What the Barefoot Shoe Community Doesn’t Want To Talk About
In this video I look at barefoot shoes. I switched to barefoot shoes about 6 years ago and haven't looked back. Interestingly though the science around using them is rather sparse and often confusing and contradictory.
I've tried to find a good chunk of the science and explore the pros and cons of using barefoot shoes for day to day walking.
There are some fascinating discoveries to be made!
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Get a 15% Discount When You Buy Vivobarefoot Shoes With This Link:
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Good video on avoiding injury when switching to barefoot shoes:
• How to Transition to B...
Great channel for learning more about barefoot walking:
/ @grownandhealthy
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Contents:
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0:00 Intro
0:17 What Are Barefoot Shoes?
1:06 The Problem with Pointed Shoes
1:57 The Problem with Cushioned Soles
3:09 The Problem With the Toe Spring
3:53 Heel Striking and Efficiency
4:24 What is the Natural Way?
5:43 What About Hard Surfaces?
9:06 Posture and More
9:23 The Crucial Feature in Vivobarefoot Shoes
10:46 Avoiding Injury When Switching
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Sources:
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www.outsideonline.com/health/...
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
• BAD Shoe Feature (NIKE...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20154...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22217...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22217...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20111...
• How you walk can fix y...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23439...
www.healthline.com/health/wal...
• Ankle Exercises for St...
• Toe Off (Barefoot Walk...
• Physical Therapist Sho...
• How to Walk (In Respon...
sweatscience.com/if-heel-stri...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
i was going to commment but thought id only put my foot in it
Pinned lol
Good thing, don't want to put your foot in your mouth
How heel striking is not that bad when it’s on soft ground and that we go into a forfeit strike naturally when our feet are able to connect with the ground. The barefoot community focuses too much on a promoting against heel striking when it should happen on soft surfaces (based on the research shared by the maker of this video).
Just a warning for everyone: Take the last part of this video seriously. Don't run in them when you start out. Even if you're about to miss a train and be late for work. I didn't listen and managed to get a stress fracture in my left midfoot. It took about 3 months for the fracture to heal, and another 9 months for the pain to go away. It's only been about two months now that I can walk without pain again.
I was fortunately to not be out of commission for months, but I did the same thing, and could barely walk for 3 or 4 days.
@@schweedy1985 that sounds more like soreness than an injury though
Woah so that's what happened to me. just happened to start trying to run again and didnt feel like buying running shoes and ended up not being able to do it for a few months. My doctor must have been right about the type of injury but it was a couple months before I got an mri for it and by then I had rehabilitated naturally
@@smallman9787 quite possible. It's unfortunate that you got your mri late, because it actually looked really cool while it was healing ^^' But I'm glad you're doing better now!
Guys I've never had barefoot shoes. Bought some and immediately used them for everyday walking + running (only couple hundred meters, not real jogging or endurance training!! Just as information for you people) and the gym. Nothing really felt different except my feet feeling more blood circulation and a bit hot, also felt more exhausting first 3 days? Something wrong with my shoes or I'm just lucky nothing happened? (I never used running shoes before, I walk around in "normal" Nike sneakers usually)
For me the reason shoes/trainers are more cushioned is because the world we traverse (now) is now largely concrete. I'd happily run around barefoot, no shoes, if we walked on grass/jungle/mud etc, like we used to but we don't. Anytime I wear shoes with a very thin heel (Converse All Star for example) my knees take the brunt and I'm in agony for a while after but when I wear my Nike Pegasus around town I have no such problems and, so far, no issue with my feet becoming pointed either. To be honest I don't like that there is a debate about this because to me it always feels like one or the other is trying to push a product or sell something and at this point (no pun intended) it's mostly the barefoot community. Wear what is comfortable and affordable to you, end of story.
I used to wear all stars. These shoes may have thin soles but they are too stiff and do not allow much bending of the arch which reduces its flexibility. Moreover, they are too narrow. My bunion problems began from youth when I was mostly wearing these shoes. Thin soles should also be flexible. Much better if there is also much toe space.
You cannot heel strike while barefoot. Heel striking is a counternatural walking gait we developed to adapt to our thick heeled shoes. Try a forefoot strike walking/running style: well cushioned even on hard, flat surfaces, and far "springier" and energy efficient than heel striking.
You should try changing the way you walk, walking shouldnt be painful. Like masonthonas2799 said, try a flatter walking style. My walking style changed to be a lot flatter and my posture while walking changed, for the better, to allow for it
@@masonthomas2799so...don't activate your glutes then. Gotcha. People shouldn't tip toe their way through life either. For running/scrimmage shoes, they have a "cushioned heel" to discourage a heel strike. For quick pivoting. You are quoting propaganda if you believe that we would even be using our full core without the heel strike.
What you feel comfortable in is highly correlated with how you walk. Of course, if you don't step lightly, less cushion underneath your foot will make your joints hurt. Barefoot walking is different from cushioned shoe walking.
I didn't even know there was a barefoot movement until I accidentally transformed my feet. I was laid off during the pandemic, and became a stay at home partner after, and started going barefoot all day every day. It wasn't until I realized regular shoes didn't fit anymore and I started researching it that I figured out what was going on.
You became a barefoot shoe lover by chance! I on the other hand, had been pondering whether to try zero drop shoes for a few years. I decided to try it out and I was lucky enough to purchase a pair that had a wide toe box. I was amazed how much I could feel things (ground feel) and how much traction I gained. The whole way I walked was different and I could finally feel my calves, thighs and my toes working. After only two weeks I couldn't go back to my old regular shoes. Not only is the cushion (elevation at the heel) hurting my knees (which I had NEVER noticed before), but also my big toes just feel smushed (I had also never noticed that feeling). I then decided to transition to zero drop barefoot shoes with a wider toe box. It didn't really take me any time to get used to it as it felt comfortable from the get go (running is different though so don't go too hard at it) . My big toes have now become stronger and they can splay wider than what they used to. Even regular socks hurt my toes. I don't care what people wear, but I'm a big fan of zero drop wide toe box shoes. I don't see myself ever going back.
@@Oli-Ravioliwell no. Since barefoot shoes are really bad for your feet. Realistically you should really only wear shoes and go barefoot equally. A balanced fair of both.
@@Oli-Ravioli……barefoot minimalist is all I will wear unless I am hunting and then my dad makes me wear boots. I put them on then feel like I’m clunking around in my boots.
Been doing that for years now though and...what? Does everyone need to have a special plotline lol? Ive never needed any barefoot shoes. Are yall sure you arent just severely susceptible to "you are special" marketing tactics?
@@zzodysseuszz Say that to childhood me that spent all day outdoors barefoot….
I swapped to barefoot shoes for a few years and my feet are a lot stronger and better. The problem is that I needed to switch back after a couple of years because I had some knee pain. As you said a toe strike walk is awkward and sub-optimal so as much as I would try, I always switched back to having a heel strike walk. I always toe strike when I run and now I have my barefoot shoes for running, snow, hiking, and play, but for work I'll wear some shoes with a cushion because I don't want to damage myself because I walk on those ultra hard surfaces for about 8 hours a day. I work on my feet, so I'm standing on it that long. Although I'm pro-barefoot shoes, they will always be bad if you're standing on tile and concrete for 8 hours a day. I would like just wide toe box shoes with a little padding so I can use them at work.
Lems are pretty comfortable AND you can add a slim insole for extra padding. The Boulder Grip feels like I'm wearing slippers, so you could probably wear that to work and your feet would be in heaven. I also have the Summit which is now my all time favourite winter boot. I tried the Jim Green Barefoot African Rangers in anticipation of warmer weather, but unfortunately they don't have a wide toe box which is sad since this would have been the perfect ''every day'' boot/shoe.
Altra make cushioned foot-shaped trainers. Also, all Birkenstock are wide toe box and zero drop, but they do come with their cork sole. You can take that out in some models.
I'd like wide toe box cushioned shoes with arch support for standing for long periods. They're either only trainers, which not everywhere allows, don't have cushioning and support, or you can only get a wider toe box in wide shoes. I don't have wide feet, so they are to loose everywhere else. I just need a wider toe box due to tailor's bunions caused by a combination of genetics and wearing regular shoes (women's shoes look nice, but are mean to feet).
How do you walk on downward sloped ground?
Let me know if you find a cushioned wide toe box- I work on my feet on concrete and I take shoes to change at lunch- toe squeeze and bottom of the feet happy, or happy toes and ball of the foot/ heel pain. If Alta made a thicker cushioned one, that would be awesome.
I as a water park lifeguard for two years I worked barefoot or had minimalist shoes on concrete and in water. In the military I wore boots, both steel toe and ordinary, and I’ve used both thin soled shoes and thick custom sole expensive running shoes. The way I walk wearing any of these is entirely different. I think people need to understand that there isn’t a singular option for all situations and that knowing what you’ll expect out of the day should change how you chose to go into it. Different kinds of foot wear exist for to fill a different roll and to cater to a different need or foot shape, or to accommodate for an issue someone might be having. People that insist that they have the one solution for all problems are just jackasses.
I was thinking the whole time, Show me a steel toe version. also my feet just hurt on concrete. like a lot, I have always landed with the side of my foot or just a light amount of heal from walking bare foot the majority of my childhood. But I would like something more flexible with how my foot is very narrow when I pick it up but very wide when I step down.
@@TheBSishere - for what it's worth: my experience in looking to achieve those same goals, I've found that for casual daily use I do well with a larger shoe. Some of those are able to tighten down enough through lacing to prevent rubbing and blistering if I need to run or go on a longer hike. I also rarely use the stock insole alone - I'm usually replacing that with something that suits my arch better, or at least adding a thin liner on top of the stock one. Hope your search goes well!
Exactly. Used to work in a lumberyard and which I’d have worn steel toed boots a few times. Similarly when it rains I wear rain boots - which aren’t the most comfortable but they keep my feet dry.
Ya seems like that is so common, one solution for everything.
Please see "there isn't a singular option for all situations" --> Hit the nail on the head, my dude. Thank you for your insight
I appreciate how concise and straight to the point you are, while remaining comprehensive and explaining things clearly
Thanks so much!
@@BenVallack I have for quite some time been wearing leather soled shoes with a hard leather heel. I used to have the same mentality as barefoot "minimalist shoe wearers. I was hoping that the fact that its hard and not cushioned, would cause my feet get stronger, and I would put less stress on my joints for longevity of the body. But I have also noticed after longs days of work more often pain and in my legs and feet. The question it brings up for me is if the shoe is compressing less and taking less of that impact for us, that doesn't that mean we actually put more stress on our joints? It could also very well be the fact that dress shoes do not compare to barefoot shoes as they do have a heel and are quite hard.
@@pyotrilyichtchaikovsky3733 I'm not the maker of the video, but I can answer this. Basically, the natural way of running at speed is to land on the forefoot as was said in the video. When we do land on our forefoot, our tendons and muscles (for example, the calf muscle and Achilles tendon) take all the force of the landing. This produces no wear and tear (as long as you do not overuse your tendons and muscles to the point of breakdown), because muscles and tendons are elastic and self-repair. However, if you land on your heel, then your muscles and tendons cannot contribute to taking the force of the landing because you are landing straight onto the bone of your foot. This force is transmitted through your body including your knees and hips. The larger the force, the greater the chances of injury or breakdown with every step. This is why heelstriking causes a higher rate of injury amongst runners. To answer your question - if you do heelstrike while walking/running, then wearing a thinner shoe WILL put stress on your joints. If you feel pain, than this could be the reason. The strength of your feet is only relevant when landing on the forefoot (the ball of the foot), because only there can the muscles of the toe, foot and calf get involved. Dress shoes may make it difficult to walk with more of a forefoot focus because they have a heel and a very solid sole, which limits the flexion of the foot and the involvement of the toes. Hope I helped.
@@Zephromonia Clear and conscise, makes perfect sense. Thank you
For people living in cities or anywhere where they're walking mostly on hard surfaces, with barefoot shoes just imagine you're living on a mountain-beach and you have to walk with no shoes all day on rocks. First few minutes would feel good, but if you have to travel more you'd quickly get very tired by just WALKING and very soon you'd find yourself using your heel more and more, ending the day very tired and with all joints damaged. But if you have to walk short distances or walk mostly on dirt/grass is totally worth switching to barefoot shoes.
Being flat of foot and having tried all sorts of shoes with arch supports, even bespoke orthotics, I absolutely love my barefoot shoes. I started in Vibrams with the separated toes for the gym and I just splashed out on Vivobarefoot Balerinas which make me feel as if I want to fly. I'll have to chuck all my other shoes because I just know they're now going to feel like concrete by comparison. Of course, foot exercises also help with this. I can walk far longer and with no blisters and less stress and effort. I even think my arches feel more pronounced. I'll never go back. Just a technical comment, though. As a former radio broadcaster, your edits are ridiculously tight: with truncated word endings, sentences running unnaturally into one another and no time for listeners to keep up with your dialogue because your natural pauses have been cut. Large editing gaps not only mimic natural conversation, they give the brain time to keep up with the myriad changes in topic. I also think that a slightly slower pace would make the important information you are imparting easier to digest.
Unpleasant to listen to this "speedtalk" like presentation!!!
@@ronkoloz7136play the vid at a slower speed
I don't work in audio/video and I noticed the strange editing too, it felt like I was being bombarded with information!
I used to have flat flat arches. I'd go to a snowboard shop show them my feet and ask for insoles and they would immediately point me to the flattest sole. I've been minimalist barefoot for 3 years now. Last time I went to buy new insoles the bootfitter looked at my feet and thought I was a mid or high soler! You will develop an arch from it.
The main reason I got intrigued by this topic at all was that I've always noticed myself doing things differently when walking on socks in the house or when walking in shoes outside: Walking is the same. But the second I'd 'hop' around or sprint as a kid I'd run heelstrike in shoes but toes-first when on socks or barefoot. So a part of my brain always prefers doing one or the other depending on what I'm wearing.
idk what's with your videos. One moment I am watching a man use a treadmill desk and two button keyboards, the next moment I am interested in how I actually walk. Your content is always great, and your point of view on all things ergo and practical is phenomenal. Keep up the great work!
Thanks so much!
Ben the salesman :)
@@lucy-h please, do not insult Ben like that.
@@BenVallack I also think there is the problem of potentially glorifying poverty if you had no shoes in the past or poor ones today at least in the west it is likely due to poverty.
Excellent video. I am elderly and obese. Barefoot walking has significantly helped improve my balance: I can now go up and down steps sequentially instead of one at a time. When I walk, I focus on lifting my rib cage to improve my posture, and on powering each stride from my glutes and hamstrings. I try to glide my foot into contact with the terrain like I’m landing an airplane, so the strike, though affecting the entire sole, is more centered in the midsole region. Where I live, we have very uneven sidewalks, and my feet are now not only stronger but also more sensitive to these defects so they don’t trip me up.
That’s fantastic!
Good stuff
Sequentially means one at a time.. ? Perhaps you mean simultaneously or you mean multiple steps at a stride.
the best thing by far i've seen for improving posture is hanging from a pullup bar, even for less than 4 minutes a day without putting all of your weight on it. also pullup bars are cheap to get.
@@nephihenry4328 yes. I do that too. It is very painful, and I had to start with a few seconds.
10 year trail runner here. I switched to wide toe box 2 years in, it made a massive difference and caused MANY injuries because I switched immediately and never looked back. I had to adjust everything in my form from my joints mostly. My ankles and knees would hit at angles that were "new" to them after years of not having a big toe out balancing where it should be. My tendons would feel like they were always being pulled on at weak points I had never used. Its similar to someone who never trains stabilizers and tries lifting heavy. It took 1 full year of knee and ankle injuries before I began running the way my body should be, without even a shin splint to account for. I can now say that even when I wear closed toe shoes the big toe goes back to its spot after 1 run and stays there. I've grown muscle groups in my calves I didn't even know were there, my feet grew thick meaty muscles connecting under my big toe and My ankle/knee has never been stronger/resilient. Have not had an injury in 5 years(10-15 mile trail runs every other day) and I truly believe its from the stability gained with just my big toe properly being placed for balance. I will say if you smoke a joint before your run in the woods, your gonna be in tune with your body as well.
Funny thing, I've been running barefoot for years already and I am not able to run in shoes anymore
👍 😂😂😂✨
I run very thin flat shoes on trails (Golden Gate trail run half marathon the last weekend) but thick well cushioned shoes on training runs on concrete pavement in the neighborhood. Concrete is dangerous, people. I injured my foot almost fracture once when the shoes got old and the sole wears out.
I grew up playing outside barefoot a lot and I always end up with massive holes worn into my shoes where the big toe is supposed to be. Wondered if it was a problem or not. Nice to see it can't be tamed lol.
I've never worn barefoot shoes but I grew up wearing converse and other skate shoes because anything that wasn't a flat sole felt really weird to me. I didn't really know anything about the difference between heel striking and walking normally until this video, but it totally aligns with my experience. When I had to get some more supportive shoes for work recently I had to basically learn to heel strike more often. Edit: I was never claiming that shoes with flatter soles are like barefoot shoes, or that Converse are in any way inherently more ergonomic (they've killed my feet before too, their build quality sucks since the Nike acquistion, and they've killed my feet before too). I'm simply sharing my experience.
OMGG!! I've had the exact same experience. the flat, dense padding of converse and vans makes for a more natural stride in my opinion. i always liked those shoes because digging my heel first into the ground as i walk just felt extremely strange to me, even if i felt """faster"""", almost as if i was generating more power with each step.
I have wide feet, so wear skate shoes or Xero for mountain biking and barefoot shoes for everything else except snowboarding and winter work/hiking.
don't heel strike omg even with padding it'll destroy your foot health.
you have to have a deeper understanding here and there are many resources,books and research that could help you. The whole muscle-tendon system of feet and legs changes dramatically after switching to barefoot or barefoot shoes. This does not occur in one day and it requires much and specific exercises to make a smooth transition and to avoid injuries. You see, mechanotrunsduction results in our tendons and muscles getting shorter over time, so transitioning to a zero elevated heel could put much tension at the back, hips and could stress the body. After the transition is completed, which takes a different amount of time and effort for each individual, the whole gait pattern changes, the alignment of spine changes, the weight is distributed evenly, toes get more range of movement, arch muscle is activated, nervous system of foot's sole is stimulated and blood supply on feet is regained to the fullest.
converse aren't skate shoes and they are way to narrow in my personal opinion but vans, etnies and DC shoes are all really comfortable.
So i'm one of the wierdos that played barefoot outside as a kid almost exclusively except for sport, and continue to do so today. Heel striking is totally normal. I never had barefoot shoes until I got a corporate job and my feet started to ache in heeled pointy boots. Traded them out after 6 months and I'm so happy. I think the surface you are on is the biggest issue. You walk naturally how you should barefoot. Watch kids who are 1 year in to walk, it's fascinating how well they move. Great video!
You are not weird! In Asia, most kids play barefoot outdoors! 😊
@@dawnforlife And in Australia.
@@dawnforlife in the states a lot of people, especially older people, will make comments about you if you're barefoot. i grew up in a small woodsy town and always spent most of my time barefoot and only wore shoes into town and to school. i moved to a small city and even if i'm simply taking out the garbage i have neighbors that point out that i'm barefoot, as if i was unaware. lol. also a lot of old people scolding me for not making my kids wear shoes when we play in the grass. it's weird to me but it's because of these interactions that i've realized that most of america prefers shoes always, at least the older generations do.
@@lettus143 It’s due to health hazards like broken glass and parasites like hookworm. Hookworm got so bad that it effected the population of the American south so bad that it caused a stereotype of them being dumb and lazy which was true bc they were sick from hookworm making them lethargic and such
Yep I grew up barefoot and still do go mostly. We also don’t allow shoe wearing in the house. I encourage my kids not wear shoes outside as much as possible to except when we are in our livestock pens
I am over 60 years old with a lot of pain in my joints due to Osteoarthritis. I have it in my feet as well so with Hallux rigidus in my feet I couldn' fit in any normal shoes anymore. I started to wear barefoot shoes which was a relief. About a year after the operation on my feet I could've used normal shoes again but it felt awful. That was 4 years ago and I haven't been wearing normal shoes ever since. Often people ask me about my barefoot shoes and I can only praise them. For me (and this is a personal opinion) they changed so much to the better. My pain is reduced all over (even my back is better), I am more agile and I am able to walk for hours with my dog again. I always used to have cold feet. Not any more even if I wear my thinnest barefoot shoes in winter because the feet are not confined to a small space and since they move around in the shoes they are warm. The shape of my feet has changed. They look wider and the toes aren't pressed against each other anymore. And the soles of my feet are very resilient against gravel, stones etc. For me barefoot shoes are a live changer. PS: My soles are mainly worn out under my forefoot so I guess I am a "forefoot striker" 🦶🏻 •‿•
Super interesting video! I often hear people warn about calf muscle pain when first switching to barefoot shoes. I actually never experienced that. I started wearing barefoot shoes about 6 years ago, and at the time knew very little about them. Nobody told me to be careful and give my calf muscles time to adapt. I just put them on, was amazed at how much better my feet were feeling in them compared to traditional shoes, and pretty much switched from one day to the next. I had zero issues with it, even though my calves are pretty tight and stretching them is really difficult for me. So this actually might not be an issue for everyone when switching to barefoot shoes!
Get a "half dome foam roller" for easy calf stretching (from the teachings of biomechanist Katy Bowman... check her books). Also look up the "gravity drop" exercise by legendary therapist Pete Egoscue - another good one.
I loved this little break down but in fact a lot of the pointy shoe design did not necessarily come from rich people simply hating on poor people, but since many of the ruling class rode horses pointed shoes were MUCH easier to allow you to slip your foot shoe and all into the stirrup so you could ride the horse without falling off the most popular example of this is in cowboy shoes often seen in the midwest the point toe allows ease of slipping into the stirrup its also why they often have flat slippery leather soles to allow them to even more easily slip into the stirrup.
Also the social class element is probably the reason behind it becoming a fashion
@@HkFinn83 You mean conspicuous consumption?
All fashion trends had their beginnings in something practical, that was then adopted by elite class as stylized imitation fashion, without the practical "hey, we need and use this", and then became a status symbol to parade in front of the plebians. I'm sure things like makeup started practically, probably in theatre, was then copied by the wealthy (theatre with costumes and makeup not being accessible to the poor), etc. Case in point, pointed shoes worn by knights, who could afford a separate set of riding shoes and make frequent use of them, well, knighting was for the wealthy, so even wealthy non-knights started wearing them, but without the hardcore practical design aspects, just as a stylized imitation version. In general, "high fashion" is purposely about being impractical, so show off to others how wealthy you are and how little manual labor (or anything else practical for that matter) you need to be doing. Pointy shoes, high heels, make up, long fingernails, fancy dress, fancy hair, delicate any and everything, corsets, heck, even throw foot binding in there, since there's no way you could grow up to adulthood with bound feet without being wealthy and having an army of people looking after all your needs.
The pointed cowboy boots also allows more of them to stand around a campfire.
@Marius 007 I mean. We can look at recent trends. Look at 4x4 vehicles. I've been an offroad enthusiast my entire life. I'm a farmer. 4x4s and heavy duty trucks are a necessity for my line of work - look how many workhorse vehicles became luxurious family mobiles. Guys running stretched tires on brand new 4x4s. Work boots - there's a huge following online for guys buying work boots for fashion. Pocket knives - tons of folks have $500+ knives they'll never use for a status symbol. I mean they're smaller less impactful things.. but Trends I've seen change in my lifetime. As far as the actual video - I bought minimalist combat boots when I was in the Army. They weren't awful.. but up to that point in my life all I had to compare them to were steel toe pull on work boots. I didn't really notice a substantial improvement in anything. Those boots were crazy comfortable for those long hauls where you're in boots for 48+ hours.
A few years ago my husband and I started running but I had the hardest time with it- half a mile in I'd have terrible knee pain and shin splints. I bought fancy high cushioned running shoes, but that just made it worse. Then my husband started talking about barefoot shoes- I thought he was crazy 😂 But eventually I tried them and loved them! Since switching to barefoot shoes my pain went away completely and I can actually run! It was a slow transition/process but it was definitely worth it! *Edit- A lot of people have suggested that it was my overall level of fitness and not the shoes that make the difference. Recently I've tried cushioned running shoes of the regular variety and with a wider toe box. The knee and shin pain came back pretty quickly. And no, I didn't go into wearing the cushioned shoes hoping they'd fail. I had high hopes particularly for the wide toe box shoes- I thought they could be good for longer runs. But they weren't and I just can't wear them. If cushioned, running shoes work for you then great! But barefoot running shoes genuinely do work best for me. Just because I greatly abridged my barefoot journey for the KZhead comments section doesn't mean it wasn't a careful, well thought out, well researched opinion. Best of luck picking your own running shoes!
I`ve had a lot of issues with my knee after an accident, but found that using "flat" soled shoes helped a lot, it makes you walk more naturally, at kleast for me (:
And have you tried normal old style flat running shoes? I don't like any of those new shoes that look like they stuck a slab of styrofoam underneath them. Flat sneakers work great for me. Barefoot shoes only seem like another extreme on the scale of shoe types. There can be too little and too much cushioning.
Ever think you felt that way because it's an unnatural activity? Walking is fine and great exercise, all jogging does is destroy your joints
@@sabir1208 Well that too. I am all for walking. People think running is better but it's not. Walk the same distance and you burn the same amount of calories. And you'll actually be able to enjoy your surroundings. And you can do it until you're 100 years old.
@Mola Diver I know! Walking keeps me very lean, as soon as I learned to drive, I gained weight lol
Thanks for this video 👍👍 I first learned about barefootshoes 3 months ago, after walking barefoot for about 9/10 months out of the year for a little over 4 years now. I'm not really a hiker, so what I walk most on is hard surfaces. (I do always have a pair of flipflops with me, in case I need to use a public restroom, visit a petrolstation etc.) I'm now looking at barefootshoes for those 2/3 months a year I can't walk barefoot (for long periods) because of the low temperatures (in dry weather I switch to flipflops if it's getting close to freezing, in wet weather around 12°C). I do my best to avoid any heelstrike, but about 50 years of walking on regular shoes isn't that easy to shake. 😉 But as I literally hear a healstrike in my head, it's quickly corrected. I'm now experimenting with landing mainly on the front of my foot (what did you call that 🤔), because that's how in my opinion you get the maximum out of the natural shockabsorption of your feet. But without any further adjustments that shortens my strides. I've tried several adjustments - the people in my neighbourhood must think I started working for the Ministry of Silly Walks 😂 . So it's still an ongoing process and I love it. ❤
@ZZZP-SchoolNL I tore my meniscus in my right knee TKD sparing a couple of decades and to attempt to heal without surgery and while the swelling went down I walked backwards around our circular neighborhood every day. I had neighbors come out and ask me what I was doing. Still makes me smile! No surgery but 20 years later injured same knee doing a race called the Bolder Boulder. Lots of hiking steps, walks w loved ones, runs, and time outdoors in between.
@@chopwood2995 I hope you can recover from your latest injury without surgery as well. Much better for your overall health. And much more fun for the neighbourhood 😆 (Great story, thanks for sharing 🤗)
Barefoot running godfather Barefoot Ken Bob teaches landing on the whole foot at once, and bending the knees a lot - more than you think. He describes the knees as our body's natural shock absorbers. He actually takes people straight over to gravel when teaching them for the first time, so they understand how light they should move, and how much they should bend their knees. He also invites people to imagine they are sneaking up on someone from behind, again to illustrate proper lightness and knee bending.
Literally got bullied my entire youth for walking on my toes.. I'd learned at a young age that it was much quieter so I could go along pretty unnoticed as a kid and it just became habit by the time I got to schooling age. My mother took me to surgeons who flat out told her to leave me and my feet alone because she'd be hurting me by making me like everyone else. Since she didn't like the doctor's assessment, but didn't want CPS called, she took me to modeling classes instead so they could "teach me how to walk properly." In the end, it was marching band, and then the military who finally got me walking "normal." I'm now 37, can't balance at all (I frequently fall over if I don't use my cane), feel like I'm in constant pain, and get marathon variety leg cramps where my muscles look like writhing snakes if I walk unassisted too much. And no, I wasn't shot/blown up/whatever in the service.
"Toe walking" can shorten your tendons and may lead to surgery.
Wow put her in a nursing home. Never visit lol
Walking on the balls of your feet is natural. Literally why we have ankles. It is also stealthier. Can only tell if barefoot, with the heel floating a quarter inch off the ground.
@@notmeee7302Toe walking isn't the problem there. It's a lack of variety in the type, duration, and intensity of the loads experienced by the foot, ankle, and leg. If the only consistent load is the toe-walking, tendons can tighten up over time. But introduce any variety in the form of dance, sports, or weight training, and that possibility is greatly reduced.
I’m a runner who transitioned to barefoot shoes (the old five fingers). Thank you for stressing the need to slowly transition, many tried to swap over without an adjustment period, only to end up injured. I have now settled on a brand called Altra which is zero drop with a wide toe box. They have padding, it’s hard running ultra bush marathons without some padding. I have no problems with knees or hips, it just seems very natural now.
I love Altra! which shoes are your favorite?
All those "minimalist" shoes are commercial BS, got fully barefoot
Personally I prefer Topos as they give a slightly better feel on the forefoot. They also last longer!! Each to their own. My VFF’s are still going strong after 2000+ miles. I just can’t wear them out !!!
When I switched to Altra, my pantar faciitis went away and my little toe that was curling in and causing pain straightened out. On smooth surfaces without any gravel or rocks, I prefer barefoot running, but most courses I need the Altras.
Why don't you just go barefoot?
The new Maury thing is spot on. I switched to barefoot and minimalist running in 2009, and ended up with a stress fracture in my foot because I did way too much way too soon. Went to the doc, got orthotics, rested, got healthy, transitioned gradually, ran a marathon pain free in my silly toe shoes (FiveFingers). I haven’t worn a “normal” shoe since 2009, and I’m never going back.
I have Leguano’s shoes and when I went in the store and asked for info, that was in Germany and she said I could try them out and there was different underground like wood, stones and so on and she even said try it on the street. She also told me that I should build up the time onweer the shoes. Because my body needs readjust to it. I walk at home and in my garden always barefoot except in winter. Like on beaches I love barefooted. We do flyball a dogsport and it has happened I forgot to put on my shoes. It’s a good middle ground of my husbandtelling me to wear shoes and being my own. I’m raised on walking running barefoot till age 7, than had to wear shoes for school and moving to the city. So every opportunity was no shoes if possible.
Im having Leguano’s barefoot shoes, but got the advice to build up the time of wearing them. Because although I’m walking barefoot in my home and garden on the beach or grass places when at a flyball tournament she still advices to build up. So my body could readjusted. Because for the rest I still wear regular shoes. I have what they call ballet feet I did ballet for some years as a hobby but still did it long days training.
2009, I thought this barefoot trend was a new thing.
I'm planning on running a marathon in about 8 months. I'm playing with the idea of switching to barefoots but I'm a bit in doubt if I'll have enough time to get used to it and be ready for such a long distance (also given I rarely run but rather go skating / cycling etc.). How long did it take you to be able to run a marathon on them? Probably the safer bet is to be a pair to wear casually and get used to "normal" walking on these types of shoes first.
@@HL-777- Bruh this shit been around since the early 2000s.... you must be a kid.
as a semi-retired disabled US Army Vet of 14 years... i have a normal job but still get a minimal disability payment each month for both feet and nerve damage in my ears (tinnitus)... my feet were pretty much my life from 18-32 years old. doing police work even in the Military you're on your feet when you're not driving a vehicle... folks call it, gumshoe feet, foot patrol feet, nurse's feet, the doctors call it Plantar fasciitis. so for my life i've lived at home in sandals, house shoes, basically barefoot with cold weather warm soft shoes (no socks) and minimal protection when i have to pop outside for a few minutes... but elsewhere? US Army/DOD regulations require athletic shoes and so forth for Physical Training in uniform. of course everybody knows about craptastical DOD issued footwear, dress shoes, combat boots... and how the civilian combat boot companies have been decades more advanced and comfortable and less injurious. so i went civilian boots as soon as i could and never looked back. after getting out of the Army i worked in rounded toe sneakers in factories. today i cook pizzas and wear slip stop shoes with rounded toes. i wore rounded toed Army boots and sneakers to work out in back then. i've got kinda sorta wide foot ball width feet so (with my orthotics) i wear a wide width shoe. so, when i could i went 'barefoot' and never even heard of 'the movement'... but alot of my life basically injured my feet till today... if i don't wear orthotics the damage to my heels and plantar tendons starts back up again and if anybody knows podiatry... unless new surgeries have happened... you dick up your plantar tendons? you're effed. might as well cut that foot off and learn how to use a prosthetic foot. my dad was born flat-footed (archless) and i have 'false arches'... so we both were genetically predisposed for plantar problems. pops wore 'corrective shoes' for years as a child and those forced his feet to grow arches... but of course the 1950's through 60's didn't have MRI and motion capture and foot pressure sensitive diagnostics like we have today... so my pop's 20 year Air Force career ruined his plantars so badly that... he was always in pain, always wearing braces to sleep in... podiatrist visits every few months to double-check his custom orthotics... every once in a while pops could get a steroid shot in his heels to increase healing and reduce damage and pops shopped for shoes like a girl does, always looking for THAT PERFECT PAIR. so, what does the barefoot 'movement' say about plantar damage? i noticed the video guy doesn't have strong ankle support in the pairs he showed off. they're high but they're floppy cloth. how does the barefoot 'movement' answer to ankle damage? rolling? sprains? trust me, ankle damage sucks hot sweaty donkey ballzz! wearing walking/running sneakers in Panama, i've experienced a nigh on inverted foot roll which caused a Class 3 Ankle Sprain with tendon damage, and 3 stress fractured foot bones. and all i was doing was stepping backwards out of a full sized 'cattle truck' Ford Maxi Van and PLOP suddenly i'm on my azz FROM my foot landing in a pavement pothole more than 4" deep. i ended up in a solid, toes to knee bend, fiberglass, full cast for SIX MONTHS! with a US Army full bird Colonel podiatrist doing x-rays and MRI on my leg once a week for the first 2 months. then once a month afterwards and another six months of physical therapy out of the cast. i was wearing slowly lowering versions of a brace still under that doctor's care for that second half a year. i basically spent a year of my life doing office drudge work, gimping around on crutches, wearing my ARMY PT gear and one sneaker, then two sneakers. it was damned embarrassing!
I'm a person that just feel asleep during this and will keep this bookmarked as a bedtime strory
Brilliant!
I do that with iceberg videos; and when I used to keep autoplay on, I’d wake up in the middle of the night and it would be a documentary about the Romanovs. Every night, the Romanovs! 🤷♀️
One thing not mentioned here, is I found I really appreciate the tactile feeling of using a minimalist shoe. We have a lot of feeling in our feet, but regular shoes is as if you had thick mittens on your hands all the time. There is a portion of sidewalk near my house that has brick for a while on either end of a bus stop, and I usually veer over to it because I can feel the individual bricks under my feet. If tree roots push up ridges in sidewalk, you feel that and your feet also mold around it vs just see-sawing over the pivot. I feel much more connected and less likely to twist my ankle. I appreciate the comments about heel striking when walking. If I'm doing a ton of fast walking on concrete, I do find it easier to use slightly thicker soles and be looser with the heel striking, but still feel like I can easily adjust the gait for comfort. Or if I'm suddenly walking over bumpy grass, it makes sense to go a bit more forefoot at that point.
Hiking barefoot really made me aware that our feet are sensory organs. It was so cool to feel the differences in moisture and temperature, soft vs hard, etc. All the stuff we would miss with shoes on.
Blah, blah, blah... "wearing mittens on your feet". BS. Work on your running.
Oh man, I sure would appreciate all those times I stepped on huge, pointed upwards shards of broken glass bottles and nails on the street so much more, if my shoe soles were like 3 mm thick.
@@user-pt1lv7mh5x I mean obviously if you're constantly stepping on broken bottles and nails, you need more protection, but not everyone is in that situation. Just because people in certain factory or construction jobs need steel toe boots doesn't mean everyone else is being reckless not wearing those boots all the time.
@@Rpodnee feet aren't organs
Switching to barefoot shoes has kind of changed my life, or at least my life as it relates to my foot health and walking. My foot structure shifted, my pain went away, and my chronic ingrown toenails became far less frequent. Everyone on both sides of my family have horribly shaped feet and I don’t want to end up like that as I see how much pain it causes them. I love my barefoot shoes so much and I can never go back, but I fully understand that they’re not for everyone.
I also have a chronic ingrown toe, and family history of it. A change in shoes has made a world of difference, even if it's mostly just that I don't much wear hard dress shoes anymore. But also more minimal and wide-toed shoes were an unsurprising but not widely available help
I had a procedure done as a teen to permanently cut the far inside root of the nail to prevent ingrowns. It was a game changer for me because I was constantly digging and mutilating my toes to dig out the nail that was biting into the skin too much, I wouldn't just leave them be. I couldn't recommend it more to at least look into it and see if it something you'd consider. It was just handled by my primary care Dr at the time though nowadays they would probably send you to a foot dr.
Barefoot shoes didn’t do that. You got rid of poor shoes which is what helped. But you started using barefoot shoes and have convinced yourself it was the barefoot shoes that did it
@@zzodysseuszz The point is that switching to a different shoe is what helped. The 3rd option is go completely barefoot which many are fine doing
Reality of ingrown toenails is that once they have started, they always come back messed up. The wrong shoe will push your nails into your toes, but they're not a cause according to my podiatrist. Some people are prone genetically, some people aren't. He has kids as young as 7 coming in for nail removals. I had the roots on both my big toes killed to simply avoid having to go to the doctor every year or two and get them yoinked off, the week or two of recovery and not being able to wear shoes at all sucks. They do the root killing with some kind of acid basically, that was the only part I had to look away for, it's kind of shocking how easily your toenails come off when they lift it up and tug. Toenails are mostly aesthetic anyway, especially since we wear shoes.
Thank you for making this highly informative video, which seems correct to me. A few years ago I got some Vibram shoes that separate all the toes out (sort of like gloves, but for feet). For the first few weeks I noticed my calves feeling sore (from muscle rebuilding), and then after that it was no problem even to run, so your point about the calf muscles seems correct to me. I also noticed that my toes gradually spread out more, as you mentioned, and my sense of balance also improved. Today I switch between these shoes, regular shoes (which aren't as spacious around the toes) for work and whatnot, and wide open-toe sandals.
Thanks for the great info! I am making the switch to barefoot shoes right now. I was curious about more environmental “connectivity” and was instantly hooked when I tried my first pair of Saguaros. I got Vivos for hiking, and am awaiting my next pair specifically for working in. I LOVE SHOES AND COATS! so when I found more out about b-foot, and then it worked for me, I was eager to bin my old shoes and fully switch. Currently I am 2 days b-foot shoes and 5 days in my others. I plan to start working in the new b-foots, but bring a backup reg pair in case I need them. I have worn Keens for years because of the wide toe box. So the zero rise, thin feel of b-foot shoes just feels right! No one needed to hear any of this, but I just wanted to say thanks in my own way for making thoughtful content. I love hearing more about the things I love!!
Thanks! Here's another one for you then! kzhead.info/sun/fNl_f9xxf3yYh68/bejne.html
Switching to barefoot shoes has been the most rewarding thing for my comfort when it comes to my feet. I feel like I just have so much control and sensation awareness when I walk in them. I am just able to react more to my environment as a result.
This is also what I noted. Feeling the ground, angles, and edges is great for knowing what the ground is doing and can reduce injury risk. Plus less heel on the shoe means less of a fulcrum if you do take an awkward step with less strain on ligaments and tendons, thus less likely to injure.
when was that useful?
@Karl with a K nice troll
When I was a kid, I got a pair of moccasins I wore regularly for 10 years- they were the kind with no rubber or plastic, a sole made of the same hide as the rest, and a little bit of cushion in the sole. They were super flexible and light, but gave me enough protection to walk on rocky or hot surfaces. To me, those will always be the best shoes I've ever had. I will forever be searching for a new identical pair. I could feel the ground and use my feet as if I was barefoot, but my feet were still protected and cushioned. I walked and ran on a wide variety of surfaces from asphalt to grass, climbed trees, hiked in the desert and mountain forests, went to school, and rode horses bareback in those moccasins. The one and only flaw was the deerhide laces were not as effective as they could have been.
Really good video explaining the dynamics of walking barefoot without much jargons and going full blast academic. I've been walking barefoot all of my 44 yrs on hard surface at home. Ran+walked 3 half marathons with normal shoes, damaged my knees with 2nd run, switched to barefoot shoes, ran (not run+walk) 2 more (last 1, 9 yrs back), stopped barefoot style show use 2 a year ago, got 1 foot injured, switched to VFF recently & for 1st 2 days striked injured left foot heel hard on small stones, but by day 3, was naturally walking comfortably with VFF, without striking heel hard. I have figured that walking with barefoot shoes outdoors, foot regains the sense of ground beneath, much like a blind person can feel the ground with a stick (eyes/sight only help later). Basically we can feel connected with nature of surface still having the protection of tech (which does not hamper that perceptive power). Naturally our body is adaptable to vagaries of nature and we can make it stronger & healthy, if we allow it to interact with nature, without falling for the gimmicks to overuse technology meant for sick & weak, by keeping things minimalistic. Technology meant for a very limited set of weak / unhealthy / sick individuals or periods of weakness/sickness if over-used by masses in the name of comfort can make a huge mess for health of masses (in almost spheres of life).
Thanks, fascinating video. One thing you don’t mention but that has occurred to me might be important (having been experimenting with barefoot shoes for the last few years) is that any shoe, even barefoot ones, reduce the sensory input you get from the *skin* on the sole of your foot. When completely barefoot, you get feedback from your skin as to the substrate you’re walking on a few milliseconds before putting your weight down - at least when walking. Which allows you to adjust foot position, weight distribution etc and so avoid landing heavily or stepping on a sharp stone. For example if you’re walking barefoot on a lawn then you feel the touch of the grass just before your foot touches the actual ground (however hard or soft the latter may be). I find that even in barefoot shoes I sometimes land unexpectedly hard on my heel on uneven ground and I wonder if this lack of feedback from the skin (just before impact) might be the reason.
Barefoot running godfather Barefoot Ken Bob compares learning to walk or run with shoes on to learning to play the piano with earplugs in for this very reason.
I love my barefoot shoes! But I also love my "normal" cushioned shoes. When I want to have a cozy hike, comfortable day at work, small walk or such, I go for the barefoot shoes, since it feels more like, yeah, barefoot, it makes me think about my steps, etc etc. But for example for running I choose my cushioned running shoes, because of its features and the firm ground, or for biking I also wear harder soled shoes, because it feels too awkward to have the feet curl around the pedals 😅 I think, it's like choosing a tool: what do you want to do? Choose the right option to achieve the goal, and neither one is the ultimate answer for everything.
Riding barefoot is great for strengthening legs and feet.
It depends on the type of running you do. There is actual evidence that suggests long distance running is better with “minimal shoes” (more like barefoot) for foot and leg health.
@Karl with a K who gaf abt IQ though, lol
@Karl with a K i smell bullshit 🤣🤣you’re out of touch w reality😂😂😂
@Karl with a K literally ebverything you said is wrong
Worked in hospitality for 13 years, on my feet all the time, I can tell you now, barefoot shoes would kill your posture on hard surfaces over long periods of time. Shifting around weight constantly and such on hard surfaces requires the padding in conventional modern shoes. Each type of shoe has its purpose though. Some of the people i used to do fencing with, loved barefoot shoes for it (wooden bouncy floors and grass surfaces). Hiking though, I always felt boots and shoes were a hit or miss, but recently transitioned to a very expensive pair of lowa boots and I have never felt more comfortable in a shoe. Big topic you should mention are socks, they make a world of difference and many people forget to talk about it or not realise how important they are. Looser fitting boots ( to accommodate your feet's natural swelling during strenuous walking) and wool socks make a world of difference in boots for hiking and general wear.
Exactly this. Long distance walking or continuous standing ruins my hip or ankle but when on grass this so rarely causes an issue compared to in a city
I did years of foot heavy jobs. Fedex driver, Mover, dock worker on hard concrete and ceramic flooring. Football, on basically compressed rock with the presences of grass. Hard cleated shoes on that shit or frozen ground is the most brutal feeling in my life. Blisters the size or golf balls with no time to stop will kill your soul. All that to say this. Flat shoes are just better. Toes space is better. Football cleats, American style or what I call soccer just suck. Honesty, I like Barefoot shoes the most but a good pair of boots are fantastic. I have some Sorels with the wools lining and they are heaven though they are a tad big and have a heel. You cannot beat a good pair of those besides the fact they are winter boots.
its not better, theres just not yet barefoot shoes for that kind of thing yet@@ddroz23
Unless I'm going somewhere more rugged, I kind of went with a different option with moccasins that have a thicker sole because I'm not wearing something very flexible when in rougher areas and I like to have some cushioning in the shoe.
Good comment. So basically you are upfront saying that your employers provided unsafe work environments. True that.
I am 55 and suffer chronic lower back pain. A year ago I switched to barefoot shoes - it took me a month to get used to them (carefully) and I naturally adjusted my walking to avoid the pain of the heel strike. I still have chronic back pain but my feet are great. Wide toebox is amazing and I find because of the design of the shoes mean they are better ventilated hence my feet have never overheated since switching. I will never go back to regular shoes, apart from my walking boots on hikes I wear barefoot shoes all the time. Great video and very well explained.
Thank you for this, very nuanced. There were two types of creators i was watching, and their opinions clearly were on oposite ends. One claiming heal striking was more efficient, while the other believed forefoot was more efficient. Though forefoot does have much more "health" benefits, it was pretty great when I heard you mention it does look weird if you try to fully walk using that. So the part where you mentioned that the heel still plays a role was comforting to hear as I attempt to inprove my walking ability.
First, pointed shoes come from horse riding. After the invention of stirrups the pointed shoe with a high heel became popular because it was easier to get your foot into the stirrups and hold position while riding. It started with knights and went into the noble classes from there.
And second?
A very weird and not altogether accurate rewriting of history there! 😀
@@Alex-dg2bq And second, I do not understand this subculture at all and think it's weird.
@@Lynnefromlyn How so?
@@PenumbranWolf sounds like a personal problem to me
I hike barefoot. I'm pretty comfortable heel striking while walking but on treacherous terrain or at speed I basically walk on my tip toes. It varies tremendously how my foot strikes. Temperature, firmness, and energy levels are all paramount for deciding how I strike the ground. But when I slip on shoes I don't think about anything like that and just go back to my basal, which is heel striking. Glad you made thisvideo because it's good to see a relatively unbiased study. Bless you in all your endeavors.
You hike barefoot or with barefoot shoes? Unfortunately I'd be worried about stepping on sharp glass walking on some of the more frequented trails around here.
Yea how dp you hike barefoot? I always thought about it but i would be worried about steppinf on something sharp
@@connorperrett9559 barefoot. I just watch where I step. But I do get a few sharp sticks and briars every now and again. It still hurts. But you just take it out and carry on. Whenit gets stuck is a different issue.
@@ghostswordsman8024 I usually carry sandals with me when I'm mushroom hunting if I go off the path into treacherous terrain. But they don't do well on the long term.
@@dontworry4945 Don't forget to tell people that the more a foot is exercised on different surfaces it becomes conditioned. The skin on the heel, ball and toes will thicken naturally and nerves will become desensitised.
When I first started wearing barefoot shoes, I did a lot of research into the pros and cons. I eventually decided I didn't care though because the way barefoot shoes made me feel was reason enough. It's like going from having cinder blocks on your feet to nothingness. I also love being able to feel the ground beneath my feet. The transition was difficult when it came to the calf soreness but never once could i imagine going back to traditional shoes and I still can't. I understand everyone is going to have different experiences but for me, personally, barefoot shoes are a total no-brainer!
The problem with a lot of these shoes is that they tend to have you "flex" your toes in/under your foot more than a toe box in a shoe keeping them flat. This flexing builds muscles/tendons more than a padded shoe and is creating a ton of plantar fasciitis among the world. Thanks for the candid report on your experience over 6 years. It's refreshingly unbiased.
I've not been wearing barefoot shoes for too long but I've noticed an increase already in my resilience when walking. The transition has been easy for me as I've never worn tight shoes. I have been a tad concerned about the heel striking on concrete surfaces when walking a lot, but I noticed very quickly that my body was adjusting the way it walked in the same way that it would whenever I walk around without shoes on - which is all the time at home and around the garden. I honestly think everyone should embrace barefoot shoes, especially when running!
If you're heel striking you need to work on your hips they're too tight which is not letting you place feet down gently, ankles need work too, lots of stretching and yoga and you'll see your foot goes down nice and light
I used barefoot shoes a while ago and the only issue I had with them was when the surface I was running on got really hot. They have much less insulation than "normal" shoes and it was really painful to run with them on hot surfaces. Other than that they're fantastic, and this video is an excellent portrayal of how going barefoot is a transition to something different (and probably healthier) rather than just bring outright better.
Vivo do sell some really thin insoles that come included in some of their shoes, the cork one might be good for your case?
Yeah the ones I had were cheap knock-offs lol, they fell apart after a single season. I'm sure any of the Vivo's would be better than what I had, thanks for the recommendation!
How I solve this was to cut out sole shaped space blanket reflective material and place it underneath the shoe-liner.
@@hamster2845 Ooh what a smart idea.
@@infinitenayc9910 For hot surfaces you would put the reflective side down, for cold, you would put the reflective side up.
The primary reason I'm interested in barefoot shoes is because of multiple ankle sprains I've had in traditional shoes over many years. My ankle ligaments are so stretched and loose that I can easily roll my ankle with shoes that have a lot of padding or if they are stiff like hiking boots. Barefoot shoes keep my feet closer to the ground and reduce the risk of rolling an ankle simply due to the physics and geometry of the shoe.
I don't wear barefoot shoes, but one thing I only very recently realized after getting into HEMA is that I appear to have been the odd one out in terms of footwork. Ironically, it was to my benefit in the long run given the speed at which I traverse during sparring. Everyone else was heel-striking while I was front-walking. Growing up, I was resistant to wear slippers at home even when the floor wasn't exactly at its cleanest. I'd always just go barefoot as much as I can, so front-walking has always been natural for me. But looking back, I came to realize that I was so stubborn about it that I just carried over front-walking even while wearing conventional shoes. I could probably count on both my hands in the 32 years I've been alive the amount of times I'd actively used heel-striking when walking-because it just wasn't something I was actively trying to use to replace front-walking, which felt more natural. It also has the added benefit for me of being absolutely sneaky since front-walking means that I land on the part of my foot that's the most nimble and least clumsy, because our ancestors needed it to traverse dangers like sharp objects on terrain. Even whilst running, my habit was very much a front-walking one rather than a heel-strike despite wearing conventional shoes with thickly-cushioned heels. I've heard friends of mine who say they don't like to run or sprint because it hurts their feet, and I think it's probably because they're habitual heel-walkers. Nothing wrong if you have the right cushions for it, but-in my personal experience-it's still always better to front-walk
I tried barefoot shoes and followed all the guidance as to how to slowly integrate them and ended up with plantar faciatis from the increased tension on the plantar fascia. I now have to hike with arch support. Really not for everyone. With the exception of the wide toe box, it's so true that our balance, gait etc is far better with splayed toes.
Absolutely. At the end of the day, there’s two extremes here- barefoot walking and incredibly padded shoes. Find your balance. I’m sick of this ‘do this! Do that!’
You may look for some broad toe box boots like Keens or Corcoran jump boots (Munson Army last). Then you can have the wide toe box with some support.
If you have access to a gym with a sled, try integrating pushing the sled into your workouts. That is supposed to help with foot strength, which should help with plantar fasciitis.
@Paul Skalla Yeah, there are lots more brands now that have a wide toe box. I'm currently using Topo boots in the summer & Altberg in winter.
As someone with a really long second toe (naturally pointy feet) I have had a lot of difficulty finding barefoot style shoes that fit my feet. I could always go up a few sizes I suppose but I would much prefer to find a brand that has a more "foot shaped" shoe that isn't made for only a few foot shapes. I gather that a foot changes shape when the toes have the opportunity to spread, but I don't believe that will make my big toe significantly longer or my second toe significantly shorter. Thanks guys!
No idea how long your toe is, but as far as I understand barefoot shoes like vivos should leave plenty of space for your toes. When I tried vivos recommended for my foot size I had a huge amount of space(not sure if that's the case for all brands), so I feel like if I had a long second toe it wouldn't be a problem. So if you are choosing barefoot shoes where your toes touch the end of the shoe, you are potentially getting a size too small. But don't quote me on this, that's just my observation from trying the vivo brand.
Naot
@@josephbolt6203 I was born with feet like this. (Just like my great grandma.) I actually had surgery to shorten the toe because I couldn't handle the extreme pain. Best thing EVER.
Well you can't mass manufacture things that fit individuals...
This! My big toe nails are not flat, they are a bit upwards so my vivos gave me a corn under my right toe nail from the shoe being so flat over the toe nails. Most barefoot shoes leave room on the sides and front, but I never found one that left room at the top 😩
Excellent video and explanations. I am 15 years in barefoot style walking. I never changed my running shoes though, just changed the running style. Paralled my feet and started slowly not to over work my calves (and lots of massage rolling) It takes time for sure but its the best one could do for protection and shaping a better walk. One big advantage in my opinion is, by frontfoot walking you protect your ancles and knees as the middle foot can twist..... Living in a warm climate makes it easy to walk barefoot and I have problems finding shoes which fit my feet now 😅
As an artist and inventor this is fascinating. Gratitude of this closure!
A note on toes widening out - I have been in barefoot shoes for about 2 years, and my feet actually expanded to where I needed to get a half size bigger shoe. My toes have spread wider too.
Aasics for a short period had a very thin soled casual everyday shoe. It wasn't an athletic shoe or a wrestling shoe. I got one pair on clearance and it was amazing. Until I wore them out and realized that Aasics phased them out and were no longer making them. Crushed me because for the first time I had finally found a VERY comfortable shoe versus your standard sneaker.
The exact same thing happened to me with a pair of NB. Outside clearance. I have mortins neuroma, and I could only wear those shoes without it blowing up. My son looked at the shoes and noticed details I never would have. I've been wearing Barefoot shoes ever since and have avoided surgery. I swear, barefoot shoes saved my life.
If you still have them you could find a cobbler and get them repaired
If you do find another shoe that good for you, buy multiples since they too can be discontinued.
Thank you for so explaning this in such detail. I have ordered my first pair and I am so excited to transition. 😊
Interesting review! I ran barefoot before discovering these! First few weeks I ran for 10 minutes, first run i took 20 mins and a bunch of blisters, which i washed in the ocean and cut, before sanitizing then waited about two weeks or so for healing, then another run, then a week at a time recover, very careful and more around beach areas where there was minimal debris to puncture on... never got a puncture over a year! Still have footpads/hide on the soles but vivos was a game changer! They key with Vivos are shock absorbing orthotics/soles
Great info. Been using barefoot style footwear for almost two years now. I have found that focusing more on where you land in relation to the rest of your body is more important than which part of your foot you land on. Not over striding seems to play a big role in efficiency of gait as well as reduction of injury.
Agreed. The most important thing is to land under the hip and not to pverstride. Simple ques instead of trying to decipher the mechanics of the foot and gait cycle, I find are helpful
YES, walking barefoot in bad terrain most of my life, you can land on your blade, heel, ball, etc but its strength and flexibility on your ankles that helps.
Makes sense. Locking your knee before the heel strike is possibly more efficient, but it's a bad move if you're walking on rough or hazardous ground and need to adjust your weight quickly. If you don't overstride, you probably won't lock your knee.
@@TBButtSmoothy Personally I can't/don't heelstrike at all when barefoot. If you place your foot on something hard or sharp there's no way to adjust and pivot the weight compared to striking with the front of the foot where I can easily re-adjust if I step on something unintentionally
I used to love wearing what were then called track shoes. They were very minimalist. Thin soles, lightweight fops. By the end of the seventies, I couldn't find them any more. All l could find in the stores were "running" shoes. With the thick soles and supposedly superior padding. I will certainly try to get some of these shoes and see if I find them as comfortable all these decades later.
The giant padding shoes are ridiculously. If you ever seen a track spike there is basically zero padding on any of them and they are faster shoes. The maximalist shoes are the only ones over ever gotten injuries (bunionettes) from.
Just bought my first vivobarefoot's using your discount code - i went to the shop and tried them on and you're right about how they hug your ankle in a really comfortable and secure way, tysm!
Yeah allows for lots of space in front of your toes without foot sliding forward. cheers!
I wore barefoot for a few years, then switched to full leather soled, handmade boots - the kind that mold to the arch. They allow me to stand on hard surfaces for 16 straight hours. Every step feels like a foot massage when I add a cork insole with a metatarsal bump. I'll never go back to barefoot. It's also interesting that the boots are actually quite hard on the bottom - there's no cushion more than the rubber of the outsole. (look up JK, Nicks, Franks, Drew's, etc.)
Ooh, I’ve been wondering about leather soles. Thank you
absolutely 👍🏼 before my job made steel toe shoes mandatory I was wearing barefoot shoes to work and I could stand for HOURS 12 hr shifts were a breeze. Now with steel toe my hip and lower back starts to ache 🫠
@@jasminemora6869 yes me too!!! Exactly. Hate company shoes. I put the insole on thee wrong side to compensate for height slightly
Most retail footwear doesn't actually have any heel lift, despite what these people claim (a few mm at most). Most retail footwear is actually closer to barefoot shoes than these people admit. The major difference is the thickness of the soles. Now you can see what an actual heel lift does, it doesn't match up with the "barefoot" marketing, does it?
@@averyj.steele1074 this is not accurate. The vast majority of footwear has a heel to toe drop.
I tinkered with this and switched years ago. I duct taped the soles of my old classic runners to see where the action was. Decided to literally just go barefoot based on what I saw. All heel strikes. Increased speed, endurance, knee problems disappeared And I just plain enjoyed the experience of running that much more due to the new tactile feedback. I ended up going with Merrill trail glove shoe. Best move ever.
A D V E R T I S M E N T
@@brentschmogbert lmaoo
I agree. I put on Vapor Gloves back in 2018 and practically never took them off. Much improved running form and speed, patellar tendinitis a thing of the past. And they relatively cheap although not very durable. Love em.
My two pair of Merrell Trail Gloves brutally fell apart from week one. Horrible glue job in China. Fabric frayed to pieces. Horrible manufactured shoe. They did not care either. The shoe store did nothing either. Five Fingers by Vibram is just as bad. Looking at Luna, Earth Runner and Shamma. Very caring folks.
I remember learning that pointed shoes made for easier in/out of stirrups, and owning a horse and knowing how to ride (instead of wagon, carriage, etc.) was showing your wealth. Then the point went to all shoes so you could ride at any time, and then it became popular in all styles and levels of wealth and the trend stuck. There was also the other side of the world that thought small feet were desirable in women, as well as sit still for other skills like needlework, so that also probably continued as a trend of pointed/smaller feet.
There is something slightly more important to address here. Watch what happens as the maker of the film walks, particularly the slow motion shots from the rear. 1) he is still heel striking 2) his ankles collapse inwards 3) both feet splay outwards with the right foot being more pronounced. When you heel strike your foot rocks from heel to toe, and if your foot is splayed outwards in this process it creates a counter clockwise twist up to the knee as the foot is rotating clockwise. Now you create issues from your toes to your hips. Now the ankles collapsing. When I first learned about the barefoot/ minimalist movement 14 years ago, the argument for a midfoot and/or forefoot strike was that it meant your body was in a natural position to utilize ligaments, muscles and tendons as shock absorbers and springs as opposed to heel striking which would create an alignment of the bones that utilized the cushion of the shoe and your cartilage as the shock absorbers and springs. You can figure out on your own which is more effective. Now if you are a grown adult and have spent the majority of your life wearing shoes and sitting in chairs, it won't make big differences in the long run whether you go full hoka or full barefoot, if you don't take the time to strength and decompress everything from your toes to your hips and glutes. Spend less time sitting and more time kneeling or rest in a low squat. Longer it's been since you were a small child the long it will take to address these issues. I've been primarily barefoot for 14 years and I focus on strengthening toes and ankles every day. And for the record, I can pick up a lacrosse ball and throw it with my toes
Love this video. An accident at 60, lead to a BK amputation. Over a short period of time I had my Prosthetist’s take the heel rise out of my prosthetic foot. I soon learned that walking bare foot or with flat - no shoes, my gait, legs and hips were much better. Moccasins and a recent purchase of bare foot shoes have been a game changer. I get lectured often about my choice, but it’s my choice. In May I will be 73, I am high activity and so happy my body lead me to bare foot. Always wondered about the up tilt on (especially athletic shoes). Even as a teen I was more comfortable in flat profile active ware. Soccer comes to mind. Ha!
I loved this, and I also think that it's worth adding that most natural environments are full of hills, therefore forcing you to walk more on the ends of your feet. Flatland enviroments also tend to have mounds and overall rugged terrain that requires more careful footing to traverse quickly and effectively, so I'd say that it's more efficient than heel striking myself, going by what's natural. Just thought I'd add my two cents there✌️👍
Added to this is that in uneven (natural) terrain you typically shorten your stride significantly and that makes a toe strike much more ergonomic. The way we walk with long strides on flat surfaces naturally makes the heel the lowest part of the foot and the part that touches down first.
Good point!
Great (and really helpful) video, thanks Ben, for someone who is just starting out on his barefoot journey. Also, a little bit funny that I know all of the locations of you video. As a photographer, I've shot around there a few times!! Thanks again!
I would like to tell you my experience with barefoot shoes. I’m in my seventies and have suffered from chronic hip pain for years whis eventually led to foot pain. I’m not a runner but a walker and yoga practitioner. I came across an ad for barefoot shoes and ordered a pair to use as house shoes. After wearing these shoes for one day I knew I was on to something. It’s now two years later and I have a pair for outdoor wear as well. The hip and foot pain are completely gone, I feel like a new person. All of the credit goes to barefoot shoes and I would recommend them to anyone suffering with hip, knee and foot issues!
I grew up going without shoes as much as possible and still usually go barefoot at home, or wear just a simple flipflop when weather allows and I've noticed i have a very different gait than many, with my feet rolling straight forward rather than the outward angles i see many sneaker wearers using (at times 45 degrees or more!) I also seem to walk much more lightly than many people expect and i am 100% sure it is related. One other thing i would like to mention is that for much of history shoes were made very differently than modern ones, and more in line with the concepts used in the barefoot shoes- very flexible leather or fabric that moves with the foot, rather like a thick sock and a leather sole that flexes and molds to the terrain rather than the stiff padded box of modern shoes. If anyone is interested i would recommend checking out some of the very nice videos on the differences in historical shoe making by Nicole Rudolph
what gets me is why people even wear shoes at home period lol
Fellow flip-flop fan here! lmao I've had multiple people curse at me whenever I arrive in a room because they can't hear me coming unless I'm wearing unusually noisy shoes (like heels or brand new running shoes with those squeaky soles. Never considered the connection between spending most of my time barefoot/in flip-flops and having a light step, but there might be one.
@Maria Ah Same! I'm very tall and wear swishy nylon pants at work and I'm still always startling folks who didn't hear me coming!
Haha, I'm really glad I read a comment in its entirety before replying, because as soon as I started reading yours I immediately wanted to recommend Nicole Rudolph's channel! Her videos making historic footwear as well as the ones on the evolution of footwear fashion and construction techniques I think would be really interesting to anyone who found this video intriguing.
I never wear shoes at home unless necessary, and I have been told several times by the people downstairs that they can tell who is walking above them by the noise we make. Despite being heavier than anyone else by at least 100 pounds, they tell me I am the quietist one.
I’m about 3 years in and wear a thin insole when I know I’m going to be speed walking on concrete all day at work. I think the zero drop and toe spread are the most important elements. Prolonged intuition and being able to feel changes in surfaces seem to be a beneficial aspect of barefoot shoes. Great video and great information.
That makes sense. I've always preferred to go barefoot, and when I did have to wear shoes I would opt for flat, thin-soled shoes, but when I started working in a warehouse store (miles and miles of walking on solid concrete) I had to switch to shoes with more support. Still hated them, but sadly we're really not built for standing and walking on such hard surfaces all day.
All it took me to get into barefoot was developing planter fasciitis, barefoot shoes basically cured it overnight so now its all I wear outside of work
My children hated wearing shoes and would run around barefoot as often as possible. They would argue with me constantly about putting on shoes when going outside. Once I heard about barefoot shoes, I decided to try them for all of us. Lo and behold, the complaints and the pushback on wearing shoes stopped. My own aching feet and aching lower back also recovered to where I can now walk barefoot all through the house and my toes are pointing forward again. Wearing regular shoes, I immediately notice how constricting the toe box feels. They NEED to go back to function over beauty and save impractical shoes for people who don’t walk. 😊
When I watch informative videos, I speed them up. You, my sir, brought me back to normal speed. Way to have a completely information packed and decently long video! This was awesome!
Hehe! I knew there’d be someone out there that appreciated the pace!
I've been in Vibram Five Fingers exclusively since about 2010. What struck me the most about the transition was the way the shape of my foot changed. I went from fallen arches back to the high arches I had when I was younger. Also, my foot became thicker. I also noticed that for the first couple of years, I experienced a noticeable "pins and needles" sensation during my first few steps in the morning as the muscles broke loose and really activated. Over time that subsided. I think the biggest hurdle, and what accounts for much of the injury associated with barefoot shoes, was the muscle atrophy in my feet from wearing conventional footware. The entire shock absorption structure of the foot is disengaged when wearing heel lifted padded shoes. There's a period where the muscles of the feet have to play catchup with the muscle conditioning of the rest of your body and it's pretty easy to injure your feet until that happens. It's made a real difference in my hips and knees and I feel like those joints specifically are aging slow because wear and tear is now more evenly distrubted through my legs.
Good to hear that the pins and needles in the first steps go away. I get that too, and I was worried it was a sign of a developing injury
I did the same. Everything was great, until I started to develop medial knee pain due to the lack of cushion. Switched to Altras. Now I use a lower stack Altra to run in, and a thicker stack Altra to walk in.
@@SerafinaTorgul Altras are great! I love my Lone peak 4 pair!
Have you ever tried other barefoot brands or always vibram?
Any comments fro others about recovering from ankle sprain and chronic tendinitis and which walking shoes are beneficial ( or NOT bebeficial)?
Another thing to mention is that full barefoot walking in those types of shoes is a constant effort. It's really easy to just transition back to heel striking until you start feeling that shock if you are wearing zero drop shoes. You can kind of rock your foot as you heel strike to reduce some of that impact like if you are trying to sneak around the house, but it's comparable to the effort you would put if you just land with the front part of your foot. Currently I work at a restaurant where I'm on my feet walking or standing for at least 8 hours a day and I haven't felt any toe/knee/hip problems since I've adjusted and I mention barefoot shoes whenever my co-workers look like they are developing soreness in their joints, but I understand it's not for everyone
I have done a mix of barefoot walking and wearing conventional shoes my whole life. I used to spend entire summers running around barefoot. It was never intentional for the sake of my health like much of the barefoot movement over the last couple of decades emphasizes. I was just a wild child, even into my teens. Something I've noticed is that I have different striking patterns when walking in different footwear. In "normal shoes," I heel-to-toe roll or step down flat. When I'm in minimal shoes I do a mix of the ball of my foot and midsole. When I'm barefoot, I strike with the ball of my foot which requires me to step with a gate that is more like reaching forward with my legs. My weight almost exclusively sits in the ball of my foot while walking barefoot. When I'm barefoot, depending on my walking speed, I will do this sort of toe to mid-foot roll where I strike with the ball of my foot, let the weight shift to mid-foot, then back into the heel as I step. Side notes, I've noticed that I am significantly quieter when navigating hardwood floors compared to almost everyone I've ever known. (I'm neurodivergent and loud walking sounds annoy me. So I have a hard time not hyper-focusing on how loud people are when they walk.) I'm also a parkour athlete and do a lot of jumping. I'm known for having strong legs and great landings. Growing up, I played basketball and was always told I had naturally excellent footwork. IDK if those last two relate to how I've walked my whole life or if they are correlated at all, but I just thought they were interesting observations in this context.
Your description of different foot striking patterns is the exact same for me. Although I'm not neurodivergent, I do get bothered by people stomping around. I grew up on hardwood floors and naturally adapted my gait-just seems rude and actually inefficient not to.
I hate when people stomp around like that. I've always walked very quietly, but occasionally I'll stomp around just so people know I'm there and don't run into me. I scare people all the time with how quietly I approach.
I'm autistic and people very rarely hear me approaching, I just walk that quietly on most surfaces. I haven't paid attention to how I walk though and shoe wise I wear whatever is comfortable for me for the time being. Sometimes I prefer very supportive and built up shoes like Timberland or similar, other times I may prefer Crocs or Birkenstock type slippers, and now for a while I've been wearing my Converse a fair bit. All down to how my feet feels at the time and what type of sensory input I can handle
and@@ReyOfLight
you need to get used to barefoot first to understand it
I really appreciate this video. I have been running around barefoot since I was a little kid. I HATED wearing shoes so when I heard about the barefoot shoe movement I was pretty excited. It was always so weird about people saying that once you move to barefoot you were supposed to never walk/run on your heel because that clearly never made sense. to me
This is a great analysis. I have noticed that when I'm wearing thinner shoes I have to adjust my cadence more when walking on concrete or hard floors indoors at work. At home I'm always barefoot and I switch when I go from tile/wood floor to the carpet. In shoes or not, we should be thinking about how we walk, and barefoot shoes allow you to think with the addition of sensory. The transition topic is difficult because it's so depend on the individual. The individual really needs to take overwhip of their health and evaluate the situation, but not everyone wants to do that.
I keep hearing that walking barefoot is linked to toe striking, but for me, it's the opposite. When I started to spend my summers mostly barefoot as a teenager, I quickly adapted heel striking in order to avoid injuries. When walking on gravel, twigs or on a mountain trail, I didn't have to pay as much attention if it was my heel that hit a sharp object first. My toes and balls on the other hand were way too sensitive, no matter the calluses I gained. Now I'm almost thirty and apparently, my partner can hear me coming a mile off.
Ugh, is this why my husband stomps around? It's so distractingly loud, man. I'm glad we have a one-story house.
Yes, much of what the barefoot community says is complete BS. A lot of it is based on a study that found that habitually unshod Kenyans mostly forefoot strike. Except that many of the subjects of the study were running a sub-5:00 mile! How the hell are you supposed to heelstrike while running 1:15 laps around a track??
@@imnotlettingyouseemynamehuh interesting. I go barefoot unless it's required to wear shoes or just smart to wear em like boots with ankle support for airsoft. Doing a little testing during my walking I keep my feet mostly perpendicular to the ground rasing my toes slightly mid stride. Landing flat on the ground settling my toes down with everything shortly after impact. For running I lead with my fore foot with it becoming more exaggerated as I get towards sprinting speed. At full sprint the back of my foot doesn't quite touch the ground. Not a runner but do walk and hike a lot barefoot.
One thing that's really important in the long term is that we train our feet to be used to getting squished together in shoes that are usually not wide enough. That means most people don't really notice anymore when their shoes are too tight. In a lot of cases that leads to bunions on one or both sides of your feet. Also, when we get older, we don't notice when we need shoes one or even two sizes bigger. Feet get bigger during your life. So longterm that means, I have a LOT of older (and someone not so old) patients that have actual injuries from their shoes - e.g. blisters or other kinds of wounds that get infected - which doesn't sound like much but imagine being diabetic and not noticing these wounds (since your nerve endings are dead), keeping on wearing these too tight shoes and then those infections getting really serious. Like amputations serious. And there are LOADS of people like that. The right shoes might not be a cure all but it might this problem a lot less common.
I love this video. I think of lifting the bent knee; right, left.... This is the way to strike/level with a flat foot. I learned by trial and error and frustration that the barefoot walking stride is more of a march because you have to focus on maintaining a bent knee in stride. If the knee extends then we are overreacting and pulling ourselves forward rather than pushing off the hip extension. I learned this by watching long distance runners and the a and b skips. The foot will always land under the hips if the knees don't extend in the forward part of the stride. I got injured (Achilles bursitis) figuring this out even though I researched a whole lot of videos and articles about the barefoot walking before I transitioned to barefoot shoes.
I have always been an avid cardio enthusiast and running is just part of my life living in the countryside. However, when I was about 19 I got my first running shoes and gradually I noticed knee pain which got worse. It was never terrible but noticeable. Then I went hardcore barefoot buying Merrel Vaour Glove 5's and these are as barefoot as you can get (exclding vibrams). Then I noticed my running improved, all things had to be adjusted including strike and cadence but eventually I got the hang of them. Now about 4 years in I love them and wear them all the time including at the gym which helps a ton with squat form etc. You really have to learn how to run properly though it fine tunes your experience and if you are sloppy or lazy with your form you will get problems. I did actually, I most likely screwed up my leg while training for a marathon and had to stop. What is weird though was there was still some residual knee pain left behind even after barefoot shoe transition and I mostly ignored it as it was one tenth of what I had with my running shoes, then one day I put on a weighted 5kg vest and went running and to this day BAM all my pain has gone. My calves are thick and my feet are super hench. It is a great feeling to know your body is strong and still able to do plenty of cardio.
I have always been a lover of walking barefoot. About 13 years ago I became a yoga teacher and since the job allowed for it, I started to wear shoes less and less. My toes definitely splay out, the front of my foot becoming slightly wider. Because of the practice of yoga as well though; There's a lot of balancing and finding stability through a conscious awareness of the way your feet splay, etc. My feet were definitely stronger! During COVID my studio closed though, and I started walking more (with normal tekkies) as well as wearing slippers a lot (it was a rough time!). My feet changed again, and it was not good. Before COVID, I merrily had theories about the way my feet changed, but it became an accidental experiment as I realised how my feet had changed and set out to consciously strengthen them again. Barefeet RULE! (Have not worn the shoes, although I love a thin soled shoe)
Walking barefoot leaves you at risk to parasites…. Hookworms enter the soles of your feet and work their way to your intestines and eventually to your brain
You should see the feet of natives in the rainforest, their feet are wild lol
I got awful ingrown toenails as a teenager, I think I had to have the procedure done where they cut off the edge of your big toe’s nail five different times. I realized that my toes are wider and shorter than average for my shoe size, so I switched to wearing shoes with wider toe boxes and my problems disappeared. I haven’t gotten any barefoot/minimalist shoes yet, but I’m definitely considering making the switch, just because they’re the easiest shoes to find that have very wide toe boxes.
Had the same problem as a teenager. Doctors and my parents didn't even think that it could be caused by tight and narrow shoes. Our society is dumb. 6 procedures due to such and obvious reason. And I as a kid listened to the grown-ups.. Didn't occur to me either. Started wearing wider shoes and no issues. Lesson learned.
What shoes did you have that had a wide toe box?
Same here dunno what caused it. But I got that same surgery just as many times to the point I would hide the hurt so I wouldn't have to do it again. I go to Hawaii and I got such a different treatment, they let me fall asleep while they did it and they put a ointment on the nail that stopped it from growing there anymore so I have a slightly smaller nail
do you have shoe recommendations ? i have also had this problem since i was a kid, grandma got me the surgery once when the cuts they made got infected and my mom wouldnt take me to the doctor but they still grow like this
@@tpk1412 I have wide feet and recently tried on a few different walking shoes - Keen shoes and boots seemed to be the widest (but not cheap and not fashion shoes).
I've been wearing Vibram Five-Fingers shoes for many years and love them. Walking, trail running, hiking, and every day activities.
Small world Ben!!!! I was researching Vevo, whacked on a bunch of videos in the background whilst working and the second I heard your voice and immediately thought: IT'S VALLACK!!!! You're looking well - keep up the great work!
Hah! You too Simon! You've got some really interesting vids on your channel - I'll check them out. Ms Richardson would be proud.
@@BenVallack she is I think - I’ve got her old job at the college!!
I Walk for over 20 years barefoot and I’m slightly amused about the „barefoot shoe trend“… I had never again issues like fungi, smell, cornea, I never hurt my feets that much that I couldn’t walk further and I’m pretty sure most of the glances I earn are in envy ( because my foots are healthy and well shaped ) and in admiration and almost every chat about it starts with „I love to try it but I don’t dare…“
Former furoshiki user here. They worked well because I could move around outdoors the same way I moved indoors. Fit was also better due to the compliance. Stopped using them after post-concussion symptoms made footfalls painful.
Sorry to hear about the accident there - I will check those out.
@Ben Vallack No worries, I've been getting better. My old first revision pair developed a few holes, and I don't have enough wear on the second to judge durability. It won't have the ankle support you mentioned but that's a plus for me.
furoshikis are leaving not enough space for toes.
I've been barefoot since the virus because I work from home. I can no longer wear my beautiful fashion shoe collection, BUT my insane knee pain that plagued me for 15 years, is absolutely gone. I wear shoes when I travel (3 times a year) and the few times I leave my house for errands, but I live, garden, and workout barefoot now. Very interesting video, because I never thought about it just sort of progressed to this haha. I never knew such flexible thin shoes existed! Might try a pair.
I have never used barefoot shoes but 20 years ago I switched to barefoot running on a treadmill and when I am running outside I am wearing sport shoes with an extremely flat sole profile. This switch was initially (the first 6 months) difficult and painful (especially for my calves) but on the long run avoiding heel striking has made a huge positive difference for me. I never experienced again pain in my joints (especially my knees) and my foot stability has improved massively what helped me to prevent the frequent injuries which I had with conventional sport shoes. When I am walking I am still a heel striker but not longer so hard then before. A negative side-effect was that my feet size increased so that many shoes didn't fit longer after a few years.
I don't know how I missed this video, but I just ordered a pair with your promo code. The Moonlander keyboard was a massive improvement for my frozen shoulders, so I'm sure these will be fantastic too! I walked around on shoes 7 sizes too big at one point in my life, so getting my body back in order has been a real challenge. Thanks for all of the great information and products!
Excellent article, spot on to what I've found out using minimalist footwear.
A good overview. My son and I are about 3 years in on barefoot shoes. I too still heel strike in walking, but I set my foot down more gently. It requires more deliberateness in movement, at least after 40 years of wearing bad shoes. One further drawback of barefoot shoes is that the soles wear out quickly (makes sense: less material, so holes appear earlier).
I recall in a book I read a while ago that foot striking was described in two ways besides heel to toe. The first was on the pads of the foot, per usual, the second was from the outside of the foot, rolling forward to pad of the foot. It is not as drastic as you might think, and basically constitutes what you were doing at (6:06) It has a very similar effect to rolling, but it carries less momentum and reduces your impact. It's also great for running in boots, or flat footed shoes. Another thing he to keep in mind, is that when you walk barefoot you usually keep your weight centered rather than throwing it forwards, to avoid stepping on sharp things, you also reduce impact.
Several years ago I bought a pair of NB minimus shoes before studying abroad in Italy. I've always loved walking but began walking several miles a day in Italy, eventually jogging and running. While the minimus aren't barefoot, they are not far off, and I can remember how comfortable I got sprinting through the countryside. It was slow progress, but clearly made an impact. Once I got back to the states, I went back to standard shoes, and it was only recently that I remember how much I loved those shoes. Makes me want to go barefoot!
@Karl with a K how interesting! I’d love to read those studies.
You a bot bro?
Oh no! You caught me 😅
I used to be screamed and screeched at because being a girl I was expected to walk toes first "cos it's ladylike" (aka model in high heels) but expected to run heels first (heels first for walking was considered stomping and girls weren't allowed to do that only boys). I've always done these two functions apparently backwards, yet my toes first approach at running never gave me injuries AND I was always one of the fastest kids, still never could wear heels though thankfully.
Ive always been a barefoot person. Being autistic and being outside constantly and even hiking barefoot as an adult, regular shoes (especially with all the foot and ankle injuries I've had from having hEDS) absolutely killed my feet. I hated wearing shoes even in public so I ended up wearing crocs and flipflops (yikes they always caused more injuries.) Recently within the last half of the year I found out about barefoot shoes and nothing, I mean NOTHING will make me switch back to regular shoes. I have daily shoes, just bought hiking boots, am in the market for winter boots, and will invest in barefoot sandals next year. I'm so thankful for them especially now that I'm relearning how to walk anyways because of said old injuries that never got addressed. You have to be careful especially if you're not a barefoot kind of person. But man, I couldn't be happier. It's obviously not for everyone. But it's DEFINITELY for me.
as a fellow heds-er who wayyy prefers being barefoot and is looking at buying some barefoot shoes, which ones do you use for daily wear?
The Xero shoes waterproof winter boot is my recommendation. Got me through a few Wisconsin winters and is compatible with rubber strap on ice cleats. Never had cold toes, especially with wool socks, and frequently hiked and walked for miles. The feel for the ground is amazing for a winter boot, better than traditional tennis shoes. The sole is still super flexible and plenty of room for toes.
@@ameliag8574 I've tried a few kinds and my favorites are Xero shoes. For a few years I used Nike "barefoot runners" which aren't nearly as barefoot as the Xero shoes but could be a good transition from traditional shoes
To add my anecdotes: I have been wearing a particular type of zero-drop, wide toe box, minimal cushion shoes for about 8 years. I got used to it after about 6 months. Now? Every time I wear conventional shoes with padding, and a raised heel, my feet are in agony. My I feel like I have no control. No connection to the ground. Like I'm always fighting with the shoe for stability. It's a question of adaptation. It seems like many healthy, able bodied children and adults would benefit from transitioning to zero drop, wide toe box shoes, with minimal support or padding beyond a strong sole. There are certain lines of work that don't agree with this, but most people don't have those kinds of footwear needs.
I just don't wear shoes unless I have to. And when I do, flip flops. My toes are so wide cause no shoes ever so shoes hurt
i can agree. i tried my old shoes and they feel like hard pieces of plastic on my feet or something.
I've been running with a pair if vivobarefoot shoes for about 18 months now, and although I certainly had to ease myself into it to avoid injury, once my feet and calves built a little bit of strength it felt absolutely fantastic. It just feels a whole lot more efficient and I can run longer distances without hitting a wall. I enter this almost zen like flow that I never experienced with traditional cushioned running shoes. If anyone is thinking of transitioning to barefoot running I would definitely recommend doing a couch to 5k program, even if you are already a regular distance runner. Just give your muscles and tendons time to adapt. I can also attest to the quality of vivobarefoot shoes, as that one pair has lasted me 18 months and they're still in great condition. I would be lucky to get a year out of regular cushioned shoes in the past.
What model do you own?
Yeah I think people who immediately run in them are weird. I just did farmer walks, going up stairs, walking backwards with the weights. Doing that strengthens the hell outta your toes, ankle, and all those things that normal shoes support. After that I've never had a problem running in them. It doesn't even feel different. I just did this all in grass or my house with no shoes.
I wear barefoot shoes (99%) for 10 years now. Mostly Vivo ... but recently I am trying (or feel forced) to shift away. Firm ground was tough, but got used to it - wearing FG models that have some pattern in the sole, adding some cushioning/thickness. I even used SG model (opposite of what it was designed for) with the most protruding anti-slip pattern while doing mountain hiking - i.e. walking and jumping on rocks all day long - and it went great (of course, after a few months of pre-training in other environments with the barefoot shoes). SG shoes with their relief have a great grip on the rocks - surpassing the classical non-barefoot hiking boots with those fancy branded "technical" soles. I was surprised, that not wearing classical boots (that fix the ankle joint "for safety"), I have relieved my knee pain. I was already at that point, where I was not able to hike (downhill) in boots, but now in barefoot, while my ankles are free, there is no pain. It would be worth to analyze this theory - does fixing joints in boots make hiking more safe? Can barefoot shoe (the short below-ankles model) increase risk of ankle-twist or ankle-sprain in the unpredictable terrain? Speaking of the brands - Vivo continues to produce the same design mistake over a decade - and that's already something to consider. The line where foot bends (e.g. when standing on the toes and reaching for something), close to the toe roots - tends to break and make holes on the sides. I destroyed 10 pairs of shoes in the same predictable way. Their materials are getting worse (oh, that insistence on air circulation through the mesh that easily tears), get stained fast, loose color, leak color into your socks/feet, loose shape - the quality of production is truly "offshore". Unfortunately. From a good start into corporate lack of attention and diligence.
A solution I found for the pain of barefoot shoes on so much flat concrete(unnatural) is to use 3mm Lululemon yoga mat and cut my own insoles. 1 or 2 layers of this material provides a firm but pliable cushion that got me over the hump of foot bone bruising and fat pad contusions. I started out needing 2 layers, now I only need 1. I put an odor eater insole on top as the foot needs to slide a bit vs the excess grip of the yoga mat. Also, roomier shoes such as Xero shoes or 1 size larger Vivobarefoot allows for the extra height these insoles require. Too much insole lifts the foot and narrows the shoe width.
Thank you so much for making this! I really appreciate the specifically the citations on the history of why shoes became pointed and also directions to the studies about the efficiency of heel striking in different conditions. I've been walking around on my forefront, and it never felt quite right. I feel like this video just gave me a blueprint to how to heel strike more gently (ie. still maintaining the focus on pushing off the back foot/working the glute rather than reaching ahead of me with my foot and letting my knees take the shock, but now gently landing on the heel instead of awkwardly leaning forward to reach over and land on the ball of my foot). This video is a huge collection of knowledge - really fully spanning from clarifying why barefoot is better and very soberly describing the current discussion/discovery in the barefoot world now. (I guess it's important to remember we're not REALLY the barefoot community. We're the people in industrialized countries who want to be LIKE the real barefooters.) A small note though: I'm not sure your title matches your video! (For instance, what was the REAL reason? Even if it is in there, it's not what I took away.) Also, I think this video is a little too advanced for people just beginning their journey. I wonder if a title like: The Barefoot Community is Too Scared to Admit This. I wonder if it would attract barefooters who've actually put more thought into gait types and who have stronger opinions on this stuff. You know best! I just would love to see this video get as much exposure as possible because it's so good. Excellent video! Thank you for making it! :)
I like the title idea! I’ll try it - thanks for your comments!
@@BenVallack Holy shit, this video is popping off! So glad to see it! well deserved 💪
@@MinimalEncourager many thanks to your title suggestions!!
Totally agree with your thoughts. I've had barefoot shoes for only a few months now but one thing I was not yet sold on was zero cushioning when we didn't evolve on concrete, as toe walking felt awkward and inefficient, but heel striking is uncomfortable without cushion. I never considered that you can still heel/flat strike but just do it more gentle. Really good video.
Just noticed was a very generous super thanks - very kind of you, thanks so much!
So I started wearing barefoot shoes in 2012, I didnt know why at the time but they seemed to have a calming effect on me, so i've been wearing them ever since. Jump to last year and I was diagnosed with ADHD. I think the proprioceptive feedback from my feet gives my hyperactive brain something additional to focus on, sort of like stimming in a way I guess. So yeah, they can help ADHD in my experience.
If you are from the states, i would say you don't have ADHD, just to much sugar in a body that is very energic and don't need much sugar at all.
@@RogueSecret I'm British, and I'm a qualified nutritionist. I know how to eat in a biologically appropriate fashion. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, though the effects of an improper diet could mirror some of the traits of ADHD but certainly not all of them.
@@RogueSecret you got that diagnosis from a KZhead comment?😵💫
@@RogueSecret 😂😂😂
I have ADHD too and am looking into them because I can't stand having my toes squashed
I have seen quite a few videos on this subject,but This One is by far the best. This video is well,and clearly stated,and I really enjoyed listening to it. Thanks to Ben Vallack for this great help.
As you get old, the amount of cushioning in modern shoes gives you less balance feedback and the stiffer you get with old age, the more your balance will suffer. I've gone back to hard leather soles and it has made a real difference.
I am 63, and I don't like wearing shoes. I go barefoot most of the time, and I have never had any problems with my feet or my balance. 😊