Barefoot Training : Caution!

I started "barefoot" training a couple years ago by wearing "minimalist" shoes called Vivo Barefoot.  They have no cushy heal, no arch support, and only a very thin sole that allows me to feel the ground beneath my feet.  I loved them and started using them to run in, and do all my gym workouts.

Recently I purchased my first pair of Vibram 5 Fingers.  It took a couple training sessions to get used to, but I love them even more!  Now I only wear my Vivo shoes as everyday walking shoes and use my Vibrams for all my training.  I have yet to run in the Vibrams though but will start doing so in the Spring.

I have talked about the benefits of barefoot training before, but this post is about the DANGERS of barefoot training.  Specifically, doing too much too soon!

For most people, years have been spent wearing bulky, thick soled shoes (or high heeled shoes) all day.  After years of this, the muscles in the feet and ankles become desensitized and weak, as do the bones and all the little joints.

Moving to barefoot training requires caution.  It is important to start out slowly and gradually add time and load to the training.  Imagine never having done any type of workout before and then performing heavy squats for as many reps as you possibly can.  It is very likely that you will hurt yourself.  The same holds true for your feet.  Barefoot training feels awesome!  But in their enthusiasm, people may try to run too far or do too much high impact work in their new minimalist shoes too soon.

I would like to thank Charleen for sharing her story (and words of caution) with me and for allowing me to use it on this post:

"I took up running barefoot using the Vibram 5 Fingers back in the late Spring/early summer of 2010. It was amazing! It felt just as everyone said it would - my stride shortened and was more efficient as a result, I ran straighter, my IT Bands were not as tight at the end of a run, it felt natural.....the benefits were awesome! 

Until I broke my foot. Yup, on Nov 28 I was starting a WOD that involved running and not 1 minute into the run portion, I felt something go on the top of my foot. Long story short, I broke my 3rd metatarsal. Air cast for 6 weeks and now dealing with a foot that's out of a cast but still recovering, stiff and achy. No impact sports for me for at least another month or two :-( So much for running, skipping, box jumps, olympic lifts....blah, blah, blah.

My point in all this is that while I don't blame barefoot running per se for my injury, I blame the fact that I tried to do too much, too soon, coupled with skipping, box jumping, etc using the 5 fingers. All the stress on my feet took its toll.

I know you're a proponent of minimalist shoes, but I just wanted to share my story with you so that if you're talking to anyone about it, perhaps a cautionary note is necessary about the dangers of too much, too soon.

I'm happy I tried barefoot running and I LOVE how it felt, but there's a darker side to it too. Just be smart about training with them. As for me, I'll be going back to regular runners. My mental fear is too great to try barefoot again."

- Charleen MacCulloch

This can be an unfortunate consequence of too much high impact training too soon.  I urge anyone who wishes to try it to start out slowly.  Even though I have trained in minimalist shoes for two years now (doing plenty of high impact work), and wear them all day long, I am still going to keep my first run in my new Vibrams to 1 km.  I will gradually increase the distance and frequency over time.

There may be plenty of people who have escaped injury even though they pushed their limits too soon, but why take the chance?  Especially if the shoes you wear all day long are straining your feet.

Ladies should take particular caution if they wear high heels often ... they put a lot of undue strain on your feet and can cause a shortening of muscles, tendons and ligaments.  This will require time to fix.

If done gradually, the transition to barefoot training does not have to be painful or wind up in an injury.