Should you workout barefoot?
What You Should Know, Love Maddog!
Yes, Barefoot Workouts Rock.
Who doesn’t love ditching their shoes after a long day of activity ~ work or play? Our poor feet are bound up, restricted and sometimes squished in too tight shoes and boots. It’s time to let go, and carry on ~sans shoes! Really feel the earth, the floor and the muscles in your feet and legs work as nature intended, and as we’re built to do.
At Maddog 5/1, Revolutionary Fitness we offer several barefoot classes. I’ve always realized the benefits of barefoot training; recently I designed a super fun class that mashes up two different disciplines, Kick Boxing and Barre ~ so I looked for more research to back up my barefoot design and I can report ~ happily, that it’s a good thing for your body for many different reasons!
Check out our barefoot classes and feel the difference:
Hot 60, FireBarre 5/1, Box&Barre BootieCamp
Shape, April 2019 for the full article.
Why Should You Consider Training Barefoot?
Feet have thousands of nerve endings that help you not only feel the floor but also send signals up the body to help you understand your movements better, says Emily Splichal, D.P.M., a functional podiatrist and founder of Naboso Technology, a company that makes products to promote barefoot movement. “When you stimulate the nerves of the foot, you get a better understanding of what you’re standing on and how you’re stepping, and it starts to shape your overall movement,” says Splichal. Cushioned shoes block this floor-to-foot connection (especially those with extra support and stability like those you’d lace up for a run).
Biomechanically, working out with your bare feet on the ground also means you can better activate through your glutes and core. “Someone working out might not feel their glutes in a squat, and that’s not necessarily because of weakness, but because they haven’t established their foundation,” says Splichal.
Try this drill from Steve Holiner (aka Coach Fury), a master instructor for the Russian Kettlebell Certification and owner of Fury Industries, a training facility in Brooklyn. Holiner does it with many of his clients to demonstrate the vital role your big toe alone plays in training: Without shoes on, stand with feet about hip-width apart. Lift your right arm out to the side and have a friend add pressure to it as you resist their push and keep your arm up and stable. Then, do the same exercise, but this time lift your left big toe. With just that little tweak, you’ll realize it’s extra hard to keep your arm up. It’s a solid example for showing the importance of pressing down through the feet and toes for full-body stability and strength.
