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I decided to give this a shot today after reading about how it trains your calf. I set the treadmill on 5.5 and jogged making sure to land properly (not on my heel). 5 minutes and my calves are beat!
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Running barefoot is supposed to be really good for your running mechanics. Lots of people I know stopped having knee problems after switching to barefoot running.
I've also heard that one of the reasons African runners kick ass is because they have learned to run barefoot and their mechanics are really good as a result.
I've been thinking of trying it out too. Right now I am focusing on a forefoot otr midfoot strike as a first step to improve my mechanics. -
It was deinitely different. From my reading, our advanced running shoe allows us to lengthen our stride, thus causing our heel, which is cushioned by the shoe, to hit first. This is similar to jumping and landing with your legs locked, not good. Without the shower, you are forced to shorten your stride, land on the ball of your foot, and flex to distribute the force.Originally posted by Scrumhalf View Post
I could see problems starting from it. That is why I am starting slow. I rode the bike for cardio before popping on the treadmill. I figure adding 10 seconds each time I do it will give my body time to adaptComment
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That's cool man. I never knew running barefoot had benefits.Comment
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Yeah, like alwaysgrowing said, barefoot running forces you to run on your forefoot and not do heel strikes, and this is a much more anatomically correct way to run and will result in far fewer injuries.
Maybe Nike Frees or some such minimalist shoe may be a good compromise, as I don't fancy running barefoot on sidewalks and cut my feet on glass shards or whatever.Comment
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I have nike frees they are great and it does change everything. First time I wore them I just walked and my calfs and all the lil muscles arund the ankle were on fire. My guess is always wearing the air max 360s and such spoil your feet?Originally posted by Scrumhalf View PostComment
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From what I have read, the balls of your feet are really good at absorbing shock and propelling you forward and the right way to run is to land on the balls of your feet. Unfortunately, modern athletic shoe designs are geared towards lengthening your stride and causing heel strikes which cause much more shock to be transmitted up your legs and ultimately result in more injuries.Originally posted by ROCKETW19 View Post
I really hate running indoors, but I think I'm going to start going barefoot on the treadmill and work my way up the mileage charts. Not ready to drop 80 bucks on a Vibram Five Fingers or Nike Free quite yet.... :)Comment
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I don't think I'll ever ron on concrete barefoot. I plan on sticking to the treadmill until I get up to 15 minutes, so perhaps in 2/3 months. Then I'l take it to a track. MY calves today are sore beyond belief. I was planning on jogging today, but I can barely walk, lolOriginally posted by Scrumhalf View PostComment
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The shoes forced you to shorten your stride? I reallized yesterday after about 10 seconds how far I was striding. My first few steps my heel hit and you could hear the thump of the treadmill. Once I shortened them up, the treadmill was quieter.Originally posted by ROCKETW19 View PostComment
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running barefoot supposedly is the best for posture from what I've read - but like scrum said, if you have knee problems (left knee for me) it can really be a pain.Comment
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Barefoot running may actually improve chronic pain in joints!!!Originally posted by the art of war View Post
Barefoot Running
Chronic Injuries
One of the most common chronic injuries in runners is planter fasciitis, or an inflammation of the ligament running along the sole of the foot. There is some evidence that the normally unyielding plantar fascia acts as the support for the medial longitudinal arch, and that strain on the proximal fascial attachment during foot strike leads to plantar fasciitis (Robbins and Hanna, 1987). Barefoot running may induce an adaptation that transfers the impact to the yielding musculature, thus sparing the fascia and accounting for the low incidence of plantar fasciitis in barefoot populations (Robbins and Hanna, 1987).
Chronic ailments such as shin splints, ilio-tibial band syndrome and peri-patellar pain are attributed variously to excessive pronation, supination, and shock loading of the limbs (Siff and Verkhoshansky, 1999, p.451). When running barefoot on hard surfaces, the runner compensates for the lack of cushioning underfoot by plantar-flexing the foot at contact, thus giving a softer landing (Frederick, 1986). Barefoot runners also land mid-foot, increasing the work of the foot's soft tissue support structures, thereby increasing their strength and possibly reducing the risk of injury (Yessis 2000, p.124).
Wearers of expensive running shoes that were promoted as correcting pronation or providing more cushioning experienced a greater prevalence of these running-related injuries than wearers of less expensive shoes (Robbins and Gouw, 1991). In another study, expensive athletic shoes accounted for more than twice as many injuries as cheaper shoes, a fact that prompted Robbins and Waked (1997) to suggest that deceptive advertising of athletic footwear (e.g., "cushioning impact") may represent a public health hazard. Anthony (1987) reported that running shoes should be considered protective devices (from dangerous or painful objects) rather than corrective devices, as their capacity for shock absorption and control of over-pronation is limited. The modern running shoe and footwear generally reduce sensory feedback, apparently without diminishing injury-inducing impact–a process Robbins and Gouw (1991) described as the "perceptual illusion" of athletic footwear. A resulting false sense of security may contribute to the risk of injury (Robbins and Gouw, 1991). Yessis (2000, p.122) reasoned that once the natural foot structures are weakened by long-term footwear use, people have to rely on the external support of the footwear, but the support does not match that provided by a well functioning foot.
Measurements of the vertical component of ground-reaction force during running provide no support for the notion that running shoes reduce shock. Robbins and Gouw (1990) reported that running shoes did not reduce shock during running at 14 km/h on a treadmill. Bergmann et al. (1995) found that the forces acting on the hip joint were lower for barefoot jogging than for jogging in various kinds of shoe. Clarke et al. (1983) observed no substantial change in impact force when they increased the amount of heel cushioning by 50% in the shoes of well-trained runners. Robbins and Gouw (1990) argued that plantar sensation induces a plantar surface protective response whereby runners alter their behavior to reduce shock. The less-cushioned shoe permitted increases in plantar discomfort to be sensed and moderated, a phenomenon that they termed "shock setting". Footwear with greater cushioning apparently provokes a sharp reduction in shock-moderating behaviour, thus increasing impact force (Robbins and Hanna, 1987; Robbins et al., 1989; Robbins and Gouw, 1990). However, in these studies the subjects ran on treadmills or force platforms. Further studies are needed to establish how shoes affect impact force and shock-moderating behavior on natural surfaces such as road or grass.
Other features of footwear, such as arch supports and orthotics, may interfere with shock-moderating behavior and probably hinder the shock-absorbing downward deflection of the medial arch on landing (Robbins and Hanna, 1987). These features reportedly reduce pronation and supination or offer the wearer lateral and arch support. They may help some people with foot pathologies, but their benefit is uncertain for runners with healthy feet (Yessis, 2000, p.121).
Runners with diminished or absent sensation in the soles of the feet are particularly vulnerable to damage or infection when barefoot. Peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes mellitus and may result in the loss of protective sensations in the feet. Barefoot locomotion is therefore not recommended in this population (Hafner and Burg, 1999). Indeed, proper footwear is essential and should be emphasized for individuals with peripheral neuropathy (ACSM/ADA, 1999; ACSM, 2000).Comment
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That muscle inbetween your shin bones also got realy sore the first few times. No more problems now.Originally posted by alwaysgrowing View PostComment
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On this topic of shoeless jogging, won't you get a better leg workout doing squats shoeless as well?
A few people at my gym do this, and as I was doing squats today I was thinking of taking my shoes off for 5 setsComment
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I started doing my calves without sneakers about 3 months ago and have seen tremedous gaainsOriginally posted by dna9488 View PostComment
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