Our culture has made a mess of running. You’d think a simple, pleasurable physical activity wouldn’t produce widespread problems, but we’ve butchered running to the point of near death with it having some of the highest injury statistics of all physical [...]]]> Plus Follow-up From Barefoot Ken Bob’s Running Workshop

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Our culture has made a mess of running. You’d think a simple, pleasurable physical activity wouldn’t produce widespread problems, but we’ve butchered running to the point of near death with it having some of the highest injury statistics of all physical activities. Fortunately, there’s a revolution sweeping the running community that is changing people’s perspectives about running – and it all revolves around the idea of going barefoot. The coolest part is that anyone can start re-learning how to run immediately, and you won’t even need to buy expensive, high-tech shoes. Before we get to the tutorial, here’s some background information to whet your appetite.

A couple weeks ago, Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton (interview with him here) visited Cambridge, MA to teach a barefoot running workshop. It was raining for the 2 hour presentation and Q+A, but that didn’t stop dozens of runners from coming out to learn from one of the worlds best barefoot running experts. I’ve never seen so many people barefoot in my life (except at the beach)! So much was shared during that time, and I wanted to forward on some of the most valuable advice I gleaned from the experience.

• Barefoot Ken Bob admits that he is not a running coach – just a runner who’s run 76 marathons barefoot. He assured us that we are our own best coach, and reminded us of something very important: a coach can see and hear what you’re doing, but they cannot feel what you’re feeling. Only you can truly know if something feels right or wrong – and that’s applicable to not just barefoot running, but any physical practice. One of the best ways to get “in tune” with your body is to begin a comprehensive movement practice like Intu-Flow Joint Mobility.
• The best thing you can do to learn proper running technique is to run completely barefoot (no, Vibram FiveFingers don’t count as “barefoot”). Your body will send you the best possible feedback if you just lose the shoes and you’ll make the safest, healthiest, and most expedient progress if you learn to recognize and listen to those signals.
• We tend to over-complicate things that are truly quite simple – like running, for instance. Barefoot running is really simple.
• There are 4 major things you want to focus on while running: 1) crown to coccyx alignment (ie, tall posture, looking forward), 2) quick cadence (180+ footstrikes per minute), 3) forefoot foot strike followed by heel contact, and 4) Relax, relax, relax.
• Too many people only focus on the change in foot strike when making the transition to barefoot running, which is a terrible mistake. When running completely barefoot, your entire running technique will need to change – not just how your feet engage the ground (see below).
• Daniel Lieberman was also there. He’s the Harvard professor who has provided credibility to the barefoot running argument through a pivotal study that compared impact forces between barefoot and shod runners. See the study at his site: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/ One thing that Dan stressed at was that your running technique is more important than your footwear choice, or lack thereof. However, going barefoot is the best way to relearn optimal running technique because of the direct feedback it provides about your movement. When it comes down to it, wear whatever you want. It’s your body and running is YOUR hobby. Do what feels best and allows you to have fun.
• For me, going barefoot is the easiest way to ensure excellent running technique (am I sounding like a broken record yet?). When in the FiveFingers I notice a strong propensity towards harder foot strikes – even when consciously trying to land gently. It’s much easier and much more fun to run barefoot IMO.
• All of the running technique courses (POSE Running, Chi Running, Natural Running, and Evolution Running, etc.) pretty much teach the same thing: optimal running technique. The differences between them are marginal and I wouldn’t bother worrying about which system is best.

It was a great workshop and I would encourage anyone to attend one if Ken Bob will be coming to your area.

And with that said, here is a superb video about Learning the Skill of Barefoot Running with Lee Saxby, who is considered by many to be one of the worlds greatest running coaches (Lee is a Level 4 Pose Running coach – Master Instructor level). Saxby teaches optimal running technique by having his clients… guess what…. go completely barefoot, of course!

Learn the Skill of Barefoot Running

Even though this was a promotional video for Terra Plana footwear, there’s still a lot of value in Lee’s instruction. For those who are interested in minimalist footwear or city running, check out this Reader Q+A: Going Barefoot in the City and the True Value of Shoes

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional and Barefoot Runner since 2009

Don't listen [...]]]> Note: In this photo, my buddy Tellman Knudson, is running barefoot in the city of lower Manhattan. He’s currently on his way to the West Coast to be the first man to run barefoot across America with the goal of raising awareness and money for homeless children. More info at www.runtellmanrun.com

Don't listen to anyone who says running barefoot in the city is impossible! Tellman is running across America barefoot!

QUESTION:

John,

I have been pondering the barefoot philosophy for a short while now and after going out and buying FiveFingers and walking around as much as possible it dawned on me that while those activities merit the wearing of barefoot wear or no wear at all, don’t we need compensation on flat surfaces? The foot doesn’t seem to have been designed for pavement and symmetry. Most of us walk on paved, or flat carpeted, tiled, cemented surfaces most of our waking hours. Is barefoot really the way to go here?

I respect your insights so I hope to hear back soon!

Peace,
Caine

ANSWER:

Hi Caine,

Good question. You’re right, it’s unnatural for us to walk on flat surfaces all the time, and that alone warrants some compensatory exercise suggestions like foot and ankle mobility drills, and more specifically, toe pulls. The Four Corner Balance Drill is also another great compensatory drill for ANY walking activity – barefoot or shod. If you own Sonnon’s BodyFlow program, then the squat creep, shin twist, and descending shin roll are all great ones for going barefoot, too.

Put a human in an unnatural physical predicament (like walking on smooth surfaces at all times), and there is reason enough to compensate for it. This is especially important when you’re wearing modern footwear like running shoes or dress shoes, but still important when going minimalist or barefoot. In this case, it’s not just the over-engineered footwear that is unnatural, but the actual surfaces we walk on – two different competing forces to the detriment of our health.

1) Unnatural Environment – smooth surfaces everywhere that lead to predominant movement patterns and eventually overuse injuries.
2) Unnatural Footwear – limits range of motion, atrophies foot and ankle muscles, inhibits proprioception and movement potential, encourages fear-reactivity, increased chance of athletes foot or the more common “stinky feet syndrome,” etc.

The short answer is that for health reasons, barefoot or minimalist is best on most surfaces – even smooth ones. Of course, the context is more important than an absolute recommendation. Certain situations merit certain footwear choices. If I’m doing construction, for instance, you can bet your boots I’ll be wearing steel toes.

I tend to ask myself, do I need to wear shoes, and if so, what’s the most minimal footwear I can get away with and still be appropriate for my needs? I want footwear that will allow me the most freedom of movement and still protect my feet from potential harm (sharp objects, heat, cold, etc.).

I don’t want to have to walk on an unnatural surface all day AND put my feet into over-engineered shoes (aka high-tech casts/coffins). I’d rather get as much freedom of movement out of my footwear (or lack of) and deal with the compensation issue from flat surfaces separately (since it should be dealt with regardless of footwear choice).

I should also mention that I logged many miles running barefoot on asphalt roads last year. I actually prefer this to running with shoes – even minimalist shoes. It requires me to train my body to shock absorb even moreso than when on a softer surface like grass or sand. It’s anecdotal evidence, I know, but I experienced ZERO injuries from running last year (the first time in years that I’ve run 100% injury-free), or anything else for that matter, and I ran barefoot several times weekly from Spring through late Fall (about half road running, half trail running). It could be postulated that my Intu-Flow joint mobility and Prasara yoga practice, among other things, were the reason for saying injury-free, but I think each element played a role in my injury prevention.

So, in summary: barefoot is best in most cases, but minimalist shoes are sometimes required. We should make it a goal to get back into a natural lifestyle as much as possible, but also to draw on modern tools for life’s necessities. A good reminder is that footwear should protect the feet, not direct the feet.

Do you go barefoot? Answer the survey here:

http://physicalliving.com/going-barefoot-and-why-people-rarely-do-the-right-thing/

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional

P.S. If you’re looking for more info, my friend, Damien Tougas, has a very balanced perspective on footwear selection and he has reviewed many different types of minimalist footwear on his site:
http://adventureinprogress.com/minimalist-footwear

The Barefoot [...]]]> Harvard professor, Daniel Lieberman, has ditched his expensive running shoes and started running barefoot. His research shows that barefoot runners, who tend to land on their forefoot, generate less impact shock to their body than runners wearing shoes who land heel first. This makes barefoot running comfortable and could minimize running-related injuries.

The Barefoot Professor: A Nature Video Production

You can find the original research here.

There’s not much that needs to be said that hasn’t been said already (read my Definitive Guide to Going Barefoot if you’re interested). This information is becoming widely available on a massive scale. I have a bookmarks folder of all the articles, videos, and research studies about the barefoot vs shoes debate that I’ve encountered online and it’s chock-full of proof that going barefoot is better (and rapidly picking up speed as a viable alternative to shod running, walking, whatever). Anybody who isn’t convinced will be swept away by the dust cloud of running, jumping, and scampering barefooters.

Read about it in The Times, The Express or Business Week.

To your health and success,

CST, CST-KS, NSCA-CPT
Fitness Professional