What They Don't Tell You About Barefoot Style Shoes... 

Are you barefooting or nah?

I wore barefoot for years and developed plantar fasciitis. Podiatrist convinced me to go back to fully cushioned shoes. After a year of crippling pain I stumbled onto the actual cause: magnesium deficiency. Supplemented mg and cured the PF. I'm now happily back in barefoot shoes and doing great at 56!!

When you wear barefoot shoes you gain a new sense for your surroundings. You suddenly become aware of what surface you're walking on. And that is a beautiful feeling.

I used to sell footwear and it was alarming how many folks came in to buy barefoot footwear for their hikes but had never used them before. The hype and marketing are dangerous and I found myself having to constantly remind folks to ease into their new footwear. Also worth noting that the book “how to fix your feet” is fantastic and I highly recommend it to anyone who hikes. It’s all about taking measures to reduce, prevent, and sometimes get rid of various foot injuries. I used to read it during my shift on slow days, and the knowledge I gained was invaluable in helping customers assess footwear problems and needs.

I was running half marathons in conventional footwear. When I switched to minimal footwear (luna sandals), I treated it like I was starting running all over again from a beginner. It's a totally different experience. This is a good video.

One of the things I first noticed wearing barefooters was how mentally straining it became, having to notice the ground I was treading took me out of my loofty mindset and sort of grounded me, my hikes became almost meditative as I suddenly had to read the ground infront of me. Loved it!

It's crazy our ancestors would run through rocky mountains, forest, deserts, and snow all barefoot. And we can't even walk over a lego.

I started my transition to barefoot about 10 years ago, and I experienced, almost immediately, less pain in knees and low back. I also went for a 2-mile jog which was way too far for barefoot beginner, and my calf muscles were swollen for at least two weeks, and it was like I turned on a whole new set of muscles. If you’re young, you will love it (unless you don’t want big muscles in calves?), and if you are 30+, you will regret it and wish you went slower! Either way, the transition is inevitable if you want overall wellness and less pain with an active adult lifestyle. The other significant change is that my feet became significantly wider in certain areas. Not just the most obvious needing more room in toe box for comfort, but the muscles on the bottoms of my feet were activated and subsequently a few mm bigger…and the major downside was that I could no longer wear some of my old favorite boots or dress shoes. I basically found barefoot in every style and never looked back…almost never. I still see a pair of Nike’s or other pop shoes occasionally that make me wish they would fit comfortably, and I still try on a pair every once in a while just to check. Going up a size makes it tolerable, but if you are going to be on your feet or walking a lot, it only takes me an hour or two to feel pain from normal, narrow, raised heel shoes and beg for barefoot. There are more and more brands making nice looking barefoot shoes that can accommodate most situations (boots, oxford’s, classic sneakers, etc.). I strongly recommend looking into the following: Lems (great for beginners and transition, wide toe box and zero drop, but with some cushion), Vivobarefoot, Merrel Vapor Glove, and a newer favorite that is ridiculously affordable, Whitin (amazon brand usually between $35-50!). And I also love Camper specifically Peu Cami style only, and I remove the padded insole with heel elevated and replace with a “barefoot” sole (which is also made by Whitin and purchased on Amazon). That is one of my favorites for style and comfort. So in summary, like most things, slow and steady wins, and I highly recommend a mindful approach to foot health, to include the exercises and stretches in this video. I wore toe spacers almost every night for a year and now I just wear them occasionally in my feet are sore. Its amazing how you can literally reshape your feet with patient, mindful care including strengthening and massaging into place. You have 26 bones in each foot and over 100 muscles and ligaments that determine the shape and setting of those bones. You can reshape your foot and likely avoid surgery and more injuries and general pain particularly if you look at it like you are preparing your body for your next decade. You may experience some relief earlier on, but unless you are still growing or very young adult, this will take time, and its so worth it!

Husband and I made the barefoot shoe switch a little over a year ago. I was working on my feet all day and coming home in agony. Shoes and insoles that offered “support” did nothing to ease the pain. I can happily assure you now that my feet are happier and healthier on my barefoot journey than ever before.

One of my favorite benefits of transitioning to minimalist shoes is that blisters are a thing of the past. When the shoe easily flexes with your foot, blisters don't happen.

One thing I love about zero-drop is you actually have a greater push off of your toes since the heel starts from a lower position. It’s basically opening up untapped power in your calves.

I never had “real” shoes and really loved my barefoot foot ware when that became a mainstream thing. I was somewhere in my late 30’s when I decided to get some hiking boots that were built like armor. Thick sole, arches, up past the ankles, water proof. Oh man, they are heavenly, going from 3 decades of thin soles to suddenly not feeling every pebble underfoot and even getting to trudge through puddles. I’m having the exact opposite experience as you guys.

Another huge problem with regular shoes is most people do not wear the correct size, with running shoes you absolutely want extra space in your toes for proper movement, but a lot of people refuse to wear the size they should because they've bought the same exact size for years and they get stuck on a number. I work at a running shoe store and I'd say the vast majority of people have pain/problems either related to not wearing the correct shoe size, or they are using the wrong type of shoe for the activity they're doing.

I started wearing barefoot in my late 50’s. The transformation has been amazing. I did take it slower early on but after 6 years plus I now struggle to feel anything but uncomfortable in normal shoes. Due to osteoporosis injuries wearing normal shoes was painful after about a mile walking. With barefoot shoes I have no pain, my balance is significantly better, and feel more stable in all movements. I would add, due health issues, I am not super fit or any sort of athlete, just a normal guy …

I am now watching my 9 month old son learning to walk. It is amazing to see how intuitively he uses all his muscles on his feet. So much to learn from him.

I was always playing outside barefoot as a kid, and I think the change to bare feet doesn't cause problems in itself, as you mentioned. They only highlight how weak your feet are so what feels like a problem is actually a symptom of a larger issue, much in the same way as people commonly experiencing bodily issues or discomfort from changing their unhealthy diets. Barefoot has always been better, and if the ground was in better condition in the cities (idiots breaking glass and dropping garbage everywhere), I'd be barefoot most of the time, but I'll have to settle for sandals and minimalist shoes for now.

I'm so grateful that I was raised in a home that promoted being barefoot as much as possible. I grew up running in the woods barefoot, and running around on rocks at the bay by my house. We also had a really long gravel driveway til I was 12, and my brothers and I used to race each other on the gravel driveway, especially when they were really hot in the summer. That, and I was home schooled, so, I spent most of my day shoe free, unless we went to the store, or somewhere else that required shoes. I also have long toes, which drs think probably came from being barefoot most of my development years, as I'm not tall. To illustrate how long my toes were, by 10 or 11, I was able to throw a baseball with one foot 20 feet or more. I also spent a good amount of time in my early 20s not wearing shoes in public, but also keeping flip flops in my back pocket, for when I needed to go in stores. My friends thought I was weird, but I've always just done my own thing, vs giving in to peer pressure. Working mostly from home has allowed me to keep this up. So, for me, non-barefoot shoes make my feet start to hurt anywhere from - 20 mins - an hour after putting them on. And I always used to buy standard shoes in wide versions, and half a size too big, to decrease how much shoes would hurt me.

I have always enjoyed stepping directionally on every rock. I tell my friends I get a foot massage every time I hike and they think I’m nuts. They always say “I have no strength so I need support.” And that sums up all the problems in the world.

My feet are stronger, my posture better, and balance has greatly improved in the almost 3 years since converting to barefoot shoes. I suffered far more injuries in traditional shoes from rolling my ankles.

Excellent video. Started having foot problems in my late 40s. Ten years later it was to the point I couldn't walk without pain. Had my second go around with Bare Foot shoes, but I also added toe spacers which has been a game changer for healing my big toe joints. As for creating the arch, I noticed the horse stance form classical martial arts is great for developing that. I will definitely try your tips!

I switched to barefoot style trainers for my running and gym activities. Initially I made a big mistake by running at speed on the treadmill and over-extending my stride...managed to cause a stress fracture, not fun. Realized that once I had healed it was worth persevering, cannot imagine ever running in anything else. Love the tips in this video, especially the ball/broom handle rolling.

I'm a competitive runner and have been doing some of my miles barefoot for quite awhile now. Really like this video. It's something that people often miss but is crucial. If you don't train your flexibility and strength before fully moving to barefoot you WILL get injured.

I'm 62 and have been wearing a zero drop, minimalist shoe for about a year. Previous to this change, I rolled my ankles fairly regularly and fell every few months. Since the change, I have done neither. Not once. I did not understand how much even minimal arch "support" shifted my weight subtly to the outside. Or how much the side-to-side flexibility in these shoes allows me to "catch myself". Love this change and never going back!

Huge thanks for this video mate. As a remedial therapis of 17 years, you cover so many critical points in the value of feet care and functionality. I couldnt tell you how many every day short term and long term problems ive seen due to these issues

Sounds like great advice. Up until 30, I was wearing shoes or work boots almost every waking hour. After 30, and now till 37, as soon as I'm home, no shoes. I even use my climbing wall barefoot. Even do some barefoot parkour (which typically results in bleeding). Really glad to have this advice to help me even more.

On injury likelihood: I've found that the support granted by traditional shoes gives the feeling that you can push harder than your body really can, while wearing barefoot shoes or sandals lets you more accurately feel your body's limits. It's anecdotal, but I've had way more ankle injuries when hiking in non-barefoot trailrunners.. and combine that with the downtime caused by those injuries, and personally I'm able to hike far far longer in barefoot shoes before injuring myself than if I'm wearing shoes with thick soles and arch support.

As an orthopedic shoemaker for over 10 years now, this video is so awesome to see. Very well and professionally explained. I think everybody can learn a lot from this. I mean EVERYBODY. Together with my boss we two produce about 1000 pairs of medically prescribed orthopedic insoles every year by hand, plus around 150 pairs of individually designed orthopedic shoes.. I can tell you, that almost everybody has some kind of deformation regarding their feet, knees, hips and so on. Everything is connected from bottom to top in the human body. A lot of customers have the expectation that an orthopedic insole will heal or lets say bring their feet back into their natural shape without being actively trained. In fact, the opposit is happening, and I suggest them always not to wear these insoles always and in every shoe. Sure there are some special cases where the body health does not support and/or allow active training anymore or over a period of time. For thoes people are such special shoes and insoles really a help and a piece of life quality. But as long as it is possible for one, it will pay out in the long term. Train your feet well and they will carry you as far as you want them to. It IS a path as said in the video. Change does not come overnight, but it will come. Be patient with yourself. Thanks a lot to the ceator of this video for this insight into barefoot shoes. I am already excited trying a pair of these out in the near future.

Found this when I am in the process of transitioning to minimalist shoes. I spend alot of time barefoot and I cannot thank you enough for this video. Gold, I tell you. 🙏🏾🔥💪🏾

I started wearing barefoot shoes nearly 6 months ago It definitely has been a learning curve My feet are stronger and now my ankles are finally adapting to them I also use toe spreaders plus mobility work to help

I don't know about outdoor pursuits but my hips were twisted and basically entire skeletal structure was asymmetrical my entire life, until I started wearing barefoot shoes. Now I'm taller and all my muscle groups are engaged in every movement and it feels absolutely amazing! About 3 years of wearing nothing but barefoots, but they don't have to have thin soles so you feel all the stones when walking, it's the zero drop is the most important feature, for me anyway it was, as a typical heeled shoe pushed in my lower back, pushing out my butt and distributing the load badly.

All these exercises makes barefoot shoes look really complicated when it really isn't. For me it just took common sense to make the switch. I bought a pair of barefoot shoes and started using them in my everyday life. Walking to work, using them at the gym etc. You will feel that you get tired in both feet and legs when you start using them and as long as you listen to these signals and maybe pause for a few days you should be good. As with every other thing when it comes to your body nothing should be used with force and it will take time to change an old habit.

Just starting my barefoot journey and am so glad I found this video! Stellar explanation and as a climber and hiker I'm happy I found your channel! Looking forward to learning more from your content ✌️

Great video - thank you. I've got decades old ankle and knee injuries and weird feet. Most shoes are very uncomfortable and pass the discomfort up to ankle/knee. Bare foot is the most comfortable for the whole leg/lower back, but some footwear is good in winter. The four issues you describe so well explain a lot!

I've been amazed how roll-proof my ankles have become over a few years of trail running and hiking in (mostly) Merrell Trail Gloves. 21 mile hikes these last two weeks, both with a hard roll that were complete non-issues. Stronger, more supple supporting muscles, and not having the extra lever arm of a tall sole wrenching your foot over when it happens helps too. As for getting beat up by the ground ...learn to land better, and don't step blindly.

Started wearing barefoot/minimal when Covid started, now I can’t go back. I really enjoy barefoot sandals (I own Shammas) but shoes such as Vivo are great for colder months or events up to business casual

I have talked to many show shops and you are the first that told me NB 840v5 was a good show to put my custom orthotics in because of the shoe's straight last . I have 3 foot issues and you've been sooooo helpful ! Thanks tons ! 🥰

Very cool. Thank you for introducing short foot to me. I think it'll be a gamechanger. I also did a little further research, and you did a great job with pointing out that the first metatarsal comes off the ground. Keep doin' what you're doin'.

The explanation of the "Short Foot" at 5:40 reminds me a lot of what is taught in traditional kungfu (not modern) about drawing the force from the ground, rooting the fingers and feeling the torque in order to deliver a powerful hit. I think all of this is part instinct, part ancient knowledge, that we just forgot about along the way...

It is much less likely to sprain an ankle with a thin sole shoe, especially a zero drop sole. The fulcrum point just doesn't have nearly as much leverage on the ankle. Wearing something with a 30mm heel stack, especially a low-top, is risky for ankle sprain. I'll take foot soreness over a twisted ankle any day.

Im a martial artist but I have foot issues. This is helpful. I do a lot of barefoot exercise so I feel you're on the right path. Thanks for the help and information.

I’m a contemporary dancer (being barefoot while dancing) and one week after starting to wear barefoot shoes, I went light hiking (climbing up a hill for one hour) - my right achilles didn’t like it at all and started hurting. Nothing more serious because I took care after that and still wore standard shoes interchangeably with barefoot shoes - but after one month I still feel my heels sometimes after a longer walk - a sign to give the body a gentle transition. Thanks for all the exercises - will use them for sure!

I've been a full time barefoot person for about 7 years. When the temperature gets below 40F I wear a thin moccasin or other minimalist shoes. There's nothing like hiking barefoot when you finally fully transition which takes a few years. I started out with flat feet and going barefoot totally transformed my feet to the point where I no longer need anything unless it's hazardous or freezing cold. My feet and my toes are well muscled and my calves are huge. I just can't wear normal footwear because my feet are a lot thicker and wider now. I have to go up a size and buy the widest shoe available. And I have to take the insole out just to get my foot in a conventual or a minimalist shoe unless it's a moccasin. I've walked on glass, metal, jagged rocks, tree roots, etc. The human foot can do it all once the transition is complete. And they don't get cold anymore. I can sit in a tree stand for hours with just a shoe and a thin pair of socks when others need 2000 grams of insulation in their boots.

I'm 52 and was getting super clumsy. I was literally stumbling over things every day and falling completely at least once a week. I realised my balance was shot and also I was walking incorrectly. The very first thing I noticed after starting to work on my balance was that this stopped completely. My boyfriend was actually the first to notice as he always used to hold on to me to save me every time I tripped LOL. I feel increased balance IS the number one benefit of barefoot shoes. Falls kill so many elderly people, not usually the fall itself but the repercussions of it. I think going barefoot is the single most effective thing you can do to provide the stability and sensory feedback to protect against falls in later years. A good investment! Thanks for the video. I'm not a hiker but I am subscribing now. I'm just a normal person benefiting from your stretches and brilliant advise on fixing mobility problems. Thanks!!!!

Great advice. I can't wear anything else now. Started wearing barefoot at 51. 67 now. Live in Oz so have been able to be barefoot fairly often. Can't say enough about taking the time to transition. How we organise above the foot is something that sadly gets ignored through what becomes obsession with the feet. As a feldenkrais practitioner "less is more" is the best advice I can give in transitioning. The rewards are truly wonderful.

0 drop/ barefoot shoes (like Vivobarefoot) completely stopped my back pain while running. I do wear Vivo barefoot shoes sometimes, mostly in casual situations, sometimes to work. I work primarily on concrete floors, so my feet get pretty sore in true barefoot shoes. I do wear altras or barefoot sandals almost all of the time. Lifting weights, body weight exercises I do barefoot because my gym encourages it, and I trail run in altras. Talk about life changing.

1 year on barefoot shoes and I still think I'm miles away from being adapted. Nonetheless I feel my feet are way more robust now, it's a great feeling

I've had foot/ankle issues my entire life - had corrective shoes when I started walking and later was told to wear a boot with a heal - I was twisting ankles and tearing ligaments since I was a kid. BS'd my way into the Marine Corps and somehow survived all the training (Parris Island for boot camp and Camp Pendelton for infantry school) but in the end was released because of my ankle issues. Later tore ligaments and had my ankles scoped then had a ligament reconstruction.... I stumbled upon the barefoot movement several years ago and it has changed my life. I've done several videos on how to modify vintage style "sneakers" (because I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of modern barefoot shoes) and have found that the Pro-Keds seem to offer the widest toebox (Vans, Chuck Taylors, and PF Flyers are all to restricting in the toebox) - I could type another few paragraphs on my personal experience with all this but just wanted to say your video is well done - I do quite a lot of what you show here. The point I make to people is that there are 27 bones in your foot, we were designed to walk barefoot, as the foot articulates over uneven surfaces messages are sent to the brain which results in your body doing what it needs to do to maneuver over the uneven terrain all without having to think about it - Keep up the good work

The toe glove advice is great, I'm a rock climber and our sport requires us to cram our feet into the tightest rubber shoes possible, it's exactly what you will see loads of people doing after taking their climbing shoes off as it allows the toes to separate with instantly noticeable results

I'm actually barefoot most the time I'm not in work, was looking into buying these to wear when I'm required to like shops/pubs. Hate having my feet covered

Started walking mainly barefoot and barefoot shoes around 1,5 years ago..changed my life. No more pain. My foot already looks much better. Muscles are relaxed. Knees and hips..everything is better. I cannot believe how I tortured my feet for years.

As someone who grew up running around in the woods and up and down the stream on rocks in knock-off converse, this is fascinating! When I started getting into sports as a kid, and into more supportive shoes, I didn’t like them because I couldn’t feel the ground! I love my highly padded ASICS for gym stuff, but anything climbing anything, I want my converse to feel the rocks. I’m watching this to work on my feet, because my joints are slippy and my ankles are YIKES, so I’m trying strengthen my feet.

It's been nothing but awesome for me. My whole posture got so much better and no more lower back pain. Even running became effortless.

I love your videos! I’ve seen 2 now. I’m a martial artist who fell into the dreadful plantar fasciitis rut. You are really giving me solid ideas and confirmation of what my internal is saying. I know this is going to be a process so I’ve calmed down. Thank you!

I'm 63 and have gained so much valuable info from Chase Mountains since I've started hiking. I've used his exercises to not only recover from leg injuries, but I'm sure to prevent them as well. Thanks so much!

Thanks for all these suggestions and for taking the time to present them! I’m in my early 60s and have always walked a lot, fast. My mom had such high arches that her tracks at the pool had almost nothing between the toe and heel, and I luckily inherited those too. Up until my late teens, I basically did not wear shoes at all from May till September, and once school started, I would take my shoes off as soon as school was out, because I had spread toes and shoes were torture devices. :-) Then I moved to a larger city and going barefoot all the time wasn’t an option, so I gradually got a custom to shoes all the time. About 7 years ago I started running and was enjoying it immensely, but my knees did not adjust as fast as my cardiovascular system. I had a lot of stiffness and pain, and that in “good,” well-fitted running shoes. I had to stop running; even short runs aggravated it. I got a pair of barefoot shoes (Xero Prio All-Day) and outside of a little oddness the first day, I adapted to them very quickly. I immediately noticed a positive change in my posture. However I could also tell that I was gaining strength in my feet and calves. So I didn’t try to start running too quickly. I started with very short distances, just trying to find the right foot strike. I knew to avoid heel striking, but it was fairly ingrained, and I found myself doing it anyway at first. Thankfully I did not do it for very long, so although I paid for it the next day, I didn’t hurt myself. :-) I tried to move it forward and really pay attention to how things felt, and afterwards my calves were really tight and lightly sore. When I decided to try a longer distance, I did find something that felt better, but I also noticed that I was still struggling with old habits, and ended up pulling a muscle in one calf. Not badly and I didn’t try and keep running on it so it cleared up rather quickly. I’m still taking it easy and doing calf and hamstring strengthening exercises as well, and not doing really long runs yet. It’s a work in progress. But I can say that knee pain has been almost nonexistent, and mostly when I think too much and tighten up. I recently watched a video where the vlogger made the point that before switching to “barefoot shoes,” it’s actually better to try running completely barefoot, because although barefoot shoes let you feel a lot more, it’s nothing compared to actual bare feet on the ground. When I was a kid, I never had to think about the right way to run barefoot. I just did it. It’s pretty bizarre that we have to relearn that. I’ve seen women go through similar processes after wearing high heels shoes for years and trying to get back to flats. Now I don’t ever want to wear shoes with raised heels at all anymore; recently I had to because I was dressed up for a wedding, and it felt way too strange. The things we put ourselves through for fashion!

Glad you put that DISCLAIMER in the description as I was just about to ask and that would have answered it.

Great information to learn for the first time; super thorough.. I subscribed because you’re knowledgeable and didn’t ask/beg for anyone to subscribe, like 90% of other creators.

This is probably the best video I've seen on this subject. I wear wide, zero-drops (Vivo/Altra) all day and still my big toes lean in somewhat. I never even thought about the socks!!

Probably the best of all the overviews of the barefoot/minimalist that I have come across. From my personal experience as someone in their late sixties who has been using this type of footware for the last 18 months in a lot of different environments, I would strongly recommend listening to all the suggestions made. After years of abuse to my feet with "normal" shoes, it has only been in the last few months that I have finally realized the many benefits of this type of footware.

Something I find to be overlooked very often when it comes to the heel drop and overall sole thickness, is that the more you have under the heel the more unstable you're making your ankles, and the worse twisting an ankle will be. It's pretty simple physics really, the longer the lever to your ankle, this being your heel plus shoe height, the harder the torque exerted on the ankle. I originally switched from running shoes to kung fu shoes as I'd twisted my ankle, badly enough to have blood pooling in my foot, twice in the span of two months. I've had nothing since while wearing thin shoes, but I sure feel my ankles going into funny positions when I put thick heeled shoes on and walk around on the rocky beach near my place.

Just came from a video that convinced me to go barefoot. I thought this was going to warn against it. The relief knowing it’s actually advising how to transition is very reassuring. Thank you.

I transitioned in 2013, started three months after my second ACL surgery. Reason was first time I went running in my ASICS Kayano during the recovery (prescribed by the Doctor) I had acute pain in the knee. I researched the topic and started transitioning. One problem I had was mild Achilles issue that I recovered from in a couple of months. Achilles must stretch and get longer and I found out was doing the calf stretching exercise wrongly. Since then I very rarely get injured and do very heavy training. Takeaway is that one must transition carefully, but after that, you are much better off. Thanks to barefoot running (I use Vivos or Merrell Glove) one can do much more at much less risk. I feel I do not wear my joints, very important after 2 ACL’s and in my late forty’s. As an example, I am able to rest for weeks (e.g. COVID-19 related) and then do four half marathons straight, day after day, as I just did this week. Such strain is possible because with barefoot running one controls better the actual load, one perceived better how the body reacts. I can only recommend barefoot/minimalist running, especially if you want to reduce or even eliminate injuries and you want to keep healthy for much longer. Just take care with the transition.

I ran around barefoot a lot but when I switched to my first five fingers I still had bad foot technique and kept stubbing and bruising my feet for two weeks. Using minimal foot wear not only fixed my walking technique but rewired my brain to be very aware of what's on the ground.

I wore the most minimalist model of the vibrams barefoot shoes for about 2 years back in 2011/2012, literally until they fell apart, and i loved them. To this day my fastest 5k time (19:51) was in those shoes. I started running more again lately using a traditional, cheap running shoe and the difference is craaazy - my knees in particular seem to take an absolute battering even though I'm actively trying to stay on my forefoot.

good stuff mate. I moved to barefoot shoes almost 10 years ago just to solve a problem in my right foot. 10yrs happy!

As somebody who just about NEVER wore shoes growing up, even into grocery stores and most public places as I got older. Walking south florida nature trails barefoot, coming across barefoot shoes was a blessing. My daily shoes since highschool were vans... now I have a pair of xero shoes and sandals and my back/foot pain is alleviated and I can feel grounded while I'm wearing shoes.

Great points. The key take away for me and I hope for most people as well is that barefoot shoes are not a magic pill. They're a pretty important part of the solution but there's a lot more that goes into foot care. There's a holistic responsibility people need to accept. I'm loving the transition myself. Can't imagine going back to traditional sport footwear again.

As a South African, we grew up practically barefoot. Did everything and played all sports barefoot. When I discovered vibram 5 fingers I tried them, and now use them almost exclusively. I've owned over 10 pairs. My feet were primed however, a personal friend who had never gone barefoot bought a pair, wore them a whole day and ended up severely injuring his feet with months of recovery. You must gradually adapt.

Awesome video dude, subscribed 😊👍 I tried MBTs many years ago and they worked wonders (hard work at first!), but now, having been wearing regular footwear for years, have decided to go the zero-drop/barefoot shoe way - I'm always barefoot at home anyways. This vid has really helped me start to work out a strategy to get started, thanks!!

Switched to zero drops after noticing I'd never sprained an ankle in my OCR shoes, will never go back. I love the sensation of terrain through my thin shoes compared to the numbness of my old hoof-like hikers. I really appreciate your advice on foot mobility for hikers. So much advice is for road runners.

Just bought my first pair of zero drops I can say enough good about them. The feel from the first second of wear was noticeably more comfortable. My stability immediately became far superior to all others I've worn. I have to believe these would be an necessity to elderly people for increase stability which would prevent alot of hip injuries.

I want to go in the mountains with you! Love this, will be sharing and trying all of this. I went from looking at hoka, on clouds, birds, ortho feet because I’m on my feet from 7 am to 11 pm and what’s funny about this is love to be barefoot and my chaos. Crazy you learn something new everyday!!

Thank you for this extremely thorough video. This is the best and most well rounded instruction I've found and all the excellent exercises/adaptation techniques so helpful. Thank you!

It took me a couple years to adapt to minimalist shoes full time. Thank you for sharing your experience to help others in their transition!

Another good excersice for the feet and knees is backwards walking, I do it on the treadmill. I've been wearing vivobarefoot for nearly 5yrs. I tried on my ice hockey skates this year and can't believe it, they no longer fit due to width of my feet

My partner loves his barefoot shoes! I was skeptical at first, but now I have a better understanding of why the idea of barefoot shoes is an adjustment for me given what I’ve gotten used to with most commercial shoes.

Just getting into the thematic, wonderful job you are doing here, very thankful

Great video and nicely explained. I always shake my head when people tell me that they "tried out" barefoot shoes. This isn't something that you can just try out. It took me a year to slowly make the change. It was more of a lifestyle change then anything else.

I couldn't agree more with all of the points you made! I started my transition to barefoot shoes a little over three years ago, first with zero-drop shoes (Altra) and over the following year with minimalist shoes (Lems). Now I find "traditional" shoes suuper awkward and clunky, and my feet feel sore if I have to wear them for any length of time, whereas they are happiest when as close to barefoot as possible. Thank you for doing your part to help shed some light on barefoot shoes and reminding those who are interested in going barefoot that it does take some work- but that it is also totally worth it. Cheers!

You're awesome! Thank you so very much. Found you after plantar fascitis--now ready to love my body. Blessings to you--I resonate with what you share and so grateful

Thank you for this video! I really want to start training my feet (along with the rest of my body) and increase walking bare foot. I walk bare foot a lot at home and outside during summer and I've always done this since I was a kid. I also walk pretty straight so I was happy to notice my big toes are already pointing a lot more straight forward compared to your examples. My smaller toes, muscles and arch will need work... I'm excited though😊

So grateful for the recent focus on feet, I have a lifelong struggle with my feet. My feet are my limiting factor for multi-day hikes. Recently have started yoga for feet and toes and it has helped more than anything else and Chase’s approach is very similar but goes even further. Such value in this channel❤️

Really glad to have found your channel. Just bought my first pair of Vivo hiking boots and, yeah, they feel different! Also spent quite a bit of time being re-hab'd by a fascial expert when injured and it really changed my world in terms of understanding body structure and kinetics, so it's really cool to hear you talk about it. Looking forward to digging into your channel!

I have all my life preferred walking barefoot, I always do in our house as well. When I switched to barefoot shoes I had a period of I think 2 months when it hurt. I noticed I was too focused on how to walk "correctly" that I basically forgot how to walk and didn't let myself found my footing naturally :D When I stopped thinking too much about it, it instantly got better :) I also notice now, 3 years later, that my legs are waayyy more trained!

Not only was that not what I was expecting (as intended, I'm sure Keepo), it was actually very informative; thanks for making

Dude. This video was just suggested to me, and I'm so glad I watched it! I've been becoming increasingly suspicious of the common trends in the industries that produce gear for physical activities, and how they seem to be at least linked to long term problems in the body, rather than being beneficial. I really want to start bringing my body back to a more holistic state, and I think your channel is going to help me do that. Thank you so much!

I used to have so much knee pain that I couldn't run for shit (smashed them in rugby and motorcycle crashes, and probably from running with too much of a heel strike). I changed to new New Balance Minimus Zeroes, and eventually got back to a state that I could run. It hammered the calves at first, but once I built the strength up, I was able to run again. Definitely an education in how the body should work!

About the danger of injuries on a hike: I've tried hiking down hill with five fingers to reduce stress on my knees. But especially with these you really have to stay focused on where you put your feet as they offer the unique opportunity to hurt or even break each one of your toes individually... Which then happened as I lost concentration. Didn't break anything but bruised my outer right toes quite heavily. Be mindful of what you wear under which circumstances and maybe take a backup option with more protection at first when you're in difficult terrain.

After a hernia in my lower back I lost a lot of strength in my (specifically) left foot. I couldn’t even stand on tip toe anymore which was totally weird. That’s when I found the benefits of training my feet, I never thought about it before. I love using the pressure ball or the exercise where you use your feet to pick up (for example) a towel from the floor. Use your toes/feet to grip and lift it. Plantar Fasciitis gone and strenghth slowly returned 🤗 Barefoot shoes became more comfi too so I continue to include foot exercises in my training 🤗

Switched from traditional shoes when I was about your age. Im turning 50 now. They gave me another decade of trail running I would not have had otherwise. That finally ended due to other body parts - mostly due to Rugby wear and tear. But I can still walk and hike forever, and I think that is due to the switch. I always get people asking me about rolling my ankle and saying they won’t do it because they need ankle support. And I always try to tell em- I have terrible ankles, I’ve had surgery on both because I injured them so much in sports over the years, but you are so less likely to roll an ankle with a minimal shoe because your foot is flat on the ground, not a half inch or more above it. I use the extreme example of women in heels- how they’re wobbly and always prone to easily twisting an ankle. Take away the shoe that causes physics to make your ankle want to roll, take away the need for ankle support. We literally created a problem that then required a fix and now people believe they require the fix even if there is no problem to require the fix in the first place. Just get rid of the problem. Definitely agree with your vid tho, you have to transition slowly. Took me probably 3 years in total. If not you can really hurt yourself. I mean it would basically be the same as having your arm casted for years, taking it off and then trying to go do 50 lb curls. You’re gonna injure yourself. I highly recommend reading Born to Run and Barefoot Ken Bob’s books. Only other thing I would say from my experience for people that have given it a go but are having issues even after a year or two is that there are also what I call near-barefoot shoes. Those with a 2-5 mm drop. These might work for that person. While I can wear barefoot shoes with 0 mm drop walking as much as I want, for running due to a congenitally short achilles, I had to have some lift in the heel. I found that a 4 mm drop was my optimum spot. Luckily Merrell makes some trail runners in this range, so I bought about 6 pairs of them. Because you don’t have to replace barefoot or near-barefoot shoes like you do traditional shoes because there simply is no cushioning to wear out and start making you run uneven- literally I wear mine until the sole just has nothing left- I still have two pair in my closet brand new. So for some perhaps backing off from 0 drop might be a solution, especially to transition to a 0 drop later. For some it may take longer if they have more damage, or like me might find that there are some times they need some drop. Finally I will say that while I have switched all my footwear now to minimalist, I do still wear mountaineering boots when actually mountaineering and using crampons. That environment for me still requires a brick around my foot. Just wish I had more time in life right now to do more of it. Anyway, just the thoughts of a guy whose been at it now for about 13 years or so. Cheers 🤙

I wear barefoot shoes all summer. At the end of the summer the soles of my feet are leathery. Not calloused - they just have thicker skin. Also: The muscles in my foot are much stronger. I already wore broad shoes - always have - so that was not an issue. I sometimes have to look down when I've left my home to ensure I haven't forgot to put on shoes.

Barefoot shoes have helped me so much. Im 25 and hated wearing shoes as a kid so my foot never grew into the shoe shape most people do. This made shoes very painful as I got older because they always squeeze my foot! Finding barefoot shoes was a life changer because I finally found a shoe that fit!

I've been running barefoot for several years but my walking and hiking shoes have been traditional shoes. This year I fully transitioned to use only barefoot shoes and last summer I did my first barefoot hike, 5 days in the fells north from the arctic circle with Vivo Primus Trail FG running shoes. I'd say it was otherwise ok near the rivers and lowlands but the rocks on the fells were a bit harsh to the feet. Just mind your step and you'll be fine.

I've actually had similar issues and started to step on pointed stones while hiking (not all the time, but when i felt it could be beneficial, maybe for 30mins per day or so). So i was able to do a similar treatment WHILE hiking, while wearing barefoot shoes :) I've started to make a little game out of it and tried to catch different triggerpoints below my feet, stepping on that stones, while hiking. Quite fun :) It was not necessary to do an additional treatment with triggerballs or similar if i was playing this game daily, while hiking. But as with everything, there is a too less and a too much. So on some days it was better to do it more and on some not at all. I really just tried to listen to my body and act accordingly.

ty bro! i saved this vid cause i have worn Nike free runs for some years (my first exp with barefoot footwear) and wanted to see what u had to say. But seperate from that, past 1-2 yrs i've been having issues with my right big toe going in, clicking, tight and painful and also have pain in my right knee. Not long after i realised my arch is less in my right foot. After an initial doc assesment i learnt that my toe and less arch most likely is causing inbalance going up my leg to my knee (hence the pain and brittle feel) Now i'm on a mission to correct this as i'm 24 yrs old and have always been a running, jumpy guy and i loved walking on the ball of my feet as a kid. Basically i hold my foot health and mobility dear, and WILL NOT allow it to suffer. I've been making progress and am waiitng for my orthopedic apt to come through but am learning and doing what i can at home. Again ty bro for this great vid, as i learnt so many great points/exercises which i wasn't expecting too. I just saved this to my watch later cause it said "barefoot shoes" and i have exp wearing Nike free runs and i like that barefoot feel when running. Didn't expect to learn so much!

Epic! What a great find. Thank you for putting in this work to the masses ♥

After transitioning my short distance running, anything under 5km, my form got a lot better. Also walking around full barefoot in the city has become very comfortable instead of painful. Took a couple of months of walking before I could start running. Been using vibram five-fingers.

I started wearing zero drop shoes years ago and running miles. As I recall it seemed like a difficult transition but now I don't even think about the difficulties of wearing zero drop most of the time. I also wear flip flops that are very flexible as well.

I broke a small bone in the top of my foot the first time I ran 6 miles in barefoot style shoes, but I stuck with them after I healed and I love them now.

One year after I switched normal shoes to barefoot shoes, knee issue happned on me .. but this video gave me hopes not to give up barefootshoes. I am gana focus on basic training more. Thank you very much.