Posted on March 23, 2017April 7, 2020 by — Leave a comment

No support for support?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again:

Support makes you weak

Think about it.

You break your leg. You put your leg in a cast for 8 weeks.

What does it look like when it comes out?

Stronger? Nope.

Weak and atrophied.

Same thing with feet.

If you “support” them and don’t let them bend and move and flex and feel, you may as well have them in a cast.

Xero Shoes are made to let your feet be feet… to move, to bend, to flex, to feel. So you can…

Live Life Feet First!

Click here to find your new favorite footwear

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.

Posted on August 21, 2016April 7, 2020 by — 10 Comments

Improve your foot and ankle strength and your balance

If you want to improve your foot and ankle (and leg and hip!) strength — and you do — then you need to see this video.

In it, I share something I’ve never made public before, a very personal story about why strength and balance are so important to us at Xero Shoes. But I also share a new tool you can use to improve your strength and balance in just a few, fun, minutes per day.

There are 2 products I’m recommending HIGHLY:

One is the AFX Foot Strengthener (a video about AFX is on the way)

The other is the Slackblock (that’s what this video is about).

Posted on February 22, 2014August 11, 2022 by — 3 Comments

Does Barefoot Running Cause Calf Pain? – Xero Shoes

Does Barefoot Running Cause Calf or Achilles Tendon Pain?

People making the transition to running barefoot or in minimalist shoes sometimes experience calf pain or even calf injuries. They can also feel pain in their Achilles tendon.

I have talked with plenty of people who assume this kind of pain is just part of the transition process from running in typical running shoes to running barefoot or in minimalist shoes.

If you’ve heard this, too, I have good news for you:

Pain isn’t a necessary part of the process!

I like to say “calf and Achilles pain is optional” (if you know what to do).

I am going to first give you an overview of why runners might experience calf pain in the first place before turning to barefoot running and why I think the conventional wisdom here is wrong.

Why We Get Achilles Tendon and Calf Pain when Running

Your calf has a set of muscles (including the gastrocnemeus and soleus muscle) that connect to the Achilles tendon and provide both the power for pushing with your foot, as well as controlling how your heel comes down to the ground if you land on the ball of your foot.

The most basic reason runners experience calf pain is overworking the muscles and tendons.

This can happen for a variety of reasons. In some cases, it is because they were used to apply an amount of force the muscles are not used to. For instance, if you’re used to running on flat surfaces but then go for a run on a hill, your calf muscles are going to be working a lot harder than usual. This can also happen with a sudden increase in distance.

In other cases, it isn’t that the force is too much but that it goes on for so long. To put it differently, the muscles are pushed past their point of endurance.

Sometimes, a runner’s calf muscles have simply been asked to work before a proper warm up or stretch. Tight calves that are suddenly put to work places a lot of strain on the muscles.

Whatever the reason, pain is your body’s way of telling you that your muscles need a rest, and that you probably need to use your calves differently once you’re feeling better.

Sore calves are a normal effect of exercise and nothing to worry about. Severe calf pain, on the other hand, is an indication of a more serious problem. If you overwork your calf muscle, you risk injuries like a calf strain or even a calf tear. Muscle tears are painful and can require a long recovery process.

In short, then, tendon or calf pain is an indication that you’ve overdone it in some way.

Why People Assume Calf and Tendon Pain Are Just Part of Barefoot Running

When you run barefoot, you run differently than if you’re in typical shoes. Generally speaking, runners who are used to thick, modern running shoes will tend to land heel first with their foot contacting the ground well in front of their body.

Once making the switch to either no shoes or minimalist ones, most runners will probably stop landing that way. Why? Because it hurts to land on your heel!

Instead, barefoot runners will tend to adopt a mid-foot or fore-foot strike pattern, landing with the heel initially off the ground. In that running form, the calf muscles act as shock absorbers, controlling the speed with which your heel comes down to the ground (or near it). This “eccentric” or “negative” loading can place greater demands on calf muscles and tendons than they used to.

It makes sense, then, that transitioning to barefoot-style running could lead to overworking of the calf muscles and therefore to calf pain and soreness.

Most people think the issue is that the calf muscles are too weak because of previous underuse and the solution is to make the calf muscle stronger.

In other words, people believe that calf and Achilles soreness is practically inevitable when you try running barefoot, and that building strength is the eventual cure.

But that story is missing something important.

Why Calf and Tendon Pain Are Avoidable

I say that it is missing something and not that it is totally wrong.

It is true that barefoot running usually means a new (and more natural) running technique that can place more demands on the calf muscle.

But this doesn’t need to lead to calf pain when running.

The most common problem many runners have when they begin to run barefoot is that they simply use more effort than necessary when they run.

Consider that there are two ways to keep your calf muscles from being overworked: to have stronger muscles for a given amount of work or to reduce the work required. Runners usually assume they need to do the first thing – build up their calf muscles with strengthening exercises.

From what we’ve seen, having heard from tens of thousands of new-to-barefoot running is that the “secret” to reducing your odds of having calf pain is to do less and relax more.

So let’s take a deeper look at this other option: to prevent calf pain or calf injury by reducing the amount of work you ask your calves and Achilles to do.

The Common Mistakes Barefoot Runners Make

Okay, so how do we do less and relax more?

It all comes down to form.

New barefoot runners often have two other habits that put unnecessary strain on their muscles and tendons, putting them at risk of calf muscle injuries:

Over-striding while landing on the mid-foot or ball of the foot

Most new barefooters hear that you should land on the ball of your foot, or on your midfoot.

It’s true. BUT, the mistake many make is using the same form they have in regular shoes – landing with their foot in front of their body (“overstriding”), and then merely pointing their toes.

When you land with your foot further in front of your body, you’re basically “putting on the brakes” which puts excessive force on your foot.

If you point your toes to land on your forefoot, you use your calf and Achilles to decelerate and this amount of force is more than most people’s calves can handle. In fact, it’s more than the bones of your foot are made to handle so you’re also risking a stress fracture.

Sure, getting freakishly strong may make that easier to do, but the correct solution is to “stop putting on the brakes” when you land by stopping your over-striding and, instead, placing your foot more underneath your body when you land.

By not applying that breaking force, your calves don’t have to do as much work.

One way to learn to land with your foot underneath you is by increasing your cadence – the number of steps you take per minute – without running faster. This quicker cadence makes it harder to overstride.

There’s actually a recent study on this. Researchers found that runners with a history of recurrent calf strain injuries land with their heels further away from their center of mass.

Pushing Off

Similarly, if you remove your foot from the ground by pushing off with your toes, you’re essentially doing bodyweight calf raises every time you take a stride… and even a short run would be more than your body can handle.

Again, the solution isn’t to hit the weight room or cross train to improve your calf raise strength. It’s to LIFT your foot off the ground (instead of pushing) by flexing at the hip.

I know that sounds weird, so let me give you an image to help it make sense:

Imagine what happens if you stepped on a bee and it stung your foot… you wouldn’t try to push away from the ground since that would drive the stinger further into your sole. You would reflexively (faster and easier) pull your foot from the ground with a hip flex.

You want to use that same hip flex to get your foot off the ground when you run. You’re still using your calf muscles, but not nearly as much as you do by “toe-ing off.”

How to Find the Right Running Style that Won’t Lead to Tendon or Calf Strain

In order to use less effort, you’ll probably have to start with less running.

That’s fine.

Even when you make the adjustments I just described, barefoot running will have you using your lower leg muscles in new ways that will take some time to get used to.

The key thing at this early stage to prevent calf injuries is to be patient and listen to your body. Calf tightness isn’t something to worry over. Make sure you are warming up with some calf stretches to keep loose.

On the other hand, sharp pain in your feet or calves, shin splints, calf strains — these are all clear messages from your body that something isn’t right. You may even find that you are getting calf pain in your left calf but not your right calf. That can be an indication that you are getting it right with one leg but not yet the other.

If you are willing to take it slowly and make adjustments, it is just a matter of time before you find the running form that will feel easy and fun.

And you’ll find that you be able to run your usual distances and times sooner than you think.

By the way, it isn’t just calf pain that is a potential issue. Running injuries like plantar fasciitis and shin splints are common, and researchers suggest an important risk factor is increases in the volume or pace of training. Injury prevention requires respecting your body’s limits.

By the time you figure everything out, you will probably have gained any extra strength you need.

Barefoot Running…in Shoes?

I have mentioned minimalist shoes in this article about running barefoot and calf pain. Maybe that confused you. If so, let me explain.

Barefoot running is all about recovering a natural running form that allows our bodies to function the way they are designed. It seems obvious that doing what’s natural is better for our bodies. It’s also a lot more fun. It’s really more about how your feet move than about what you have on them.

It’s about the form, not the footwear.

There is a relationship between the two, however. Minimalist shoes (also called barefoot shoes) are designed specifically to give you the flexibility and feedback that let you maintain natural movement without your having to walk around in bare feet. So you can absolutely try barefoot walking or running without having to ditch footwear, as long as it’s the right footwear.

We’ve put together a handy tool to help you find the perfect pair of barefoot shoes (or sandals) for you. Why not have a look?

Posted on March 27, 2012September 27, 2022 by — 19 Comments

University of Colorado Barefoot Running Study

The media is having an anti-barefoot running field day thanks to a study published by some people right up the street from me at the University of Colorado (BTW, I’ve been living in Boulder for 19 years and nobody has been able to explain why they call the university CU instead of UC.).

Each of the dozens of articles about the study has a distinct flavor of elementary school playground taunting, “Nah, nah, nah, nah, boo, boo… barefoot running isn’t good for you!”

I mean, check out some of the headlines:

Debunking the Barefoot Running Myth – Sydney Morning Herald (barefoot running isn’t like bigfoot!)

Here’s Proof Barefoot Isn’t Better — Running Times (Ha! So there!)

It almost feels like the press is enjoying creating a backlash to all the “pro” barefoot articles of the last two years, even though in every barefoot article I’ve read the media insists on publishing “both sides of the story,” and includes some doctor who’s never run a meter in bare feet and wouldn’t know decent barefoot running form if it ran him over, claiming that running without shoes will hurt you, bring shame on your family, and accelerate the coming apocalypse.

So, let’s take a deep belly breath or two and have a chat about the study. In fact, let’s start by talking about studies, in general:

Designing a biomechanics study is not easy. Aside from deciding exactly what you want to explore and the best design of the study itself (how you can test it), finding enough of the right kind of participants is often tricky, if not impossible.

It’s even more difficult to design a study that isn’t artificial in some way. That is, it’s showing effects in a lab that may not be relevant in the real world.

And, even more, many studies, while interesting, may not be relevant to the broader population. (Whenever someone quotes a study, or even just the habits, of elite marathoners, I respond “Unless you’re 5’5” and weigh 105 pounds and run at 13 miles per hour for two hours… WHO CARES what those guys do?)

Finally, the way the media picks up a study — this one or any of the previous barefoot studies — often adds some spin that isn’t in the actual study.

All of the issues I just raised are relevant as we take a gander at the CU study. BTW, if you want to see a lively and cogent critical look at the study, you can’t go wrong with reading the comments on the New York Times article about it. Frankly, this post probably won’t be as lucid as some of the comments there.

Okay, let’s jump into it… The gist of the study:

“In the study, 12 subjects with substantial barefoot running experience ran at 7.5 MPH with a mid-foot strike pattern on a motorized treadmill, both barefoot and in lightweight cushioned shoes (~150 g/shoe, 5.4 oz). In additional trials, they attached small lead strips to each foot/shoe (~150, ~300, ~450 g). For each condition, they measured the subjects’ rates of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production as an index of metabolic cost.”

And the results:

a) For every 100g (3.5oz) (the average weight of a deck of playing cards) added per foot, energy cost increases by approximately 1% whether running barefoot or shod.

b) Running barefoot and in lightweight shoes do not significantly differ in energy cost.

c) When controlling for shoe/foot mass, running in lightweight shoes requires ~3-4% less energy than running barefoot.”

Now, let the fun begin. Can you find the “confounds” (the factors in the study that might affect the results, or the interpretation of the results)?

I’ll start. Let me know if you find more.

1) How did they determine that the 12 subjects had “substantial barefoot experience?” Well, the study says, “8 km/week barefoot or in minimal running footwear (e.g. Vibram Five Fingers) for at least 3 months out of the last year.”

Does 3 months out of the last 12 really equal “substantial?” I’ve been barefoot for 3 years, and I’m STILL improving my form.

And if that three months was wearing VFFs or minimalist shoes, that counts as “barefoot experience” Uh…

As I’ve commented, and as the American Council on Exercise showed, and as Pete Larsen from www.runblogger.com captured on video: VFFs are not the same as barefoot.

Now the researchers did verify that the subjects all ran with a “midfoot or forefoot” landing. I know that Lee Saxby, the spokesman and coach from Vivobarefoot would have an issue with that. He doesn’t think midfoot is proper barefoot form (there’s some debate about that, but it’s besides the point at the moment).

2) They ran on a treadmill. Look, I get that testing runners on an actual track is hard and expensive, but running on a treadmill is not the same as running on the ground, end of story. It may give some useful data, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, but the duck is on a treadmill… hmmm, that analogy isn’t quite working, but you know what I mean.

I did some high-speed video analysis of my running at the Monfort Human Performance Lab. I hit 21 mph on that treadmill. I can tell you that when I’m on a treadmill, my stride is different than on the track. I overstride so I can “catch” the treadmill belt, for example.

3) To simulate a running shoe’s weight, the researchers put lead weights on the top surface of the runners’ feet. Do you think some small weights pressing down on your foot is different than having that same amount of weight distributed evenly, and mostly under your foot, thanks to the design of the shoe? I do. Does that matter? Could be. Is there a way to check… not easily.

4) The runners were at 7.5 miles per hour. That’s slow for an elite runner — about 200 meters in a minute, a quarter mile in 2 minutes, a mile in 8 minutes — but fast for most casual runners. This raises a few questions:

a) How was that pace compared to the runners’ usual training pace?
b) Does speed make a difference?
c) What about turnover, or cadence? Were those controlled and the same when the runners were barefoot vs. shod?

Got me. But, suffice it to say, we’re seeing the artificial quality of the study.

5) Oh, this wasn’t mentioned above, but I’ll give it to you now: the runners were wearing yoga socks. ““For the duration of the experiment, subjects wore very thin, slip-resistant yoga socks for safety and hygienic purposes.”

Hygienic purposes? Uh, some 409 and a paper towel would handle any “hygiene issues.” And “safety”? If you read the study, one aspect of “safety” is “avoiding blisters.”

Boy, where to start on that one? We know that socks does not equal barefoot, and we also know that if you get blisters when you run barefoot, you’re doing something wrong. So, this brings us back to number 1 — how experienced were these runners really?

6) The study measured oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Okay, that’s a fine way to measure efficiency, based on the idea that using less oxygen and producing less CO2 means you’re using less effort, and that equals being more efficient.

But here’s a question: So what?

For one: does using less energy equate to faster times? It seems like it might, but that’s not a given.

Does the amount of extra energy being used by *some* of the barefoot runners have any relevance to the average runner? Someone for whom 7.5 mph is too fast… or even too slow?

7) Oh, here’s a favorite. The runners in the study wore an ultra-lighweight racing flat. Most runners wouldn’t wear those. And most runners with no barefoot experience wouldn’t find those any friendlier than being shoe-free.

8) One other thing: A hallmark of the scientific method is reproducibility. Just because one lab gets a result, that doesn’t mean the question is resolved. When a study is reproduced in independent labs and the same (or very similar) result is obtained… then you know you’ve got something.

What if the study is correct, though? What if barefoot running is less efficient than shod running?

The only answer I can come up with is: Who cares?

I don’t mean that it’s not important to know. I mean, literally, who should care?

If you never race, you’ll never notice any difference in efficiency (assuming, again that “decreased efficiency” = slower times).

Besides, there are MANY other reasons to run with bare feet than the idea that it’s more efficient… many that have barely been touched on (Dr. Michael Merzenich and I have had some interesting chats about how being barefoot could help the elderly in various ways). Personally, I didn’t make the switch for efficiency’s sake. In fact, for me, as a sprinter, I know I’m more effective in spikes than barefoot. I switched because it helped me correct some form problems, eliminated injuries I was getting, turned running from a chore into an enthralling discovery, and, more importantly… WAS FUN.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that my Boulder neighbors are researching barefoot running. And while this is the first published study, I know they have more coming and I’m looking forward to those.

And I’m certainly not blaming them for how the media is handling the story.

My only interest is the continued exploration, conversation, and understanding of efficient movement, running for speed and/or distance, and the ways of teaching and exploring barefoot running (and walking and hiking).

No one study can perfectly address all of the open questions. But the almost combative attitude where everyone wants to jump on some one-sided “We’re better!” bandwagon certainly doesn’t help.

Suffice it to say, this study is not the death knell of barefoot running that many media outlets are portraying it to be (because, you know, controversy is more important than truth if you’re trying to sell papers).

Now, if you’ll pardon me, I have to burn off some of my frustration by putting on some yoga socks and minimalist shoes and going for a barefoot run.

p.s. (added on 4/4/2012):

I just realized that the conclusion of the study was WAY off base!

Here’s why

The researchers think that the improved efficiency of the shoes came from the PADDING absorbing some of the stress that the muscles have to handle when you’re barefoot.

In other words, the ENTIRE efficiency effect could be ALL about the padding and have nothing to do with weight. The weight issue would only be valid if they tested multiple shoes of the same weight with different types of padded outsoles and got the same results.