In a pilates studio, stretching and training barefoot is the norm. However, coming without shoes is uncommon in more traditional venues such as gyms and weight rooms. Many gyms have dress regulations that require sneakers and apparel to be worn for safety reasons. However, there are also suggestions for appropriate fitness footwear in different areas. You may have seen photographs and videos of your favorite social media figures discussing barefoot training. For potential health benefits, many fitness professionals recommend training without shoes or wearing barefoot shoes instead of standard sneakers.
Why Are People Training Barefoot?
Barefoot training is becoming increasingly popular in the wellness industry. Barefoot training has become increasingly widespread in recent years due to the trends of barefoot shoes, online influencers, and research supporting the benefits. Exercising barefoot can be beneficial to both the feet and the body. If done effectively, barefoot training can enhance quickness, ankle stability, and joint placement. For others, this may alleviate minor aches and pains like a low arch or soreness from repetitive activities such as running. But before you throw away your shoes, think about a few things. People who aren’t used to walking or training barefoot may fatigue sooner or be more prone to injury.
Advise for anyone interested in exercising barefoot. Barefoot training beginners should begin by walking barefoot for 5 minutes daily—this can be around the house at first. Then, gradually integrate barefoot exercise by shortening workouts, warming up the feet before beginning, and maintaining proper form and alignment throughout. And, if you like extra padding before making a dramatic adjustment or transition, wearing lightweight shoes to adjust is recommended. Transitioning to barefoot shoes may help some people prepare their bodies for barefoot training.
The Advantages of Barefoot Training
Barefoot training has various advantages.
Stability
Training without shoes might help you gain foot and body stability. When you exercise barefoot, you can expand your toes (unlike in sneakers, where they are commonly constricted), resulting in a larger contact surface with the ground and higher stability. Furthermore, barefoot exercise can assist in correcting feet that have changed form over time due to footwear, which significantly impacts stability.
Improves Coordination
Being barefoot is a natural element of human nature. Returning to your natural state, relearning movement patterns, and strengthening muscle engagement all boost proprioceptor activation, bringing your coordination, stability, and balance to the next level. This, in turn, leads to healthier joints and a lower risk of injury, leaving you more biomechanically efficient.
Stronger Feet
When you exercise barefoot, you utilize all your foot muscles in a way that is not usually possible due to the ‘accommodations’ provided by your shoes. For example, most running shoes are designed to propel you forward rather than providing balance, so your feet don’t engage properly, resulting in tighter muscles, increased pressure on joints, and weaker feet. Barefoot training helps lessen or eliminate foot pronation by strengthening the feet and improving muscle tone, allowing the arch to raise. Therefore, barefoot shoes are just as beneficial as foot workouts in strengthening the feet.
Improved Foot Mobility
Barefoot exercise improves foot movement and mobility. Barefoot training enhances ankle mobility by linking tissues from the toes through the plantar fascia to the ankle. Although wearing shoes to exercise is widespread, there can be some adverse effects on the feet and body. While wearing shoes has many advantages, our bodies adjust to accommodate the footwear, which can result in a variety of side effects, such as weaker feet and incorrect weight distribution. When you walk barefoot, you use all of your muscles properly, allowing you to form the required link among your tissues and ligaments because your body is not changing to try to find equilibrium.
Sensory Recognition
One of the advantages of practicing barefoot is the sensory feedback you receive when your feet make direct contact with the earth. Our brain then instructs the body on how to properly land our foot on the ground, including how much pressure to apply. Your ground links you immediate access to knowing where you are in space at all times. Unfortunately, wearing shoes makes it more challenging to feel the surface and get sensory input, making it simple to overcompensate. This can induce us to exert more effort than necessary, resulting in joint deterioration.
Where Should You Not Train Barefoot?
Some gyms may not allow entry without shoes due to dress code and safety concerns. It is also necessary to consider hygiene and cleanliness. If there is an uneven surface or potentially poor hygiene conditions, it is vital to be cautious and carefully examine whether this is the appropriate environment for barefoot exercise. Before you put on your footwear, you should inspect the area where you intend to workout. You should not train barefoot anywhere because it could be dangerous. Make sure the area surrounding you is clean—you need to keep an eye on your soles.
The decision to workout barefoot is also a personal one. It is determined by each individual’s level of training and expertise in any given activity. I advocate delaying high-impact exercises until you are comfortable and confident. The sort of workout, whether barefoot or with footwear, is also vital to consider. It may be safer to train with shoes on when doing activities like jumping to protect the joints from the force of landing. Similarly, it’s best to avoid training barefoot if you’re climbing or walking on jagged, uneven terrain.
Kim’s Final Thoughts…
Working out barefoot may provide some health benefits, but it should only be done in safe, hygienic conditions. Furthermore, individuals should only exercise barefoot if they are comfortable doing so; see a healthcare expert if you have any concerns or queries regarding your workout footwear.
