Should Athletes Wear Barefoot Shoes?
Barefoot shoes make about as much sense as unfrosted Pop-Tarts. Some people eat Pop-Tarts without their icing deliciousness (Brown Sugar is the best), and I don’t trust those people. Barefoot shoes have a little more merit, though. The original term for barefoot shoes was referred to as minimalist shoes or minimalist footwear. But now, barefoot shoes are what all the cool kids call them, and they’ve developed a cult-like following in recent years.
In the mid-2000s, five-finger/toed shoes gained some popularity with the idea that separating your toes allowed your feet to move more naturally. The toes could splay and wiggle as natural motions allowed, preventing the restrictions a narrow toe box typically created. Those shoes are still a thing, with more companies making them beyond the OG’s of Vibram. Shoutout to Vibram for pioneering the idea of toe shoes and the weird looks I got when I wore mine in public.
In 2009, the best-selling book Born to Run described to the masses in detail that barefoot-styled shoes, or even running barefoot, would give you superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, unlocking a primitive strength that modern footwear has since ruined for us. Since then, many shoe manufacturers have joined the barefoot shoe phenomenon, producing their own minimal-type shoes.
What is a Barefoot Shoe?
While there are no formal criteria for a barefoot shoe, it is widely agreed that a barefoot shoe has a close-to-the-ground, minimal sole that allows you to feel the ground. It also has a zero heel drop, meaning there is no elevation at all at the heel. You may not have even known your favorite shoes had a feel lift. Pretty much every brand and shoe pretty much ever made has some type of elevated heel, until recently with barefoot shoes. Lastly and maybe most importantly, a wide-toe box is needed for a barefoot shoe. In summary, it’s a shoe that tries to replicate the freedoms of being barefoot while wearing a shoe. In the industry, they call them foot-shaped shoes. Shoes that don’t constrict the toes into a triangle shape, shoes that don’t lift the heel, and have thick, cushiony soles for the sake of comfort. These attributes that make up a barefoot shoe are thought to lead to improved posture, foot strength, ankle mobility, and toe dexterity, which in turn can indirectly improve the total health of the body.
The Benefits and Research
The claims are there, and the logic is certainly there. But does the research agree? In short, yes. Like I said, it’s logical; of course, barefoot shoes work! They make your toes, feet, ankles, and calves move more freely and work harder. The lack of heel drop allows you to stand straighter. Heel lifts push the body forward, so of course that messes with your posture, even if only by a few millimeters, which is what most heel lifts are.
Another theoretical benefit is that a barefoot shoe changes gait mechanics. Everyone should run this little experiment: go outside, walk, and run on the sidewalk or pavement with regular shoes. Next, do the same thing barefoot. I bet you run a little differently when barefoot. The ground hurts! Without a pillowy shoe protecting you, you’ll be less likely to land on your heel with as much force, if at all. Heel striking is thought to cause more stress to the ankles, knees, hips, and back. Wearing thick shoes removes the heel pain, allowing a pain-free heel strike when running and walking. Running on harder surfaces when barefoot encourages the user to place more weight and force into the forefoot, shortening the stride, and increasing stride frequency. This allows you to use your arches more, strengthening the foot. Vivobarefoot, a popular barefoot shoe brand, showed us a recent study that wearing their shoes can increase foot strength by up to 60%!
The reason we heel strike is because it makes life easier. The knees, hips, and back can take a beating. But as you can tell by running barefoot, the heels cannot. Running with barefoot shoes improves running posture and overall biomechanics by forcing you to use your muscles more, as shown in a meta-analysis study in 2023. Unfortunately, running barefoot tires you more quickly, which can be frustrating.
As I like to tell my clients, better isn’t always better. Your shoes may be “better” because they’re more comfortable, have more support, and help you balance better. But in the long run, normal shoes are doing the work your muscles are supposed to be doing. And when you don’t use them, you lose them. And that has tough consequences.
Should Athletes Use Them?
I think I’ve made it clear that I like barefoot shoes. They improve the health of the entire body. But, as with anything, there’s such thing as too much of a good thing. Barefoot shoes do strengthen the feet, but that also means it stresses the feet. Transitioning from normal shoes to barefoot shoes can be painful, even dangerous. The zero heel drop creates greater stress to the dreaded Achilles tendon. If you’re an athlete or fantasy football manager, you know you don’t want a stressed Achilles. Increased foot stress can also aggravate plantar fasciitis, and pretty much any toe, foot, or ankle ailment there is.
You wouldn’t ask a sedentary, morbidly obese old man to run a 10k. A 10k is a great thing to do, but it’d hurt someone out of shape. There’s a gradual process that needs to be done. I recommend simply walking outside barefoot where appropriate. Take mental notes on how you feel before, during, after, and even the day after. Slowly increase your distance and maybe speed each time. If you feel pretty good, maybe you could look at getting your first pair of barefoot shoes. There are lots of brands out there for every type of shoe for athletics, casual wear, and even boots.
Utilizing barefoot shoes as an athlete has to be a personal decision. They do make you work harder, which can lead to slower times that you may not be able to afford. Depending on the sport, I generally recommend my athletes to slowly transition during their offseason training. From there, they need to decide if barefoot shoes are right for their in-season training and perhaps, even competition. It really depends on the sport and athlete, though. Find what works best for you, but I would recommend giving barefoot shoes a cautious but genuine try.
References
https://www.nsca.com/certification/ceu-quizzes/influence-of-minimalist-footwear/
https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/blog/foot-strength-behind-the-science
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TDJaF_5ZhZA
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Should Athletes Wear Barefoot Shoes?
Barefoot shoes make about as much sense as unfrosted Pop-Tarts. Some people eat Pop-Tarts without their icing deliciousness (Brown Sugar is the best), and I don’t trust those people. Barefoot shoes have a little more merit, though. The original term for barefoot shoes was referred to as minimalist shoes or minimalist footwear. But now, barefoot shoes are what all the cool kids call them, and they’ve developed a cult-like following in recent years.
In the mid-2000s, five-finger/toed shoes gained some popularity with the idea that separating your toes allowed your feet to move more naturally. The toes could splay and wiggle as natural motions allowed, preventing the restrictions a narrow toe box typically created. Those shoes are still a thing, with more companies making them beyond the OG’s of Vibram. Shoutout to Vibram for pioneering the idea of toe shoes and the weird looks I got when I wore mine in public.
In 2009, the best-selling book Born to Run described to the masses in detail that barefoot-styled shoes, or even running barefoot, would give you superhuman strength, speed, and endurance, unlocking a primitive strength that modern footwear has since ruined for us. Since then, many shoe manufacturers have joined the barefoot shoe phenomenon, producing their own minimal-type shoes.
What is a Barefoot Shoe?
While there are no formal criteria for a barefoot shoe, it is widely agreed that a barefoot shoe has a close-to-the-ground, minimal sole that allows you to feel the ground. It also has a zero heel drop, meaning there is no elevation at all at the heel. You may not have even known your favorite shoes had a feel lift. Pretty much every brand and shoe pretty much ever made has some type of elevated heel, until recently with barefoot shoes. Lastly and maybe most importantly, a wide-toe box is needed for a barefoot shoe. In summary, it’s a shoe that tries to replicate the freedoms of being barefoot while wearing a shoe. In the industry, they call them foot-shaped shoes. Shoes that don’t constrict the toes into a triangle shape, shoes that don’t lift the heel, and have thick, cushiony soles for the sake of comfort. These attributes that make up a barefoot shoe are thought to lead to improved posture, foot strength, ankle mobility, and toe dexterity, which in turn can indirectly improve the total health of the body.
The Benefits and Research
The claims are there, and the logic is certainly there. But does the research agree? In short, yes. Like I said, it’s logical; of course, barefoot shoes work! They make your toes, feet, ankles, and calves move more freely and work harder. The lack of heel drop allows you to stand straighter. Heel lifts push the body forward, so of course that messes with your posture, even if only by a few millimeters, which is what most heel lifts are.
Another theoretical benefit is that a barefoot shoe changes gait mechanics. Everyone should run this little experiment: go outside, walk, and run on the sidewalk or pavement with regular shoes. Next, do the same thing barefoot. I bet you run a little differently when barefoot. The ground hurts! Without a pillowy shoe protecting you, you’ll be less likely to land on your heel with as much force, if at all. Heel striking is thought to cause more stress to the ankles, knees, hips, and back. Wearing thick shoes removes the heel pain, allowing a pain-free heel strike when running and walking. Running on harder surfaces when barefoot encourages the user to place more weight and force into the forefoot, shortening the stride, and increasing stride frequency. This allows you to use your arches more, strengthening the foot. Vivobarefoot, a popular barefoot shoe brand, showed us a recent study that wearing their shoes can increase foot strength by up to 60%!
The reason we heel strike is because it makes life easier. The knees, hips, and back can take a beating. But as you can tell by running barefoot, the heels cannot. Running with barefoot shoes improves running posture and overall biomechanics by forcing you to use your muscles more, as shown in a meta-analysis study in 2023. Unfortunately, running barefoot tires you more quickly, which can be frustrating.
As I like to tell my clients, better isn’t always better. Your shoes may be “better” because they’re more comfortable, have more support, and help you balance better. But in the long run, normal shoes are doing the work your muscles are supposed to be doing. And when you don’t use them, you lose them. And that has tough consequences.
Should Athletes Use Them?
I think I’ve made it clear that I like barefoot shoes. They improve the health of the entire body. But, as with anything, there’s such thing as too much of a good thing. Barefoot shoes do strengthen the feet, but that also means it stresses the feet. Transitioning from normal shoes to barefoot shoes can be painful, even dangerous. The zero heel drop creates greater stress to the dreaded Achilles tendon. If you’re an athlete or fantasy football manager, you know you don’t want a stressed Achilles. Increased foot stress can also aggravate plantar fasciitis, and pretty much any toe, foot, or ankle ailment there is.
You wouldn’t ask a sedentary, morbidly obese old man to run a 10k. A 10k is a great thing to do, but it’d hurt someone out of shape. There’s a gradual process that needs to be done. I recommend simply walking outside barefoot where appropriate. Take mental notes on how you feel before, during, after, and even the day after. Slowly increase your distance and maybe speed each time. If you feel pretty good, maybe you could look at getting your first pair of barefoot shoes. There are lots of brands out there for every type of shoe for athletics, casual wear, and even boots.
Utilizing barefoot shoes as an athlete has to be a personal decision. They do make you work harder, which can lead to slower times that you may not be able to afford. Depending on the sport, I generally recommend my athletes to slowly transition during their offseason training. From there, they need to decide if barefoot shoes are right for their in-season training and perhaps, even competition. It really depends on the sport and athlete, though. Find what works best for you, but I would recommend giving barefoot shoes a cautious but genuine try.
References
https://www.nsca.com/certification/ceu-quizzes/influence-of-minimalist-footwear/
https://www.vivobarefoot.com/us/blog/foot-strength-behind-the-science
https://www.youtube.com/embed/TDJaF_5ZhZA