Most of us have been conditioned to running with shoes that have a significant amount of cushioning. Switching over to barefoot running requires strength work and a new mindset.
Barefoot running shoes offer an excellent alternative that allows you to feel the ground beneath your feet, often encouraging a forefoot strike over heel-strike. This can reduce the impact stress on your body.
Flexibility
When going from traditional cushioned running shoes to barefoot, you’ll notice a difference in how your foot strikes the ground. Barefoot running shoes usually have a zero-drop (heel-to-toe height is the same) and a thin sole (3-10mm). They can either be completely flat with individual pockets for your toes or more of a slipper style with some sort of arch support.
The toe box of a barefoot shoe should be wide enough to allow your toes to splay. This may take some acclimating, especially if you have wide feet. A thumb’s width of space should work for most runners, but be sure to try them on and go with what feels right.
Barefoot running shoes are great if you want to feel the ground underneath your feet and don’t want the risk of getting hurt by sharp rocks or other debris. However, trying to run completely barefoot can put too much stress on your muscles and bones.
You can start out with a barefoot shoe and then transition to running barefoot gradually to avoid injury. This will help you build your foot strength and also get used to the different feeling of running without shoes. In addition, you should always strengthen your feet with foot-strengthening exercises to reduce the chance of injury. You should also make sure you have the proper foot posture when wearing barefoot shoes.
Stability
While cushioning and stabilization innovation have helped keep runners running for decades, a growing number of runners are turning to barefoot shoes or minimalist shoes. These shoes allow the runner to feel the ground more naturally, but they also provide some protection from rocks and other debris. Choosing the right pair of barefoot running shoes is key, and it’s important to make the transition gradually. To begin, start with a shoe that has a lower stack height, which is the amount of foam under the foot. Most barefoot shoes have a stack height of less than 15 millimeters, but some go as low as 5 millimeters.
A barefoot running shoe should have minimal arch support, no heel cup and a toe box that’s wider to allow your toes to spread out. These types of shoes are characterized as being’minimalist’ and include models like the Vibram Five Fingers, Merrell Glove and Xero Prio.
Barefoot running has been a major focus for some running shoe manufacturers and a lot of health care practitioners. Despite multiple studies showing decreased lower extremity joint torques and peak impact forces in barefoot and minimal footwear running, there is still resistance in the community to changing to this new paradigm.
Grip
There is a lot of debate over whether barefoot running or minimalist footwear reduces injury risk. Unfortunately, the lack of high-quality research makes it impossible to draw any definitive conclusions.
What we do know is that running barefoot and in minimal shoes forces your feet to engage the ground more closely, which improves your foot strength. This, in turn, helps you maintain proper form, which can decrease the impact force on your feet and lower your chances of a run-related injury.
Barefoot runners also tend to have better balance and proprioception, compared to those who wear traditional shoes. This is because the foot gets direct feedback from the ground, whereas cushioned shoes dampen this feedback.
It’s important to note that it takes time to retrain your feet and body for this type of running. Many people start off by incorporating barefoot or minimalist shoes into their training, such as using them for warmup drills or as a way to increase mileage gradually.
If you decide to go barefoot full-time, be sure to build up your mileage slowly and focus on your form. If you’re having any pain or niggles, this could be an indication that your muscles are not yet ready for the transition and that you need to slow things down. You may also need to change your running surface if it’s too hard or uneven for your feet.
Comfort
Barefoot running shoes typically have a very thin sole (usually less than 2 mm thick) and a toe box that allows your feet to splay and spread as they would in bare feet. Many also have a very small, or no, heel-to-toe drop. This is a big difference from traditional shoes that may have a heel-to-toe drop of 10-12 millimeters.
Without the super cushioned and springy support of traditional running shoes, our feet have to work harder to get us going. This can put extra stress on the foot, ankle, knee, hip and sometimes even back muscles. So, it is important to start slow and build up your time spent in barefoot shoes gradually.
One other consideration when selecting a barefoot shoe is the tread. If you run on muddy or snowy surfaces, consider options with more traction to protect your feet from the ground.
Minimalist running shoes are in-between traditional running shoes and barefoot shoes. They have a much lower heel-to-toe drop, reduced cushioning and usually a toe box that is a little wider than a barefoot running shoe. They tend to be very light in weight and can be a good option for those starting out in the barefoot running world.