Although it’s good to know stretches and exercises, what I found most helpful to transitioning to minimalist shoes and strengthening my feet is to walk on natural terrain with z trek sandals. The sandals protect the soles of my feet, and the varied terrain allows for gentle and interesting use of my feet for going uphill, downhill, on muddy, grassy, rocky ground. Anything other than a hard flat surface gives your feet the opportunity to do what they are supposed to do. It ends up feeling really good, at times like getting a foot massage.
I agree! Walking in barefoot shoes on soft ground with some variability does feel nice. The worst feeling is stepping on a single pebble while on concrete 😆
Man, seeing how well you can balance really tells me how much further I need to go. My left foot is so weak after spraining it and not rehabbing it in 2016, and I'd worn stability shoes for almost a decade up until this year. My right leg is okay, I still can't balance nearly as well, but I can barely balance long enough on my left foot to put my right sock on. I hope one day I can balance as effortlessly as you. :P
Hey mshea! Balance is something that can be learned and improved with practice, so I’m positive you’ll get there! It’s definitely going be helpful in strengthening that ankle after an ankle sprain. Thanks for watching!
Having already got PF in my right heal which I am sure is due to failing modern shoe insoles with a large drop on top of a fairly stiff shoe, I have ordered a pair vivobarefoots for a 2 mile walk to work. After bit of searching, I finally find a set of intelligent and thought through exercises that are practical and will hopefully allow me to start building up my foot endurance before taking the shoes the whole distance. Thank you so much for this.
I started in barefoot hiking shoes about 3 days ago, I’m feeling it in my muscle around my shins and the ball of my feet. I have a tendency to want to compensate with my heel strike when I walk on pavement, but I know that’s not good haha. I did like a 3 mile hike yesterday and it really was not bad at all!
Thanks for this. I'm really wanting to transition to barefoot shoes and I can already feel my ankle is weak and my movement (muscles, etc) in feet is tight. In I'm sure this will help me.
I’m 600 pounds and live a sedentary lifestyle. I currently wear Birkenstocks and notice my toes are wider now. I wanna take the plunge to improve my feet health and go from bottom to top. As an obese person, I take for granted my feet allot, since it’s only two points of contact to the ground, holding my massive body.
Hey Arturo! That's so great to hear. Gradually work your way into wearing them more, be patient with yourself, trust the process, and good things will come your way! Best of luck on your journey!
Hey Easy Triops! Good question! I wear barefoot shoes most of the time like at work or to the grocery store. But for going to church or fancier events I still wear normal shoes just because of the looks and I don’t have barefoot dress shoes. For running, I still haven’t trained my feet to tolerate running in barefoot shoes, so I still use regular running shoes.
Question, you spoke about taking precautions with transitioning to Barefoot shoes. My question relates to hike hard striking and having discomfort up the “Posterior Chain” up the legs to pelvis. What are the symptoms? Can you elaborate? I’ve sent you messages before with no responses. Let me know what is the best way to communicate with you. Thank you ✌🏽Tish
Hey Tish! You’ll feel and maybe even hear what a hard contact with the ground feels like. A softer strike is smoother, quieter, with less impact. If you’re starting to notice knee, hip, or back pain while walking after switching to barefoot shoes and you’re still having a hard contact with the ground, then that’s likely the symptoms you’re looking for. Hope this helps!
Question for you content creator- I wear custom made AFOs which already supports my foot, would Barefoot shoes be able to be used as the footwear for ambulating with my AFOs without compromising the (not carbon fiber, likely some blend of acrylic and pvc material) footplates?
Do you also suggest wearing the barefoot shoes every other day in the beginning? And what is your opinion of wearing BF shoes for sports such as pickle ball or tennis where there is a lot of jumping and lateral movement?
Hey liz! That’s a great question. That would be a smart move since it’ll allow your feet to recover and adapt more easily. As for using it for sport, it will require more strength and stability from your feet and ankles than the regular sport-specific shoe would. So it’s much more difficult to do. Theoretically, if your feet and ankles were adapted and strong enough, you could do it. But my opinion would be to use BF shoes for some training and day-to-day use to get the strengthening benefits, and use the sport-specific shoe for the actual sport to get the artificial advantages that it provides so you’re not at a disadvantage compared to your opponents. Like a basketball shoe might have a wider base and sturdier upper to let you change direction quicker without sliding in the shoe or spraining your ankle.
I probably wouldn’t recommend wearing it all the time if your plantar fascia is flared up and gets worse the longer you wear barefoot shoes. I would rehab my feet with some exercises, wear shoes that don’t bother my feet, and then gradually transition and spend more and more time in barefoot shoes once it’s not bothering me. By then, my feet are durable enough to handle it.
Hey JOJOnBING V! Oh awesome! Haha any socks will do as long as it doesn’t squeeze your toes together too tightly. I’ve heard some people like those toe socks 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for the vid! When I try to do the PF stretch you show first, I feel a tightness/compression in the front/top of my ankle so I don’t feel like I can stretch my PF properly. Should I do something different to loosen my ankle first?
If you do the PF stretch and still feel it stretching on the bottom of your foot, then you're getting the stretch. If you don't feel it there much or you have about 70 deg of big toe extension, you might not even need it. As for the tightness you feel in the top of the ankle, it depends. If you have about 15-20 deg of ankle dorsiflexion, then you have adequate flexibility there. If you have less, then you should try the calf stretches. If you don't feel the calf stretching but only feel the tightness in the top of your ankle, then it might be some joint stiffness. To address that, there might be some ankle self-mobilization exercises out there using a pull-up assist band. I haven't made a video on it, but I'm sure someone else has. Sorry for the long explanation! but there's lots of nuance lol.
@@thedurablebody Thanks so much for the detailed reply. I have a lot more than 20 degrees of ankle flex so perhaps I’ve somehow managed to keep flexible ankles. A few years ago I fractured both calcaneum (a ladder didn’t want me on it anymore) so did a lot of PT after that but haven’t done anything actively since then. I guess I’ll focus more on calves and arches if I already have enough flexibility.
Misinformation & disinformation. None of his exercises are required. Just switch to soft fore foot landing & shorten your stride when wearing Barefoot shoes. Been wearing barefoot sandals with 2.5 mm soles for years with no issues using soft fore foot landing with short strides. Been there, done that.
Wow, slow down there with the words, buddy. Way too harsh. Disinformation insinuates malintent. How is that applicable here? Also, fore-foot landing is not for everyone. You can get injured by just switching and doing that. I definitely have. And it looks very awkward so it's not something everyone would just like to do all the time.
Although it’s good to know stretches and exercises, what I found most helpful to transitioning to minimalist shoes and strengthening my feet is to walk on natural terrain with z trek sandals. The sandals protect the soles of my feet, and the varied terrain allows for gentle and interesting use of my feet for going uphill, downhill, on muddy, grassy, rocky ground. Anything other than a hard flat surface gives your feet the opportunity to do what they are supposed to do. It ends up feeling really good, at times like getting a foot massage.
I agree! Walking in barefoot shoes on soft ground with some variability does feel nice. The worst feeling is stepping on a single pebble while on concrete 😆
Man, seeing how well you can balance really tells me how much further I need to go. My left foot is so weak after spraining it and not rehabbing it in 2016, and I'd worn stability shoes for almost a decade up until this year. My right leg is okay, I still can't balance nearly as well, but I can barely balance long enough on my left foot to put my right sock on. I hope one day I can balance as effortlessly as you. :P
Hey mshea! Balance is something that can be learned and improved with practice, so I’m positive you’ll get there! It’s definitely going be helpful in strengthening that ankle after an ankle sprain. Thanks for watching!
Having already got PF in my right heal which I am sure is due to failing modern shoe insoles with a large drop on top of a fairly stiff shoe, I have ordered a pair vivobarefoots for a 2 mile walk to work. After bit of searching, I finally find a set of intelligent and thought through exercises that are practical and will hopefully allow me to start building up my foot endurance before taking the shoes the whole distance. Thank you so much for this.
Hey John, I'm glad to help out! And that's nice only being 2 miles from work!
I started in barefoot hiking shoes about 3 days ago, I’m feeling it in my muscle around my shins and the ball of my feet. I have a tendency to want to compensate with my heel strike when I walk on pavement, but I know that’s not good haha. I did like a 3 mile hike yesterday and it really was not bad at all!
Thank you! This is most informative video I've found on the topic, greatly appreciated.
Hey Dale, glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching!
These exercises make sense to me, thank you!!!
You’re welcome! I hope they help!
6:33 Very useful balance exercises. Thank you!
Thanks for this. I'm really wanting to transition to barefoot shoes and I can already feel my ankle is weak and my movement (muscles, etc) in feet is tight. In I'm sure this will help me.
Hey Shannon! You’re welcome! Thanks for watching and hope it helps!
I'll try all these exercises. Thank you!!!
Hey there again, Grace! Hope it helps!
Keep it going man
Thank you! I appreciate the support!
These are great! Thank you so much.
I’m 600 pounds and live a sedentary lifestyle. I currently wear Birkenstocks and notice my toes are wider now. I wanna take the plunge to improve my feet health and go from bottom to top.
As an obese person, I take for granted my feet allot, since it’s only two points of contact to the ground, holding my massive body.
Hey Arturo! That's so great to hear. Gradually work your way into wearing them more, be patient with yourself, trust the process, and good things will come your way! Best of luck on your journey!
One question: Do you walk in barefoot shoes or completely barefoot all day long or do you still use „common shoes“?
Hey Easy Triops! Good question! I wear barefoot shoes most of the time like at work or to the grocery store. But for going to church or fancier events I still wear normal shoes just because of the looks and I don’t have barefoot dress shoes. For running, I still haven’t trained my feet to tolerate running in barefoot shoes, so I still use regular running shoes.
Love these! Thanks!
Thanks for watching and the comment!
When should these exercises be done in relation to running in these shoes? Before or after a run? Any advice on starting running in these?
Question, you spoke about taking precautions with transitioning to Barefoot shoes. My question relates to hike hard striking and having discomfort up the “Posterior Chain” up the legs to pelvis. What are the symptoms? Can you elaborate? I’ve sent you messages before with no responses. Let me know what is the best way to communicate with you. Thank you ✌🏽Tish
Hey Tish! You’ll feel and maybe even hear what a hard contact with the ground feels like. A softer strike is smoother, quieter, with less impact. If you’re starting to notice knee, hip, or back pain while walking after switching to barefoot shoes and you’re still having a hard contact with the ground, then that’s likely the symptoms you’re looking for. Hope this helps!
Question for you content creator- I wear custom made AFOs which already supports my foot, would Barefoot shoes be able to be used as the footwear for ambulating with my AFOs without compromising the (not carbon fiber, likely some blend of acrylic and pvc material) footplates?
Do you also suggest wearing the barefoot shoes every other day in the beginning? And what is your opinion of wearing BF shoes for sports such as pickle ball or tennis where there is a lot of jumping and lateral movement?
Hey liz! That’s a great question. That would be a smart move since it’ll allow your feet to recover and adapt more easily. As for using it for sport, it will require more strength and stability from your feet and ankles than the regular sport-specific shoe would. So it’s much more difficult to do. Theoretically, if your feet and ankles were adapted and strong enough, you could do it. But my opinion would be to use BF shoes for some training and day-to-day use to get the strengthening benefits, and use the sport-specific shoe for the actual sport to get the artificial advantages that it provides so you’re not at a disadvantage compared to your opponents. Like a basketball shoe might have a wider base and sturdier upper to let you change direction quicker without sliding in the shoe or spraining your ankle.
4:30 keep your toes on the ground
Hi great advice. What Xero shoes are they please? Are they the HFS
Thanks man! Nice content too! These are the HFS
i got plantar fasciitis because of a Bad transition on barefoot shoes.
can i use minimal shoes having this injury?
I probably wouldn’t recommend wearing it all the time if your plantar fascia is flared up and gets worse the longer you wear barefoot shoes. I would rehab my feet with some exercises, wear shoes that don’t bother my feet, and then gradually transition and spend more and more time in barefoot shoes once it’s not bothering me. By then, my feet are durable enough to handle it.
@@thedurablebody thanks Keith! You Make really good content.
greetings from Chile
Thanks Diego! I really appreciate that! It’s cool that someone across the world could find my video helpful
Just got my first pair of Xero shoes. Are there specific socks I should wear?
Hey JOJOnBING V! Oh awesome! Haha any socks will do as long as it doesn’t squeeze your toes together too tightly. I’ve heard some people like those toe socks 🤷🏻♂️
Thanks for the vid! When I try to do the PF stretch you show first, I feel a tightness/compression in the front/top of my ankle so I don’t feel like I can stretch my PF properly. Should I do something different to loosen my ankle first?
If you do the PF stretch and still feel it stretching on the bottom of your foot, then you're getting the stretch. If you don't feel it there much or you have about 70 deg of big toe extension, you might not even need it. As for the tightness you feel in the top of the ankle, it depends. If you have about 15-20 deg of ankle dorsiflexion, then you have adequate flexibility there. If you have less, then you should try the calf stretches. If you don't feel the calf stretching but only feel the tightness in the top of your ankle, then it might be some joint stiffness. To address that, there might be some ankle self-mobilization exercises out there using a pull-up assist band. I haven't made a video on it, but I'm sure someone else has. Sorry for the long explanation! but there's lots of nuance lol.
@@thedurablebody Thanks so much for the detailed reply. I have a lot more than 20 degrees of ankle flex so perhaps I’ve somehow managed to keep flexible ankles. A few years ago I fractured both calcaneum (a ladder didn’t want me on it anymore) so did a lot of PT after that but haven’t done anything actively since then. I guess I’ll focus more on calves and arches if I already have enough flexibility.
I don't trust anyone that uses barefoot shoes and heel strikes, beware of the advice from this guy.
Lol isn’t that so true amongst any running community? Heel strike = sus 😂
We're talking about walking here and not running... Front strike walking is very awkward
Misinformation & disinformation. None of his exercises are required. Just switch to soft fore foot landing & shorten your stride when wearing Barefoot shoes. Been wearing barefoot sandals with 2.5 mm soles for years with no issues using soft fore foot landing with short strides. Been there, done that.
Wow, slow down there with the words, buddy. Way too harsh. Disinformation insinuates malintent. How is that applicable here?
Also, fore-foot landing is not for everyone. You can get injured by just switching and doing that. I definitely have. And it looks very awkward so it's not something everyone would just like to do all the time.
I disagree these movements were very helpful for me as I was transitioning
Anyone who had Achilles tendonitis or heel pain while transitioning?