoes.

8:55 - Some 13 years or so ago I went through a weird phase and decided to start taking barefoot walks around town in the summer. This was extremely shocking to some of my friends and family who were worried that I looked weird but also that I might step on something and get infected. Valid concerns, but luckily only positive things happened. I remember trying to jog and immediately feeling every tiny bone in my foot scream in protest. I remember realizing that I had to relearn how to walk because at 1.73cm and 105kg, I was going to destroy my knees, hips and lower back in no time otherwise. Somehow, in all those years, it never occurred to me that barefoot shoes would ever be on the market. I'm making a note to buy a pair right now!

Great vid and you're a true beast and a gentleman mr. Bioneer! Xero shoes out of Colorado USA makes some very fine barefoot shoes, sandals and boots.

Loved you made a video for barefoot shoes!!! I’m a fan of Xero shoes myself! I use those mainly for my athletics and sometimes casual wear, but I branched off to use Lems, Vivobarefoot, and to replace my converse, Splays. Love that there’s so many options out there and you can pick which one is for you and suits your style 🙏🏽

What about completely barefoot?

Been wearing barefoot shoes for a year and for the first few months my feet ached like hell. Eventually they stopped hurting and from what I can tell its because they got stronger. I also noticed the ability to sense the temperature and texture of the ground early on when running on hot rubber turf in the spring, and walking on gravel.

Made the switch to Joe Nimble barefoot shoes at the gym about 9 months ago. And I am not going back to regular shoes ever again. I feel weird not using them. And I think the switch to them has been the major reason I can easily go into a resting squat now.

Love my Vivo's... I stopped rolling my ankles as soon as I switched to barefoot shoes.

There's a line in an old Vedic treatise that says: "to the man wearing shoes, the world is paved with leather"

Before you guys go ham on barefoot shoes, be cynical when it comes to presenting only 1 study and not comparing study of wearing “traditional shoes”. If you are doing a marathon you wouldn’t wear that stuff are you? 1 experience is anecdotal. Its because it works for him, it will work for you. It depends on your situation. Not all shoes have narrow toe box. Always seek professional advice. The fact that most people don’t have body awareness aka they don’t know what feels good on their feet. So what makes you think barefoot will work for you? It might make or might not make your situation worse.

Why is it that at the elite level, marathon runners all wear normal running shoes and not barefoot shoes? On the face of it, it looks as though if you already have excellent running form, there is no performance benefit from wearing barefoot shoes. And I don't really understand the wide toe box issue. Traditional running shoes from brands such as Nike have had options with wide toe boxes for a few years now. I wear Nike Pegasus 37s which have a large toe box, am a forefoot striker already, and have no problems with my feet. If anything, I feel like a good heel drop on a pair of shoes helps me run faster, like I am falling forwards.

Squat in barefoot shoes? Do them barefoot! Above all single legged squats give hell of intramuscular strength 🙂

I got a pair of minimalist steel toe shoes they had a normal toe box bit otherwise were a barefoot shoe. They were super weird to walk in at first but over about 6 months I got used to them. Then it started to rain and they were not water resistant at all so I put my hiking boots and instant full body pain except for my feet while wearing the boots. I actually felt nothing at all and that was unnerving , that was until I took the boots off then my feet joined the pain party. I honestly had not clue that it was my shoes until one day I was cleaning listening to RU-vid music when that 'I don't wear comfortable shoes' commercial came on and my hands were dirty so I couldn't skip it. It is strange to say it but that commercial changed my life. I didn't wear those boots again. After about a week of switching back all the pain went away. My room is on the 2nd floor and I used to hate going up or down my knees felt like they were going to explode they don't anymore. Barely any fatigue walking my feet feel amazing pretty much all the time. I am no athlete I at best do trail walking/hiking but even packing several miles in I am great. My recommendations are do your research and go slow. I have done so and have avoided injuries that many RU-vidrs have experienced switching to barefoot shoes. Vivobarefoot are great I have 2 pairs.

Barefoot is awesome. "Barefoot" shoes suck and can even be dangerous. At least the vibram five fingers suck

2 years ago I switched to minimal shoes. Before that I had pain in my forefeet each time after 15 km or 10 miles. Was in that situation for 15 years, went to doctors, had x-rays and orthopedic inlays, they made it just worse. I like hiking and mountaineering, so 2 years ago I had maximum allowed doses of NSAID pain killers + opioides every day on my regular 4 day Alps tour. Last year I did my tour with minimal shoes, I was afraid first, because these trips are usually not casual walking and I thought I needed my 270€ heavy class C mountain boots. I actually carried these in addition in my backpack as backup if the terrain would become too tough. The tour involved 3 x 3000+ summits, 1500+ m of climbing every day, 10 h hiking and mountaineering each day, T5 "experienced alpinists only" paths, severe boulder fields each day, via ferratas each day, climbing with the use use ropes and slings and carabin hooks. All done in the High Tauerns in Austria. No food pain at all. At no point I had to switch from my minimalist Joe Nimble Wandertoes 2.0 to my heavy boots Hanwag Alaska GTX. I'm on barefoot / minimal shoes only now, even in winter, even on business. My foot pain is totally gone

Things are mixed up here... Even with a common running shoe you can do a front part oriented running means landing on front to middle foot.

Being born in a time where "the more shoe the better" I felt a huge change when I started Judo practicing and training barefoot all the time. First months felt weird but now I truly see an increase of feet mobility and overall movement perception. I've been looking for some barefoot shoes to try but I haven't found a pair that don't look weird when I bring them to work. Thanks for the video!

They always look design wise, uglier than a prostrate exam

I'll remember this when I break every bone in my foot wearing the shoes you do soon as something falls on my foot

love the videos but there is a lot of conflicting evidence on this for both sides. I've wanted to try the barefoot or minimalist shoes myself but HAVE done so, and my performance drops tremendously, as well as my feet feeling like they have been beaten to hell. I change to my racing shoes and it's 100 times better. If this was the case, we would see world record setting runners going barefoot, and we just ... don't see that at all. Look at kipchoge for example, shoes structured TO help enhance his running and he breaks 2 hour marathon.

great vid, can you make a video about mattresses and their negative effects

Some people in other countries actually play football barefoot as well as other barefoot practices, which build enormous strength body & joints, not to mention squatting on the toilet.

I always thought the heel was supposed to absorb impact and that landing on heel first was how we evolved. I almost called cap, but then I thought 'I can just look up "tribal man running barefoot"'. Lo and behold, tribal people who run will do so with seemingly effortless gliding while landing forefoot first.

Barefoot shoes worked wonders for me! My knees hurt like hell and I was not able to jog 100m before I started wearing them. I really took my time to easy into them and slowly but progressively did longer runs. And within a few weeks I was able to run several kilometers without pain! However, I would definitely recommend to start running very slowly, short distances with maximum focus on forefoot running form and on flat and stable ground.

I think this goes much further than just running barefoot. I used to always wear very minimalist shows, like chucks (converse), and then be barefoot at home (on tile). After joining the military and being in boots for so much of the day, I felt a shift, a weakening in my feet and legs. Always being barefoot had passively built something up that I took for granted. Must be what you mentioned at 3:27, including the study. I lost this, and it took a long time to get it back.

Glad to see another channel promoting the benefits of barefoot shoes. Hoping they become more mainstream so the prices come down

Do you wear standard socks or toe socks with your barefoot shoes?

i played futsal competitively since i was 12. i always prefer the shoe with the lowest or thinnest sole, and wider on the toes. the moment i change my shoe into higher soles with much shock absorber, i got ankle injury easily. i tossed them out 😂

I was always wondering why normal shoes are so much uncomfortable for me, walking longer distances was tiring and I lacked space for my toes. Finally I got pair of vapor gloves two weeks ago and I must say that I'm not gonna return to padded shoes never again. So much freedom.

For people who supinate (or under pronate), i think 'bare-foot' shoes are perhaps not the right solution. Under-pronation is the opposite of flat feet: you have very high arches and you strike very hard with the heel, and your foot turns outwards when you walk. Supinators need very good cushioning because they develop calluses around the heel. Anyone disagree?

Watch out tho, I started running in bare feet about a year ago, and as a result my feet have expanded nicely. more stable, and probably more healthy, but in the world where 99% of shoes are made in China/asia and are made for narrow feet.. its now a nightmare finding trainers or shoes that fit. Wide fit shoes are a specialty and its going to limit your choices massively.

I made the transition to vibram five fingers last year. Normal trainers are so uncomfortable for me now. I plan on getting some vivo's as well. My feet and achilles have never been stronger, my jumping ability has also never been better.

Wow great timing. I bought a pair of barefoot shoes just the last two weeks. Super cheap Whiten Amazon brand. They’ve been a game changer. I’m not sure if I can go back to my regular shoes now.

I wish there was a way to incorporate this into safety boots. I have barefoot shoes for outside of work but most of my time on my feet is spent in clunky steel toes.

4:17 This dude's hilarious 😂

11:45 Why is it that people extolling the virtues of barefoot shoes online can't do it without sounding patronising at some point? We get it, you think you are superior because of what you wrap around your feet. Well done you.

not that im anyone but i go actually barefoot or use barefoot shoes and i love it, i feel like im about to fall over in normal shoes

There's actually a small, but noticeable change, going from "shod barefoot" to "full barefoot", too. That "ground feel" (which people wearing pads under their feet only feel in the bathroom, just about) increases even more. The only thing that has stopped me from continuing with doing things entirely barefoot is that where I live, some people seem to have a hobby of spreading broken glass wherever they can. (I don't care what people think - and those who stop to ask you what you're up to are always nice, and just naturally curious, anyway). If you do enough barefoot walking, the soles of your feet become resistant to even most pieces of glass (not the ones that would get you through boots, though, obviously), but there are all sorts of sharp enough things out there, and if your soles get tough enough it makes it harder to dig them out than when you had soft feet. What I've been doing as a compromise is to take a pair of ordinary beach slops along. If a glassy patch appears, just put the slops on. (And you can actually run in them, although that's a whole new habituation process to go through, since the straps tend to rub away quietly on some tendons till they're tender.) Cross country, the occasional outing completely barefoot would be something to try. (Just take a backup. Minimalist shoes are so light you can almost put them in your pocket and forget about them, for instance). Just be careful where you see things like broken brandy glasses among the broken bottles. (And be careful in the grass, too. It's safer to stick to the paved surfaces, barefoot. The grass can hide nasty stuff too easily.) Take a long barefoot walk often enough, and you'll find it's no problem to go up to 15km (probably more, for the fitter people) with no shoes, and the occasional patch of glass splinters that need to be dodged. (Your "ground feel" does diminish, though, which I think counts as a counter-argument in favour of just sticking to the shoes and not taking stupid chances like this.)

production quality gets better each time!!

I got ro the point that I couldn't walk after getting out of the military. The VA wanted to give me canes to walk with at 35yo. No way I was doing that so I started researching and found a navy seal in California who had the same issue and started wearing FFT shoes (which are barefoot, I think the first ones). I started doing the same thing and wearing no shoes whenever I could. The Problem was fixed in about 6 months. I was walking normal within the first week and only dealt with the constant pain for a couple months. One of the best things I've done for my personal health. Sleeping on the floor and lifting heavy crap throughout the day are the others.

I wear xero shoes year around for the past 2 years… a friend of mine that studied Shaolin king fu in China … said the term he was told was “western shoes make your feet dumb”

Firstly, I've been waiting for a barefoot-dedicated video from you and am very grateful to see it has been made. There's probably more to say about the topic and I'd be just as grateful if you chose to 👀... I am in the process of seeking physical therapy for issues related to flat feet since adolescence. I've been through surgery and therapy already but didn't seem to do much, it moreso just moved the problem elsewhere in my lower body. In my recent visit, I told them I've been through surgery and orthotics and they didn't help... So naturally the treatments they spoke most about and tried to push were orthotics and surgery. Physical therapy was barely mentioned, and seemed like they wanted to avoid the topic. The word "exercise" wasn't even spoken while they were explaining treatment options. I'm not injured and simply have hypermobile joints (likely from a mild connective tissue disorder) so perhaps that may be why... But I'm not convinced. I started walking completely barefoot for a week a few months ago. I couldn't sustain that because it was painful for the skin, but I noticed that walking (in regular shoes) felt easier after that. I could walk longer without discomfort. Immediate results from a week of light barefoot walking, it seemed. I have low expectations from the doctors that I'm giving another chance. I've made more progress in a week on my own than over years with them. And for free. Currently waiting on a pair of vivos to be delivered so I can really focus on making real improvements.

Became a barefooter full time about 12 years ago, but I used Vivos to transition into the lifestyle. I was amazed at how muscles I didn't even know I had came to life in my legs after years of atrophy as a result of 'normal' shoes. Now I use Vivos at work and VFFs anywhere else as well as a thick soled tabi type for garden work, when barefooting isn't an easy option. I'm certainly not the temple of physical health that the Bioneer is, but barefooting certainly opened the door to start towards that as I wanted to find new ways of enjoying ground textures which encouraged more physical exercise as opposed to lazier means of commuting, for instance... There's a whole host of other benefits that can be gained from just taking your shoes off. For me the most notable was a better immune system and improved circulation. To me everyone should be able to go barefoot and there would not be this terrible social stigma to stand out in this way - the way we've evolved to be. The most natural and inexpensive exercise one might regularly enjoy. I mean, if you took a look at the MBT and all that crazy engineering to mimic the way one can move without any shoes at all, it's insane. So much unnecessary material for the same effect of just not wearing any footwear. And pretty tragic that such an idea could even be developed for manufacture and sale without a second thought, a clear indication that we've become so conditioned to wear shoes the concept of not doing so is totally inconceivable to many, even naturists! Incredible the harm that 'protection' and 'safety' has done to our resilient species.

Ive been making foot adjustments the past few years after developing foot pain. The doctor wanted to sell me orthotics which made no sense to me. Instead I found working on the yard barefoot, walking in sandals, removing the insoles from my sneakers, and switching back to a traditional heavy workboot made my feet & ankles stronger and got rid of pain.

Bought my first pair of vivos 2 weeks ago, and after few days i noticed my left foot is longer than right one due to slightly collapsed arch. Whole barefoot shoe experience is definitely making me more aware of every step. Im curious should i get a bigger shoe size until i pull back my toe where it should be, or is it fine that my left foot toe is kinda pushing against the tip of the shoe. The right one fits wonderfully and i actually find it quite cozy. But the left one is screwed and will need some adjustment period. I plan on doing some strenghtening excercises to fix this tiny bunion and collapsed arch.

Thanks for this video. I actually looked for it last week and was surprised you hadn't made one! Yes, there was a study which linked educational engagement with being barefoot in school by Bournemouth University. I recommend Tadeevos. I have a three-year-old pair which are still going strong

I've been wearing Vibram 5 fingers for a couple years now for working out, E-board riding & house shoes. The first couple weeks my calves were a bit sore but now they are my everyday foot wear. They are kind of pricey but tough as nails and are still in great shape, just throw them in the washing machine if they get too dirty. Can't live without them.

Running up on 3 years using barefoot shoes and don’t intend to look back. It’s done me wonders.

Barefoot/Zero-drop shoes are also good for weight lifting. Such as the squat, deadlift, or overhead press. Gives much better stability than all those other "athletic" shoes.

Some of the more common injuries when transitioning to a minimalist shoes are achilles and plantar fascia injuries. This largely happens because you're not taking the time to allow your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, to adapt to the increased demand and for the achilles tendon especially, the demand for greater length. It tends to get shortened over the years when you're wearing conventional shoes with an elevated heel, so it needs time to stretch back out. I have been in minimalist shoes since 2009 myself, and despite a torn and unrepaired ACL injury, I have largely avoided any serious knee issues, and have picked up strongman competitions as a hobby in recent years. I don't think I could go back to a conventional shoe at this point, and I have no desire to do so.

Mate you should check out this huge, very modern and well done meta analysis of 50+ papers on the topic of heel strike vs forefoot. - "What are the Benefits and Risks Associated with Changing Foot Strike Pattern During Running? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Injury, Running Economy, and Biomechanics" Long story short they found zero (0) increased risk of injury OR running efficiency when you compared heel strikers to mid-foot strikers.

Hi Bioneer! Do you think bunions require surgery or is switching to barefoot shoes a legit fix?

There is one thing I think needs to be addressed or at least I have a question that I have no good answer for: as a construction worker, I HAVE to wear specific boots. Are there any options to satisfy safety, but improve biomechanics? Or is it necessary for me to balance the two?

I have been wearing barefoot shoes for about 2 months now after researching ways to help my bunion. I can say my feet never hurt anymore, just sore or tired. My tight hips and low back pain have basically disappeared. My low back mobility has increased significantly because it isn't holding so much tension throughout the day from being out of alignment from the foot up.

worked out for 3 years barefoot plus hiking in sandals or growing up walking barefoot on gravel never really realized how much i’ve been conditioning my feet

I've had a pair of Xero HFS for about 2 weeks now and loving the difference so far. I've been struggling with poor ankle mobility and just general lower body neglect, so hoping these form a part of getting that back on track

0:40 Just take those things off and go barefoot like normal. And it doesn’t mimic being barefoot, plus calling them “barefoot shoes” is SUCH A HORRIBLE MISLEADING OXYMORON. Just because it doesn’t add all of these things that destroys everything, it doesn’t stop that fact that you’re LITERALLY WEARING SHOES LIKE WTF Stop calling the horrible foot brace binders regular shoes because they’re literally just foot destroyers. And you can’t feel the ground properly or get proper form naturally while running with shoes on, so take the things off and run/do things like normal. Oh yeah and those are even worse than Vibrams because the toes are stuck together. 2:51 Unfortunately mine are still messed up especially because I don’t have toe spacers Okay now I’m on negative brain cells from hearing barefoot shoes and hearing those foot torture devices being called normal. 9:19 Uhhh nooo!!??????? Rocks are hard and natural & you’re supposed to build up to running barefoot on rough concrete/asphalt. It’s legit regular asfffff

Been considering switching to minimalist/barefoot shoes, but OMG are they expensive... while it's easy to find cheap regular shoes ($30-$50), but minimalist shoes are all $100+...

Been using barefoot shoes for years I no longer have any knee pain... Though I do use a zero drop running shoe for when I run on gravel roads (as I was bruising my feet on large Sharp stones)...

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 It's been driving me crazy that nobody talks about this. I can't comprehend why the default shoe around the world is done this way.

I got a pair of Splays, they are an inexpensive, stylish, yet functional barefoot-style shoe made with canvas and vulcanized rubber...

Great video Adam!!! The music was different🤔 I struggle with flat feet which is generally unpleasant Can you do a video on building foot strength?

those nike revolutions come in "extra wide" versions bytheway!

I bought 2 pairs of barefoot shoes over the last 2 months, initially inspired by seeing Bioneer wear them, and Kneesovertoesguy recommend them. Now by perfect timing, this brilliantly comprehensive video lands here. Hes done it again!!! I have Plantar Fasciitis and my feet seem to sometimes cramp up if rested too long. After wearing soft soled runners all my life, Im hoping to get the intended improvements with barefoot shoes over time.

I've ben wearing Chuck Taylor All Stars since 1966. Nothing new under the sun.

myofascial trigger point release works on tendons, too. if my knees ache from running just some heat and pressure from fingertips on the connecting tendons all around them relieves the tightness that's causing ligament to pull on bone.

I've been wearing Xero Barefoot type shoes for over 5 plus years and that's the only way I can go nowadays. I've got all types of variations from workout shoes, to casual, hiking, sandals, and dress shoes too. No going back to other shoes like Nikes, Reebok, or Converse.

Recently purchased a pair of barefoot shoes for the first time. I like how connected to the ground I feel 👍

I found barefoot shoes from MERRELL Vapor Glove 4 J52504 Monument and I want to ask if they are good

Your thumbnail is deceptive , Bold letters GO BAREFOOT. then I find find out its a add for shoes. Not impressed!

I've been wanting to find a pair of barefoot shoes that fit my feet properly (any that I've bought strangle my feet even when I go a size or 2 up). Because my default is being barefoot. I hate wearing shoes long term. And it's somewhat a family trait too. Cuz my grandma also prefers to be barefoot and my great aunt specifically kicks off her shoes when she runs.

I Love ,Love,Love your channel brother.So much great & helpful info.Are you working on another book?