Barefoot Transition Guide Many people have heard of the benefits of ditching the stiff soled/overly cushioned modern-day shoes. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Modern footwear can weaken the feet because the intrinsic muscles of the foot don’t have to work as hard due to the stiff sole of the shoe. Many shoes, especially running shoes, have an elevated heel that slopes downward towards the toe box. This raises our heel, which shortens our calves and Achilles’. This is why we are advocates of wearing a “0 drop shoe”, which is means it’s flat from heel to toe. Shoes dampen our proprioception (sensors) in the foot. The thick cushions on modern shoes create a larger barrier between our feet and the ground, which leads to decreased awareness of where our feet are in space. When we walk around barefoot the sensors in the joints of the foot, in the fascia and in the skin of the foot are awakened. These sensors relay valuable information to the brain about the position they’re in every step. If our brain doesn’t receive that valuable information, it has a hard time correcting inadequate positions. By getting out of our shoes more often, we can often improve joint positioning all the way up the body by fixing the foot positioning and where we apply pressure to the foot. Because of the thick, cushioned soles on modern shoes we often become bigger heel strikers. If you’ve ever walked or jogged barefoot, you know that a big heel strike hurts. So, your body tends to organize itself and avoid excessive heel striking as it trends towards a more mid or forefoot strike (during running). By being in shoes at all times, we can develop poor walking and running form because of this. Modern shoes have a narrow toe box that tends to squish our toes together. The human foot should naturally be widest at the toes, but modern footwear adapts the foot so that the toes become narrower. Wider toes lead to more stability and less risk of deformities like bunions. Going barefoot more often is a great way to let the toes splay out and adapt to their natural structure. It’s also important to choose a casual shoe that has a wide toe box! It may even be a good idea to buy some toe spacers from Amazon and wear them around the house. Now, with all the proven benefits of going barefoot, it’s easy to get excited and jump straight into it. However, this usually leads to more harm than good. Our feet have adapted to rely on shoes. So going 0-100 usually causes overuse injuries such as plantar fasciitis, Achilles’ pain, etc. In order to avoid this, I advise a gradual progression. Below, I’ll provide a simple progression that we use with our clients. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Week 1: Continue to wear normal shoes. Don’t make any drastic changes. But, when you’re at home make sure you are barefoot AND spend an extra 5 minutes walking barefoot around the house or in grass. Grass is awesome here because it provides some great sensory feedback and is slightly uneven, which teaches your foot how to pronate effectively to adjust to the slightly uneven terrain. Week 2: Continue with what you did in Week 1, but now begin doing your warm-up drills barefoot and any bodyweight stationary balance drills. Don’t jump into loaded strength training or jumping barefoot just yet. But any low-level balance drill or warm-up drill can be performed barefoot. Again, continue with your 5-10 minutes per day of barefoot walking. Week 3: Continue with what you did in Week 1 and 2, but now begin incorporating minimalist shoes during strength work. Vivo barefoot, Vibrum 5 fingers or any other minimalist shoe works fine. Don’t use these for running or jumping just yet, focus on using them for stationary strength drills only. Week 4: Continue with Week 3 advice, now begin wearing minimalist shoes throughout the day if possible; going to school/work, walking around, etc. Incorporating minimalist shoes into your day-to-day life exposes the feet to more work throughout the day. Week 5: Continue with Week 4 advice, now begin doing some low-level jogging and/or low-level extensive hops either in minimalist shoes or barefoot. Only go barefoot if you’re on grass, turf or a mat. Week 6: At this point we have largely removed regular shoes from your life. The only time we should be wearing regular shoes would be when doing: Intense plyometrics, sprinting, long runs (if you feel like minimalist shoes still cause discomfort), and of course in sports. I wouldn’t ever try to play basketball in anything but basketball shoes. However, our low intensity jogs, low intensity extensive ploys, warmups and strength drills and most of our day-to-day life should now be in minimalist shoes. Keep in mind that not everyone will be able to make this transition in 5-6 weeks. Some people have relied on shoes for so long that our feet will take much longer to adapt. For some we may not fully make the transition for 6+ months. The main thing that I want you to do is chart your progress. Keep a journal and write down exactly how your feet and the rest of your body feel each week. If we are pain free and feeling good, it’s ok to move on to the next step. If we have sore feet or pain elsewhere in the body, we might want to revert back to the previous stage. Don’t rush it! Most of us can become barefoot/minimalist adapted but it WILL take time and patience. Here’s a few options of minimalist shoes that I like. At the end of the day there’s a few things we’re looking for in a minimalist shoe: 1. 2. 3. It’s flexible. We should be able to twist the shoe with our hands and even touch the toe box to the heel. Wide toe box. Zero drop. Meaning the heel isn’t elevated higher than the toe. My favorite option that nails all 3 of these factors is Vivo Barefoot Shoes. They are a bit expensive, but they last long and they aren’t TOO bad looking in my opinion. https://www.amazon.com/Vivobarefoot-Primus-Vegan-BreathableBarefoot/dp/B08XWTZWT9/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=vivobarefoot&qid=1636761542&sr=8-1spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFXQlBaQUkxV1RXQ1gmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QT A0NjMzMzIySTVDNjFZM1FJQkZHJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MTI5MTVGOFRNN0NTODBKTyZ3aW RnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= A cheaper option that I’ve never tried but I’ve heard good things about is the Xero Cross Training Shoes https://www.amazon.com/Xero-Shoes-Prio-Minimalist-BarefootInspired/dp/B07P23WQZS/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1C6HDCXZDGXH3&keywords=xero+shoes+mens&qid=163676 1605&qsid=143-7021472-6218000&sprefix=xero%2Caps%2C247&sr=84&sres=B07P23WQZS%2CB0844GY941%2CB08FRV6CTC%2CB079XZWT97%2CB08FRST4M4%2CB08 44QK38J%2CB07YYFTW6H%2CB08RRLQKMW%2CB07WW6Z64Y%2CB08RRWJNCN%2CB01D22YG0 W%2CB08FRQZ13Z%2CB07WW9F7RR%2CB07C83WZPW%2CB08RRLJ15Y%2CB08FRR93QS%2CB0 844TMXFV%2CB08RRSYJPK%2CB09BNGS5S9%2CB07C89LL5D&srpt=SHOES The final option that I wear pretty often are the Librium 5 finger cross trainer shoes. You WILL get a lot of weird looks from people in the gym. They are a bit awkward looking. But personally, I don’t care! https://www.amazon.com/Vibram-KSO-Cross-Training-8-0-85/dp/B00DYXLZSQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=vibrum&qid=1636761673&qsid=143-7021472-6218000&sr=83&sres=B07V5JJNQ2%2CB072KKD4RR%2CB00DYXLZSQ%2CB0114CI4AK%2CB07GS99QS4%2CB07P 975TQQ%2CB07KMVLMFZ%2CB01149DZRU%2CB007S7SJ6A%2CB01149DU1Q%2CB01MU12MU7%2 CB0721Q2VN1%2CB071X8XTG8%2CB071X92Q7R%2CB07DYNCLCF%2CB002QW5COE%2CB071KBV WXK%2CB004DSRKTE%2CB087WHFCLG%2CB072R1B5J8&srpt=SHOES Additionally, here’s some cheap toe spacers that I wear around the house. I think this is a great low-cost investment for anyone! https://www.amazon.com/Separator-Bestrice-Stretchers-ActivitiesStraightener/dp/B01MTZPPYK/ref=sxin_15?asc_contentid=amzn1.osa.337efd0c-23e8-4765-aea79e576e3ed84c.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&asc_contenttype=article&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.337efd0c-23e84765-aea79e576e3ed84c.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&creativeASIN=B01MTZPPYK&cv_ct_cx=toe%2Bspacers&cv_ct_ id=amzn1.osa.337efd0c-23e8-4765-aea79e576e3ed84c.ATVPDKIKX0DER.en_US&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_we=asin&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-sourceearns-comm&keywords=toe%2Bspacers&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B01MTZPPYK&pd_rd_r=41ee030c-14494025-8227-66c7394fa812&pd_rd_w=UoijR&pd_rd_wg=QRUVG&pf_rd_p=5846ecd6-3f37-4a28-8efc9c817c03dbe9&pf_rd_r=WHR18KXPJQRVJBQBYR73&qid=1636761771&sr=1-2-64f3a41a-73ca-403a923c-8152c45485fe&tag=bestcont06-20&th=1
