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There is an overwhelming amount of information available in the world today on how to best make the switch from regular padded or “supportive” footwear to minimalist footwear. The Xero Shoes team themselves have accumulated an amazing amount of great information and other tips on making the transition, but as a couple of ultra-marathon runners who train and race (and actually spend most of our days every day) in minimalist footwear, we would like to share some of the things that helped us early on when we made the switch. Won’t be going into too much detail around the science and research side of it all, as we aren’t doctors or researchers ourselves, but lean on more of our purely experiential learnings from heavy training and recovery practices that we have.

Transition Time

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as it’s talked about quite a bit surrounding the minimalist running topic. But we still want to reiterate it because it’s such a foundational part of transitioning to minimalist and really will be a key factor in your longevity in the practice. If you do just one thing from this entire article, do take your time during the transition, as no amount of stretching, rolling, supplements, or any other medical treatment will be able to PREVENT issues or injuries, the way building a solid foundation will. If you take the time to let the body adapt and strengthen the muscles, tendons and other tissues, you’ll save yourself a lot of setbacks down the road!

Let us make one this very clear though, it’s not at all about the actual time (in days, weeks, months, etc.) it takes to transition, but more about the method of how you transition. The actual time to transition will depend on so many factors, so just focus on paying attention to your body and how it feels. When you feel like you’re ready to increase speeds or add volume then do so. Some people will adapt faster, some people are coming from different backgrounds, so just pay attention to your own journey and know that this is a long-term change and you will reap the benefits far into the future.

One last tip we’ll include on this topic. If your goal is to transition to running in minimalist footwear, keep in mind that running is only a small portion of every day. Think about ways you can also spend time in minimalist footwear at work, around the house,  while running errands. Between the Genesis sandals and the Hana/Cassie shoes, there’s footwear for just about every style, so these are great ways to build that muscular stamina you’ll need in your lower legs.

Form 

This is the second layer that is super important to also PREVENT injuries from popping up during this transition. Watch videos, find a coach, read articles, basically consume as much information you can about minimalist running (this is one great video on the topic here) so that way you’ll know what you need to work on, and what things aren’t worth worrying about. For example, during the early days of the minimalist movement, it was all about landing on your forefoot. As more research was done, it wasn’t so much about which part of the foot lands first, but more about where your foot lands in relation to your center of gravity (good article on this). There are also some coaches who hammer on technique drills to get your movement patterns dialed in. Whereas there are other coaches who feel that it’s pretty tough to change 20, 30  or 40 years of muscle memory, so it’s more valuable to focus on proper muscle development to work with your pre-wires movement patterns.

Bottom line, there’s a lot of conflicting information out there, and there’s no one perfect answer, or method or training, or form to use. But don’t just wing it by slapping on some huarache sandals and going for a 40km (25 mile) run!

Bottom of foot rolling

Two of the issues we BOTH noticed came up for us while we were ramping up our mileage in minimalist footwear, was 1) a mild cramping on the bottom of the foot, and 2) a more intense pulling pain on the top of the foot. After lots of troubleshooting, it seemed like the root cause of both of these was tight calf muscles. By switching to a more mid/forefoot landing, our calves had to work harder. This cause the calves to tighten up. The calf muscles are connected to insertions on the bottom of the feet by the facia, which explained why we were feeling the tightness down below. And because the calves were tight, they were pulling on the bottom of the foot, which required the muscles that attach to the top of your foot to hang on a little tighter to keep the foot stable. It was literally like a tug-o-war match!

The single most effective remedy to both of these was surprisingly enough rolling a ball under our feet (while standing). We found a lacrosse ball was the perfect size and density to give good pressure without making us scream. However, a golf ball is also a decent option that you might have around your house. There’s no textbook technique, but two quick pointers: i) Move slowly ii) do long rolls from the front to the back of your foot.

Magnesium (both internally and externally)

After some longer runs on the weekends or other hard training sessions, you’re bound to feel some tight muscles. When a lot of your muscles are tightening up, it’s sometimes good to take a broader approach and address and help all of your muscles. Magnesium is something that many of us are actually deficient in, and it’s one nutrient that actually aids in our muscle function of letting go and relaxing.

Magnesium supplements can be taken orally to give your body (including your aching leg muscles) some calming help. You can also find different muscle rubs that are applied to the skin and allow magnesium absorption that way, so this can be done specifically on the calves or other leg muscles that might be feeling extra tight.

Kinesiology tape

This one we want to set a precaution for. In a similar fashion to the way we think about painkillers, and that is that they simply mask an issue and risk pushing your body to a severe point of damage. Kinesiology tape does help two relieve certain types of pain. They also don’t have any of the side effects that painkiller medication have. And it does have some great benefits for improved blood flow and other neurological functions. But the overall “masking” issue is still there. Applying kinesiology tape to a muscle or body part in order to avoid pain or help you push through it, risks causing a lot of damage to the muscle.

Now that we’ve said this, we are both advocates of kinesiology tape when a situation calls for it. Best to talk with a physical therapist (and best to have them apply it too!) to see if it can benefit you.

We’ve used it during races when a muscle tightens up on us and there simply isn’t enough time to sit down and roll it out or wait for magnesium to kick in. Or if we have a race coming up some leg pain pops up the day before. Sure we’ll roll it out and do what we can, but to make sure we’re good to go for that starting line, sometimes we’ll consider applying some kinesiology tape.

Hopefully, one or more of these tips can help you in your transition to minimalist footwear. The journey is absolutely worth it, and your body will be much better built up for physical activity for a long time to come!

–Mel & Jon The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.C

There is certain footwear that was designed to help your feet move naturally. Similarly, there are certain movement patterns that your body was designed to do. These are called the “primal movement patterns.” The primal movement patterns should form the basis for your fitness plan if you want to move better, achieve better sports performance, or simply make activities of daily living easier.

Over time, the primal movement patterns have slowly been neglected in the lives of many modern people. Perhaps you’ve gradually stopped moving the way nature intended as your lifestyle became more sedentary? Driving cars for long periods and sitting at desks all day are two of the modern day behaviors that take us away from having healthy, functional bodies if they are not adequately compensated for.

So what are these primal movement patterns that your body was designed to do? And what type of fitness sessions can help you weave them into your plan? Let’s find out!

The primal movement patterns

1. Squat

Observe toddlers doing this one if you want to check out some great form! Squats work your full lower body, specifically your quads, hamstrings and glutes. The squat movement provides a powerful foundation for most sports, as well as everyday tasks like picking things off the ground.

2. Lunge

Working similar muscles to the squat, lunges are another fantastic exercise for the lower body. They are performed in a split stance so require a bit of extra balance and co-ordination as compared to the squat. Practice your lunges to get a great leg reach and push when you’re out climbing rocks, or to take really strong strides when you’re hiking up a hill in your DayLite Hiker.

3. Push

The push movement pattern is the one you would do in a push up, or during a bench press. The push action works your chest, triceps and the front of your shoulders. It enables you to push your bodyweight out of a swimming pool easily and to get the inertia needed to push a heavy door or trolley.

4. Pull

Working the opposing muscle groups to push exercises, the pull movement pattern focuses on your back, biceps and rear shoulders. It helps to create a balanced, tall posture and is a great counter-action to the forward rounding posture you might find yourself in when driving a car or sitting at a desk. In terms of workout exercises, the chin up, lat pulldown and seated row are all good examples of the pull movement pattern.

5. Bend

Bending involves hinging forward at the hips with a long, straight spine. It’s a common movement that is often done in place of a squat; for example bending down to pick a baby up off the ground. It may well be the movement pattern with the highest risk for injury, as a result of lower back issues stemming from a weak and/or inflexible spine. The straight legged deadlift is an example of a gym based exercise that uses the bend movement pattern.

6. Twist

Often neglected in workouts, the twist movement pattern is used in a huge number of everyday activities. You twist when you turn to look back over your shoulder, or to throw a ball. Twisting even occurs during walking and running. The twist pattern is often added to another movement pattern. For example, a twist could be added to the bottom of a lunge. It’s also done on its own in the case of exercises such as cable wood chops and medicine ball twists.

7. Gait

Last but certainly not least is gait, which is essentially walking and running. Yes, you were born to run! So whether you’re taking a leisurely stroll through the city in the Hana, or you’re hitting the trail in your Terraflex, you’ll be executing the gait movement pattern.

So how can you incorporate these primal movement patterns into your fitness plan? Here are a few ideas…

Primal fitness sessions

• Do a bodyweight workout that incorporates variations of the primal movement patterns. This is a great option because you can do it anytime, anywhere, and you can even do it completely barefoot. Find a progression level of each movement pattern that suits your ability and you’ll be sorted!
• Try a CrossFit class. CrossFit classes incorporate primal movement patterns using your own bodyweight and small equipment. The CrossFit philosophy aligns with the barefoot movement so many attendees will likely opt to wear barefoot style shoes. The Prio is a great choice for this type of workout.
• Other types of workouts that generally incorporate the primal movement patterns include bootcamps and circuit classes.

How are you going to incorporate the primal movement patterns for a functionally fit body? Grab your favorite pair of Xero Shoes and go for it!

–Elly McGuiness, ellymcguinness.com

The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

The body can be challenging to understand, especially without extensive study both academically and experientially. Most people don’t stretch properly, simply out of a misunderstanding of what needs to be stretched. For example, you may feel sensation in your low back and so you stretch it, when the reality might be that the low back actually needs the opposite and the sensation you feel is your low back trying to pull itself back together.

That can be extremely frustrating.  The good news is there are things you can do to assess your body and make sensible decisions on how to best approach your next stretching session.

First thing to know is that many issues start from the ground up, so if you missed my last blog on foot and ankle health, definitely check that out here. For many of us “the ground” could actually be our hips, especially if you have an office job or spend the majority of your day sitting. The human body is pretty adaptable which has its blessings and its curses. When you sit all day your body adapts itself to that position. Depending on your posture, the buttock muscles might become weakened, the hip flexors shortened, the back muscles over stretched and so on. In short no matter what you do, patterns will always form in your body. Sometimes the patters serve us and sometimes they do not. Even if you decided, I am going to get a standing desk, well that’s a great shift and will create new patterns that may serve you for a while, but eventually you may find that you create a new problem. There is no shortcut around keeping the body healthy, you simply have to develop a deeper understanding of the beautifully complex vessel that you are living in.

The health of your hips quite often dictates the health of your low back. Why? Because your hips are meant to move significantly when you walk and run (and by hips, I mean where the thigh bones set into the pelvic sockets). If the thighs don’t have mobility at the hip joints, then that means your pelvis will start to move instead, and that movement will occur in your sacrum or lumbar spine (low back). When too much movement occurs where it shouldn’t, the body tenses up in order to re-stabilize itself.

Then what do we do? We typically feel that tension and try to release it by stretching.  When we do this, it may feel good for a bit but unfortunately, it’s short lived because we are treating the symptom not the cause. This doesn’t mean there isn’t an appropriate time to stretch the back, but if you sit most of the day with your low back in a rounded position, you are already putting it in a stretch for a very long time, and the tightness we feel there is often a result of the body intelligently trying to bring us back to our natural lumbar curve (back bend). Rather than stretching your low back where you feel the tension, you may need to actually stretch your hips and strengthen your low back. Bring mobility into the hips, stabilize the back and you are likely to feel more at ease.

Are my Hips Connected to My Knees?

How about the knees? Knee pain is often a result of either hyper-mobility of the ligaments that hold it together or an imbalance of mobility and stability of all the muscles that cross the joint, and there are a lot of them!  The knee can be one of the trickiest areas of the body to assess, so if you have knee pain, I highly recommend seeing a movement specialist to evaluate where your imbalances are so that you aren’t playing a long guessing game and potentially doing more harm than good.

To give you a stronger understanding of how tight muscles of the hips can affect the knee, let’s look at one muscle in particular: the Gluteus Maximus.  Your buttock muscle appears and feels like it would only exist in the area of your back side of your hips. However, your buttocks actually runs down the outside of your thigh and attaches all the way down below the knee joint. How? Well the I.T band is a long band of tendon, like tissue, that runs down the side of your leg. The Gluteus Maximus runs from the back of your pelvis and attaches at the I.T band. The “I” stands for ilio which is your pelvis, and the “t” stands for Tibia, which is your shin bone. If your glutes are tight, they pull on the I.T. band which pulls on the shin bone which can twist the knee or pull the knee out of alignment. In addition to the gluteus maximus, the T.F.L which is a hip flexor also attaches to the I.T band, so this muscle can affect the alignment of your knee as well.

So, where do you start?

If you have either low back or knee discomfort, I recommend start with hip stretching. The simplified approach is to think of your hips in four quadrants – front, back, inside and outside of your hips. Do a stretch that targets the front (hip flexors and quads), then another that targets the back (hamstrings and buttock muscles), next comes outer hips (abductors), and inner thighs (adductors). Personally, I hardly ever do passive stretching, but rather I focus on facilitated stretching, which means engaging the muscles that are stretching. I find this to be the most effective way to increase range of motion in a shorter period of time. The downside is that it takes effort and it’s not relaxing. The upside is that as range of motion increases, so does strength, which is ideal for a muscle: at any length it is able to contract. A muscle that can’t contract is called “locked long” and it’s likely to throw off the alignment of your joints and present movement complications.

–Matt Giordano, aka @TheYogiMatt

The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.

Any time you balance on one leg, you activate muscles in the foot that may otherwise remain underutilized. In fact, standing on one leg can be quite challenging if you’re not accustomed to it, especially when you’re barefoot.

Don’t believe me? Give it a shot for yourself right now and see how long you can stand barefoot on one leg.

How did it go? Harder than you thought, right?

Even if you’re able to balance for a long time on one foot, chances are that you felt yourself having to make lots of tiny adjustments in order to stay balanced—and that’s why standing on one foot is so good for you!

Those little adjustments mean your foot has to work a lot harder than when you’re using two legs to support yourself. And that means your feet are going to get stronger!

After you’ve gotten comfortable balancing on one foot, you can add in some other elements to increase the difficulty—and the benefits—of standing on one leg.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. One Legged Foot Hold

Stand upright and lift one foot off the floor, bringing your knee as high as you can toward your chest. Slowly reach over and grab beneath your other foot, interlacing your fingers with your hands below your toes. For an added challenge, you can try extending the airborne leg. Either way, don’t forget to keep your standing leg locked!

2. Dancer’s Pose

This time you will be holding your non-balancing leg behind your body, rather than in front. Stand upright and lift one leg behind you, grabbing the ankle with the hand of the same side (right hand to right foot, etc.). From here, reach your other arm into the air, lean forward and kick your back leg as high into the air as possible. Try to create balance by simultaneously kicking your foot back into your hand while reaching your other arm forward with equal force.

3. Pistol Squat

Now you are going to attempt to add a full squat into the equation, which requires considerably more strength and balance than just standing. Begin by standing upright with one leg lifted into the air in front of you. On your standing leg, bend from the hip, knee and ankle to squat all the way down until your hamstrings rest against your calf. Pause here briefly, the press your entire foot into the floor, brace your abs and reach your arms forward to return to a standing position. If you are unable to perform this move, you can practice by holding onto a door frame, pole or other sturdy object for assistance.

Remember, the stronger your feet and legs, the better you’ll feel running in your Xero Shoes. Now let’s get out there and feel the world!

—Al Kavadlo

Al Kavadlo is one of the world’s leading experts in bodyweight strength training and calisthenics. He’s also the author of several books, including the Amazon bestsellers Get Strong and Street Workout.

The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.