Going Barefoot, Almost
Drew Baye squatting in Vibram FiveFinger shoes
I hate wearing shoes, and if they weren’t required at work, in restaurants, and in various other places I would go barefoot most of the time. I am almost always barefoot at home, and unless I absolutely have to wear regular shoes, I only wear sandals when I’m out.
I also prefer to lift barefoot, especially when squatting, deadlifting, or performing any kind of standing exercise, as it seems to improve balance and stability. Rather than being harmful to the feet, as some people believe, when lifting barefoot the feet would adapt to the stresses of exercise like any other part of the body.
A few weeks back I saw a video on Tim Ferriss’ web site in which he wore what appeared to be a pair of camouflage socks with toes. I thought they looked interesting, but didn’t give it much thought until I saw a post on The Dream Lounge called The Ultimate Shoe, which showed another video where the interviewer asked Tim about them. He was wearing a type of shoe by Vibram called FiveFingers, which are almost like a glove for the feet, with separate toe pockets and a thin Vibram rubber sole for grip and protection. After discussing them with Anthony from The Dream Lounge I decided to try a pair, and drove over to Travel Country Outdoors to check them out. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever worn.
Vibram FiveFingers Sprints
Unfortunately, they were out of the styles and colors I wanted in my size, the black KSO’s and the tan Sprints. The sales guy said they were sold out quickly every time they got them in and it would be a few weeks before they received another shipment. So I went home and tried to order a pair of the black KSO’s online, but the Vibram web site and every other retailer I could find was out. I ended up getting the tan Sprints instead, which arrived Wednesday.
I wore them last night when we took our son to the park to feed the ducks, then to the mall and Barnes & Nobles, and even after a few hours of walking and running around outdoors and in, they still felt great.
Afterwards, I wore them during my work out (squats, presses, weighted chin ups, wrist curls, wrist extensions, calf raises) and they even felt fine during calf raises, which I had my doubts about. Although I will probably just continue to work out barefoot when at home, if I train elsewhere I’ll definitely be wearing these. Normally, I don’t get excited about any kind of clothing, much less shoes, however these impressed me, and I highly recommend trying them out. You can find a retailer in your state using the FiveFingers web site’s store locator.
I have had FiveFingers for over a year. I got the classics last year and just got a pair of Sprints a month ago. I love them and workout in them all the time.
Nice! Glad to see everything worked out ordering them. They look like they fit you perfect as well.
Get ready for some odd looks and curious questions haha.
I am going to try a a pair of Black KSO’s. I think that the will help slippage inside my shoe when I squat or leg press.
Hey Drew, an article worth checking out
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1170253/The-painful-truth-trainers-Are-expensive-running-shoes-waste-money.html
Thanks Anthony, great article.
The article makes sense, and confirms what I’ve experienced since wearing the FiveFingers for everything other than work – my feet are far more comfortable in these than with regular shoes, and I feel my balance is much better. I took my son to Crane’s Roost Park in Altamonte on Saturday and we spent a good deal of our time there going up and down the seating area by the ampitheater, him climbing the seats with me bounding after him, then both jumping all the way back down, row by row, as well as doing a bit of quadrupedal balance work on the rails, jumping between and vaulting misc structures, etc. Despite all this running, bounding, jumping, etc. on concrete and steel, my feet felt fine.
While the authors are wrong about running being any kind of magic bullet, or even moderately effective exercise, they’re right about the problems with running shoes, and I think these problems extend to other activities including strength training. I’ve been showing clients the Vibram FiveFingers web site and recommending the shoes, although none of them have purchased any yet to my knowledge. I hope they can get past the unconventional appearance and give them a try, because I think they’ll feel and perform better wearing them.
I got my Black KSO’s today. I wore them around all day they felt great. I can’t wait to use them tomorrow for my Big Five workout & see what the reaction at my gym will be.
Sounds like you’re having a ton of fun with them haha. Yeah I agree about the running-although ironically running long distance is sort of what led me to HIT. I was doing progressively more and more of it this past fall-half marathons even- and surprise, results were non existent. A friend recommended BBS in the winter and bam…
Ya speaking of strength training I love using them for my work outs, although I had some staff trouble today for the first time with them. And go figure, I was forced to switch into shoes right before the leg press-the once exercise that I really like using them for.
While it was my first time using the medx leg press, it was also my first time using a leg press with conventional shoes in years-and I think it shortened my TUL considerably.
I bought a pair of the Classics before a trip to the Bahamas this year. The islanders loved them; other tourists couldn’t decide what to make of them. Not great for sand, but great for rocky water. They do take some getting used to.. my feet and legs were sore after wearing them all day on the trip back, having to walk around the airports. I’ve started wearing them during work-outs as well.
I noticed Vee was barefoot in this video. Wonder if we influenced that Drew?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3wwW_UMmyc
Or did you say Doug was leg pressing barefoot before hand?
I have two pair, the KSO and Classic. They get the looks, but I love them.
They were training barefoot for a long time. I saw Vee go through a workout barefoot at a high intensity training seminar in Indianapolis in 2005 and there were a lot of SuperSlow people training barefoot before then. I usually trained barefoot at home, but whenever I went to a gym I would wear Converse Chuck Taylors because I preferred the flat soles.
I bought a pair and maybe I got the wrong size, but they are NOT comfortable, especially for $80. I want to like them. I turned my wife and her friend on to these shoes and the love them too.
Joe,
Some people take a week or two to become accustomed to them, because their feet have to adapt to the lack of support. The soreness will pass as your feet become stronger. I’ve been wearing mine all the time for a few months now, and would never go back to regular shoes. I have to wear a pair of dress shoes to a wedding this weekend, but will probably change into my black Vibram FiveFingers KSO’s for the reception.
Hi Drew
Just wanted to say something in “support” of shoes (with support). I’m 52 and have spent years working 12+ hours in the ICU on concrete/tile floors and 10 years of running 20 miles a week on pavement. My previously high arches did not adapt – they flattened and I thought I was going to need knee replacment sugery by age 55.
I belive if I had spent more of my time on a yielding surface (carpeting, soil, sand) or wore work shoes that somewhat maintained the shape of my foot as if I were standing on the above I would not have needed rehab. My pain is much reduced after a relative few sessions of physical therapy (it was done mostly barefoot!) and with inserts in my work shoes. My knees no longer make grinding noises that have people at the gym asking me if I am okay.
I would also encourage one to wear somewhat more conventional shoes in hazaderous enviroments – say in prison, around construction or joggging on pavement in Phoenix this time of year.
Finally – nowhere in you post are you saying one should spend 12 hours a day barefoot on nonyielding surfaces but…. you do kind of poo poo shoes in your post.
Cheers
Gayle
Gayle,
In your situation, more supportive shoes may be appropriate. The arguments in favor of going barefoot or close to it are based on evolution, but spending 12+ hours on concrete floors is not something our ancestors did regularly over the past two million years, and would be an exception. I’m on my feet most of the day, also on concrete covered only by carpet, and haven’t had any problems though, so like most things it probably comes down to the individual.