Transitioning To Barefoot Shoes? Do This First

Mobility coach and former gymnast Alisa Zuravskaja gives insider advice:

Don’t let the strengths be weaknesses

Barefoot shoes place greater demands on your feet, ankles, calves, and tendons. This is the point! In doing so, it strengthens those very same things.

However, it does mean that if you rush the transition to barefoot shoes when you’ve been used to a lot of cushioning and probably an at least somewhat-raised heel (even most sneakers have a thicker sole under the heel than under the rest of the foot, for instance, which raises the heel), then taking on this extra work can have a similar result to going into the gym after 10 years of sedentary lifestyle without meaningful exercise, and immediately trying to lift heavy weights. It’ll feel bad and you stand a good chance of injury.

In contrast, gradually preparing in advance can reduce discomfort and lower the risk of overuse injuries.

Starting with your toes is good: you can improve toe mobility by gently spreading your toes apart with your hands, then practice actively spreading them without assistance. Also recommended is to practice lifting only your big toe while keeping the others down, then lifting the four smaller toes while keeping your big toe down. Toe spacers can help restore natural toe alignment when worn for short periods around the house.

More exercisey exercises include:

• Tibialis raises: strengthen the tibialis anterior, the muscle at the front of your shin, by leaning against a wall with your heels on the floor and repeatedly lifting your forefeet. This muscle works harder in barefoot shoes and can help reduce the risk of shin discomfort during the transition.
• Heel raises with slow lowering: stand on the edge of a step, rise onto your toes, then slowly lower your heels below the step over several seconds. This movement helps strengthen your Achilles tendons, calf muscles, and improve ankle dorsiflexion, which is often limited after years of wearing heeled footwear (again, by “heeled”, we don’t necessarily mean heels like high heels, literally just “the sole is thicker at the heel” is already enough to cause this adverse effect).
• “Short foot” exercise: while keeping your toes relaxed and flat, gently pull the ball of your foot towards your heel to lift your arch without curling your toes. This activates the foot muscles that help support the arch naturally.

For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:

Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

Want to learn more?

You might also like:

The Secret To Better Squats: Foot, Knee, & Ankle Mobility

Take care!