As I understand it, people will naturally change their running gait from heel striking to fore/midfoot striking as they transition to the barefoot lifestyle. My question is, does the same transition happen with walking? Do you still heel strike when walking? Will the gait change at all to take less pressure off the heel or will the fat pads just build up?
Take a look at xeroshoes.com/barefoot-running-tips/how-to-walk-barefoot/ -- with walking, it's less about which part of your foot lands first as it is about when you are applying weight/force. You can roll over your heel, or you can land mid foot or forefoot, and that will probably change depending on speed, inclination, etc. But the key is the same: land with your foot under your body rather than way out in front.
I have to disagree with not walking first. Moat of my life i wore restrictive shoes and when I moved into a town house with mostly carpet inside I decided to walk barefoot inside so it wouldn't get as dirty. For 7 or 8 months my feet were in pain! They finally let loose after that time frame and now I can walk in "barefoot" shoes and walk barefoot with no pain at all. The road was rough but well worth it.
GREAT to hear your transformational story! I didn't mean to diminish the value of walking. My aim was to point out that walking and running are different enough that the former doesn't fully prepare you for the latter.
Good video, but everytime I hear your "feel the freedom..." tagline, I keep waiting for you to say, "Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, c'mon Jamaica, it's bobsled time." :D
Yeah if I go running in my old neighborhood I'm wearing shoes especially in summer our roads are black top asphalt and in 90 degrees+ black top can get blisteringly hot like one year we had 110 degree heat you could fry eggs on the roads and concrete.. Also it's not advisable to go hiking barefoot in most areas I come from a state that does have rattlesnakes ticks poisonous spiders and all that so if your barefoot your extremely vulnerable to getting bitten not only that people are irresponsible in some areas that are nature preserves I have found broken bear bottles and cans so that's just a bad day waiting to happen for anyone who is barefoot and if you go hiking in some areas in the south parts of North America you find more poisonous critters that will take advantage of barefeet as well as parasites like hookworms this is why it's never advisable to hike barefoot... I was told that hiking boots aren't actually worn for support but to protect your feet from the very critters I have mentioned as the thick hardened leather can be difficult for rattlesnakes to pierce with their fangs and those don't target your feet they target your ankles and knees mostly but will target your feet if available so those foot coffins can potentially save your life while hiking especially if you go off trail like I do but rattlesnakes can be found both on and off the trails..... Going barefoot is perfectly fine in a familiar area like around your home and town if you can in fact I prefer it but I won't run barefoot due to glass sharp rocks and hot pavement in the summer also I have found razors and utility knife blades out where people can step on them good luck walking if you cut your foot on one of those and enjoy your tetanus shots afterwards when you go to the hospital... all this being said I would still like to try out your shoes at some point when I can afford a pair just wish yall sold these in stores so I don't have to buy them online as it's one this is one thing I would never buy online because it's important to test your footwear before buying and you also can't find out if it fits you properly until later after you bought it so if you have any stores in the Midwest in the Iowa Missouri areas I can check out I would but until then I'm keeping my money
We do sell in stores... more opening every week. Check xeroshoes.com/stores/ Also, we have a free domestic exchange policy to help you get the right fit. I hope that helps.
@@xeroshoes cool if you guys want to there is a small shoe store in the town I went to high-school in its called Bowers its right on the square in a slowly growing town called Harlan in Iowa they usually sell good quality shoes from the usual name brands hope to see yalls shoes there someday
Aye but if you run on a sharp stone on a hard surface it hurts for an entire day and changes the way that foot interacts with the ground. Ie. you're slightly crippled. Surely you want to learn to walk on these stones first (thus foot toughening being required before running?), or learn to avoid walking on them before you avoid running on them! Listen, there's stones and glass and pavements everywhere, are we supposed to avoid it or endure it??!?
What you do is learn to: a) WATCH where you're running; b) PICK better surfaces. When you run with proper form, those minor obstacles are rarely a problem, especially over time as your feet can become more flexible and responsive. It's not about toughening. BTW, since 50% of runners and 80% of marathoners (in "regular" running shoes) get injured every year, many to the point of being unable to run again... where's the REAL problem?
Myths, lies: When you go outside and start running the ground will be perfectly smooth and clean. You won't need to worry about dropping down on anything that will hurt your feet, only the WAY that you run. TRUTH: When you go outside and start running the ground will be painfully rough and will usually be covered in stones and sometimes shards of glass. If you stand on these you will hurt your feet and running on them cripples you.
My advice is always "Start running on a smooth, hard surface" because not only will it give you the most/best feedback, but you can avoid the obstacles you mention. We know hundreds of thousands of barefoot runners who don't have the experiences you're describing.
I like you, and what you do, but I'm free to have my own opinion on this. I don't believe you on this, it's literally always walk before run. If you don't know how to walk properly you're not going to know how to transition into running.
I would never say that walking isn't important, but the muscle activation patterns and load are completely different when you walk vs. run. An average runner lands with 2.5-3.5x their bodyweight while walking you apply barely more than 1x. Running is, essentially, hopping from foot to foot, but when you walk you switch feet with both on the ground. These two gait patterns puts completely different stresses on the body.
As I understand it, people will naturally change their running gait from heel striking to fore/midfoot striking as they transition to the barefoot lifestyle. My question is, does the same transition happen with walking? Do you still heel strike when walking? Will the gait change at all to take less pressure off the heel or will the fat pads just build up?
Take a look at xeroshoes.com/barefoot-running-tips/how-to-walk-barefoot/ -- with walking, it's less about which part of your foot lands first as it is about when you are applying weight/force. You can roll over your heel, or you can land mid foot or forefoot, and that will probably change depending on speed, inclination, etc. But the key is the same: land with your foot under your body rather than way out in front.
I have to disagree with not walking first. Moat of my life i wore restrictive shoes and when I moved into a town house with mostly carpet inside I decided to walk barefoot inside so it wouldn't get as dirty. For 7 or 8 months my feet were in pain! They finally let loose after that time frame and now I can walk in "barefoot" shoes and walk barefoot with no pain at all. The road was rough but well worth it.
GREAT to hear your transformational story!
I didn't mean to diminish the value of walking. My aim was to point out that walking and running are different enough that the former doesn't fully prepare you for the latter.
Good video, but everytime I hear your "feel the freedom..." tagline, I keep waiting for you to say, "Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, c'mon Jamaica, it's bobsled time." :D
Yeah if I go running in my old neighborhood I'm wearing shoes especially in summer our roads are black top asphalt and in 90 degrees+ black top can get blisteringly hot like one year we had 110 degree heat you could fry eggs on the roads and concrete..
Also it's not advisable to go hiking barefoot in most areas I come from a state that does have rattlesnakes ticks poisonous spiders and all that so if your barefoot your extremely vulnerable to getting bitten not only that people are irresponsible in some areas that are nature preserves I have found broken bear bottles and cans so that's just a bad day waiting to happen for anyone who is barefoot and if you go hiking in some areas in the south parts of North America you find more poisonous critters that will take advantage of barefeet as well as parasites like hookworms this is why it's never advisable to hike barefoot... I was told that hiking boots aren't actually worn for support but to protect your feet from the very critters I have mentioned as the thick hardened leather can be difficult for rattlesnakes to pierce with their fangs and those don't target your feet they target your ankles and knees mostly but will target your feet if available so those foot coffins can potentially save your life while hiking especially if you go off trail like I do but rattlesnakes can be found both on and off the trails.....
Going barefoot is perfectly fine in a familiar area like around your home and town if you can in fact I prefer it but I won't run barefoot due to glass sharp rocks and hot pavement in the summer also I have found razors and utility knife blades out where people can step on them good luck walking if you cut your foot on one of those and enjoy your tetanus shots afterwards when you go to the hospital...
all this being said I would still like to try out your shoes at some point when I can afford a pair just wish yall sold these in stores so I don't have to buy them online as it's one this is one thing I would never buy online because it's important to test your footwear before buying and you also can't find out if it fits you properly until later after you bought it so if you have any stores in the Midwest in the Iowa Missouri areas I can check out I would but until then I'm keeping my money
We do sell in stores... more opening every week. Check xeroshoes.com/stores/
Also, we have a free domestic exchange policy to help you get the right fit.
I hope that helps.
@@xeroshoes cool if you guys want to there is a small shoe store in the town I went to high-school in its called Bowers its right on the square in a slowly growing town called Harlan in Iowa they usually sell good quality shoes from the usual name brands hope to see yalls shoes there someday
We'll give them a shout!
Aye but if you run on a sharp stone on a hard surface it hurts for an entire day and changes the way that foot interacts with the ground. Ie. you're slightly crippled. Surely you want to learn to walk on these stones first (thus foot toughening being required before running?), or learn to avoid walking on them before you avoid running on them! Listen, there's stones and glass and pavements everywhere, are we supposed to avoid it or endure it??!?
What you do is learn to: a) WATCH where you're running; b) PICK better surfaces.
When you run with proper form, those minor obstacles are rarely a problem, especially over time as your feet can become more flexible and responsive. It's not about toughening.
BTW, since 50% of runners and 80% of marathoners (in "regular" running shoes) get injured every year, many to the point of being unable to run again... where's the REAL problem?
Myths, lies: When you go outside and start running the ground will be perfectly smooth and clean. You won't need to worry about dropping down on anything that will hurt your feet, only the WAY that you run.
TRUTH: When you go outside and start running the ground will be painfully rough and will usually be covered in stones and sometimes shards of glass. If you stand on these you will hurt your feet and running on them cripples you.
My advice is always "Start running on a smooth, hard surface" because not only will it give you the most/best feedback, but you can avoid the obstacles you mention.
We know hundreds of thousands of barefoot runners who don't have the experiences you're describing.
I like you, and what you do, but I'm free to have my own opinion on this. I don't believe you on this, it's literally always walk before run. If you don't know how to walk properly you're not going to know how to transition into running.
I would never say that walking isn't important, but the muscle activation patterns and load are completely different when you walk vs. run. An average runner lands with 2.5-3.5x their bodyweight while walking you apply barely more than 1x. Running is, essentially, hopping from foot to foot, but when you walk you switch feet with both on the ground. These two gait patterns puts completely different stresses on the body.