Rashad Evans trains in VFFs Vibram FiveFingers
[quote]Hog Ear wrote:
[quote]Im_New_Feed_Me wrote:
I’m a PT, and as you can see from my avatar, am in LOVE with these shoes.
I’ve done my research, and have also found an amazing book on the topic. It’s called “Born to Run” by Christopher Macdougal. I wont get into the specifics, but there is a lot of information packed into this book and also a very good story (completely factual) about a secret tribe in Mexico that runs hundreds of miles a day with only tiny leather slippers.
Just DON’T over do it initially. I got some pretty wicked tendonitis in my left forefoot from basically running the distance of 2 marathons in the first 2 weeks. Ease in is the best advice I can give. I’ve converted at least 5 of my clients and they have also completely cured my knee pain. My 200 dollar Asics did nothing but make it worse.
I plan on teaching some barefoot running classes in the next few months, it’s brought back my love for the sport. [/quote]
I’m a RN, I’m always interested in what others in the medical field think about minimalist footwear to promote health/rehab. I’ve heard from a number of PTs who have embraced this, doctors not so much, they tend to think it’s a fad. I suspect this is because PTs know more about how the body actually functions than the vast majority of doctors.
The problem is most people will never try VFFs- they don’t know what they’re missing. Orthopedic surgeons doing knee replacements will continue to have plenty of work in the future. [/quote]
Sorry, by PT, I meant personal trainer, but I am also post-rehab certified and have worked with dozens of clients with patella problems, gait problems; and vibrams (or any other minimalist shoe for that matter) fix them every time.
I’ve seen someone with a flat foot actually have their foot shrink 1 size from building it’s own arch in the VFF’s.
Shortening the stride and changing the impact points just makes sense to me. People come to me wanting to lengthen their stride, and after a 15 minute conversation, I have them looking to buy some of these shoes.
I also used to do a SHIT-TON of parkour before I had my daughter, and these shoes make it much more enjoyable.
I can’t say enough about how these shoes have changed my life, and since I live in Canada, I thank fuck they have an insulated winter pair.
[quote]biggjames wrote:
I like it when people ask if they are “Gorilla Feet” for my Halloween costume.[/quote]
Recently a 4 year old at the park exclaimed “you have dinosaur shoes!!” I told him I did indeed.
Worth reading http://extremehumanperformance.com/blog/barefoot-training-vibram-five-fingers-and-the-evils-of-strength-sucking-modern-shoes/
Thanks Hog Ear for the link!
I know I’ve probably talked this to death but all of us VFF owners are starting to sound like robots endorsing their product; however this is truly a case of “don’t knock it until you try it” . Love the hell out of my KSOs & when I can I rock my rotation of Nike Frees into my daily wear at work.
Dinosaur feet, indeed. Strong dinosaur feet.
[quote]Im_New_Feed_Me wrote:
[quote]Hog Ear wrote:
[quote]Im_New_Feed_Me wrote:
I’m a PT, and as you can see from my avatar, am in LOVE with these shoes.
I’ve done my research, and have also found an amazing book on the topic. It’s called “Born to Run” by Christopher Macdougal. I wont get into the specifics, but there is a lot of information packed into this book and also a very good story (completely factual) about a secret tribe in Mexico that runs hundreds of miles a day with only tiny leather slippers.
Just DON’T over do it initially. I got some pretty wicked tendonitis in my left forefoot from basically running the distance of 2 marathons in the first 2 weeks. Ease in is the best advice I can give. I’ve converted at least 5 of my clients and they have also completely cured my knee pain. My 200 dollar Asics did nothing but make it worse.
I plan on teaching some barefoot running classes in the next few months, it’s brought back my love for the sport. [/quote]
I’m a RN, I’m always interested in what others in the medical field think about minimalist footwear to promote health/rehab. I’ve heard from a number of PTs who have embraced this, doctors not so much, they tend to think it’s a fad. I suspect this is because PTs know more about how the body actually functions than the vast majority of doctors.
The problem is most people will never try VFFs- they don’t know what they’re missing. Orthopedic surgeons doing knee replacements will continue to have plenty of work in the future. [/quote]
Sorry, by PT, I meant personal trainer, but I am also post-rehab certified and have worked with dozens of clients with patella problems, gait problems; and vibrams (or any other minimalist shoe for that matter) fix them every time.
I’ve seen someone with a flat foot actually have their foot shrink 1 size from building it’s own arch in the VFF’s.
Shortening the stride and changing the impact points just makes sense to me. People come to me wanting to lengthen their stride, and after a 15 minute conversation, I have them looking to buy some of these shoes.
I also used to do a SHIT-TON of parkour before I had my daughter, and these shoes make it much more enjoyable.
I can’t say enough about how these shoes have changed my life, and since I live in Canada, I thank fuck they have an insulated winter pair.[/quote]
That’s great, you’re making a positive difference in people’s lives. How do other personal trainers view VFFs? Keep us updated!
Bumping this to ask…does anyone have the classics, and what do you use them for? I’m thinking of getting either those or the sprints.
Usage would be for lifting, kettlebell, general stuff like walking around on-campus. I just can’t stand how cushioned my Nike sneakers are (I have one of the Lunar models) and would really love something for daily use that puts less between the ground and myself. I had some really lightweight Adidas slip-ons for awhile that I liked, but they had a very stiff sole and are pretty much falling apart now, anyway.
I had to wear leg braces as a kid; I still think I have a funny running gait either as a result or because whatever was supposed to be fixed didn’t get fixed - I’ve been told I “run like a girl” in the insulting sense. I also tend to wear shoes down at an angle tilting inward. Pretty hilarious on a pair of boots after a year of use. I’m hoping walking around in less shoe will potentially help me self-correct some issues.
[quote]Artemisia wrote:
Bumping this to ask…does anyone have the classics, and what do you use them for? I’m thinking of getting either those or the sprints.
Usage would be for lifting, kettlebell, general stuff like walking around on-campus. I just can’t stand how cushioned my Nike sneakers are (I have one of the Lunar models) and would really love something for daily use that puts less between the ground and myself. I had some really lightweight Adidas slip-ons for awhile that I liked, but they had a very stiff sole and are pretty much falling apart now, anyway.
I had to wear leg braces as a kid; I still think I have a funny running gait either as a result or because whatever was supposed to be fixed didn’t get fixed - I’ve been told I “run like a girl” in the insulting sense. I also tend to wear shoes down at an angle tilting inward. Pretty hilarious on a pair of boots after a year of use. I’m hoping walking around in less shoe will potentially help me self-correct some issues.[/quote]
I don’t have the Classics, but I do have the KSOs, only difference is that the KSO does not have an open top- it Keeps Stuff Out. I like the KSOs better, they keep all the grit from getting in. I do everything in my KSOs- lift, walk, run, train and compete in strongman. I even have a pair of Treks I wear to work.
VFFs work great for strengthening your feet and ankles, just take it slow in the beginning. Please give us an update after you’ve tried them.
Lifting without vibrams is like trying to do a bicep curl behind your back, the amount of spread they allow for your feet plus the added traction from the rubber sole helps to strengthen all the muscles in your feet and increase ankle dorsiflexion. They helped make my toes able to wiggle freely and individually, i absolutely love them!
Today I walked 1.5 miles with a 60 pound mini heavy bag in my KSOs. Felt great, definatly better than wearing my nikes.
I admit when these shoes first came out I was a big skeptic. My best friend who is a Crossfit kool-aid drinker was the first person I knew who had them. The problem was he couldn’t scientifically explain why these shoes were better he would just say stuff like “Mike, we weren’t born with shoes on” or “Mike, Jesus didn’t wear tennis shoes”. Me being an Exercise Science major I needed some factual research to back this “barefoot is better” claim.
In March I attended the 1st annual Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference hosted by the NSCA of which I am certified through. One of the speakers was a retired Physical Therapist who had helped to develop the Ranger Athlete Warrior (RAW) program.
In his presentation he said that what the researcher’s where finding is that with the help of EMG they showed that orthotics actually shut off the intrinsic muscles of your foot, thus causing your feet to get weak and lazy. They said that when they removed the orthotic from the foot that the EMG lit up with all the activation of the muscles in the feet.
As we know the feet are part of the kinetic chain, so shutting off the intrinsic muscles of the feet will cause other parts of the chain to compensate thus leading us to have compensatory injuries.
This affected me personally when I started getting a nagging Achilles paratenonitis injury after switching to a motion control shoe with my orthotics. What was happening is that the cumulative effect of the orthotic with the motion control shoe had actually caused my peroneals to shut off and become fibrotic, thus transferring the entire torque of my heel-strike to my Achilles.
After I visited my local ART practitioner she said to ditch the orthotics and motion control shoes and start doing some barefoot training to wake these muscles back up. Two months later I have no more Achilles pain, and have been able to knock 30 seconds off my 2 mile APFT time.
It will be a long time before we see the masses accept the benefit’s of barefoot training, but as ambassadors to it we can ensure the people that do make the change do it SLOWLY. The last thing we need is a bunch of people who have ran in shoes for 10-20 years putting on some VFF’s and trying to run the same distance they did with shoes on right off the bat. I can assure you only bad things will happen, and people will blame the shoes rather than their poor training protocol.
[quote]Hog Ear wrote:
[quote]Artemisia wrote:
Bumping this to ask…does anyone have the classics, and what do you use them for? I’m thinking of getting either those or the sprints.
Usage would be for lifting, kettlebell, general stuff like walking around on-campus. I just can’t stand how cushioned my Nike sneakers are (I have one of the Lunar models) and would really love something for daily use that puts less between the ground and myself. I had some really lightweight Adidas slip-ons for awhile that I liked, but they had a very stiff sole and are pretty much falling apart now, anyway.
I had to wear leg braces as a kid; I still think I have a funny running gait either as a result or because whatever was supposed to be fixed didn’t get fixed - I’ve been told I “run like a girl” in the insulting sense. I also tend to wear shoes down at an angle tilting inward. Pretty hilarious on a pair of boots after a year of use. I’m hoping walking around in less shoe will potentially help me self-correct some issues.[/quote]
I don’t have the Classics, but I do have the KSOs, only difference is that the KSO does not have an open top- it Keeps Stuff Out. I like the KSOs better, they keep all the grit from getting in. I do everything in my KSOs- lift, walk, run, train and compete in strongman. I even have a pair of Treks I wear to work.
VFFs work great for strengthening your feet and ankles, just take it slow in the beginning. Please give us an update after you’ve tried them. [/quote]
Hmm…well, stuff stays out of my mary janes (for male readers…they look like the sprints; basic round-toe shoe with a strap over the top), so I probably will be ok without the full coverage of KSOs. Right now I’m debating between the very bright pinkish ones or the more subdued gray color. I am totally sold on the concept, though. I will definitely update! I currently do lift/kettlebell barefooted (well, in socks - I have a nice home gym, but the floor is freezing) and could never go back to full shoes, but socks are kind of dangerous on a slick floor - hence the desire for a non-shoe shoe. Thanks for the info!
[quote]Artemisia wrote:
[quote]Hog Ear wrote:
[quote]Artemisia wrote:
Bumping this to ask…does anyone have the classics, and what do you use them for? I’m thinking of getting either those or the sprints.
Usage would be for lifting, kettlebell, general stuff like walking around on-campus. I just can’t stand how cushioned my Nike sneakers are (I have one of the Lunar models) and would really love something for daily use that puts less between the ground and myself. I had some really lightweight Adidas slip-ons for awhile that I liked, but they had a very stiff sole and are pretty much falling apart now, anyway.
I had to wear leg braces as a kid; I still think I have a funny running gait either as a result or because whatever was supposed to be fixed didn’t get fixed - I’ve been told I “run like a girl” in the insulting sense. I also tend to wear shoes down at an angle tilting inward. Pretty hilarious on a pair of boots after a year of use. I’m hoping walking around in less shoe will potentially help me self-correct some issues.[/quote]
I don’t have the Classics, but I do have the KSOs, only difference is that the KSO does not have an open top- it Keeps Stuff Out. I like the KSOs better, they keep all the grit from getting in. I do everything in my KSOs- lift, walk, run, train and compete in strongman. I even have a pair of Treks I wear to work.
VFFs work great for strengthening your feet and ankles, just take it slow in the beginning. Please give us an update after you’ve tried them. [/quote]
Hmm…well, stuff stays out of my mary janes (for male readers…they look like the sprints; basic round-toe shoe with a strap over the top), so I probably will be ok without the full coverage of KSOs. Right now I’m debating between the very bright pinkish ones or the more subdued gray color. I am totally sold on the concept, though. I will definitely update! I currently do lift/kettlebell barefooted (well, in socks - I have a nice home gym, but the floor is freezing) and could never go back to full shoes, but socks are kind of dangerous on a slick floor - hence the desire for a non-shoe shoe. Thanks for the info![/quote]
If you are going to be doing anything other than “casual wear” I would go with at the very least the sprints. I hear the fit and snugness is considerably different without the top strap. My wife has the Purple sprints. My sister has the Black KSO.
V
[quote]armygrunt82 wrote:
It will be a long time before we see the masses accept the benefit’s of barefoot training, but as ambassadors to it we can ensure the people that do make the change do it SLOWLY. The last thing we need is a bunch of people who have ran in shoes for 10-20 years putting on some VFF’s and trying to run the same distance they did with shoes on right off the bat. I can assure you only bad things will happen, and people will blame the shoes rather than their poor training protocol. [/quote]
for people thinking of ‘converting’
One of the links I picked up somewhere recommended (to paraphrase) "go totally barefoot for the trip out, carrying your shoes, then if your soles start to get ‘irritated’ put your VFFs on for the return trip, and go slow for the first few weeks.
[quote]Mad_Duck wrote:
[quote]armygrunt82 wrote:
It will be a long time before we see the masses accept the benefit’s of barefoot training, but as ambassadors to it we can ensure the people that do make the change do it SLOWLY. The last thing we need is a bunch of people who have ran in shoes for 10-20 years putting on some VFF’s and trying to run the same distance they did with shoes on right off the bat. I can assure you only bad things will happen, and people will blame the shoes rather than their poor training protocol. [/quote]
for people thinking of ‘converting’
One of the links I picked up somewhere recommended (to paraphrase) "go totally barefoot for the trip out, carrying your shoes, then if your soles start to get ‘irritated’ put your VFFs on for the return trip, and go slow for the first few weeks. [/quote]
The only real problem I have with advice such as this is that most of the time it sounds more spiritual than scientific. I don’t think your leg muscles will be able to really tell the difference if you are wearing vibrams, or you just have really thick callouses. The difference in lower leg activation with Virbams vs shod is extremely noticeable. I don’t know if you could say the same between Vibrams and BF. To me unless you are some hardcore naturalist runner who wishes to gather chi from Gaia with each gentle barfoot stroke to her nurturing surface, just stick with the Vibrams.
V
Here’s another great link (from the link Hog Ear provided earlier):
[quote]armygrunt82 wrote:
I admit when these shoes first came out I was a big skeptic. My best friend who is a Crossfit kool-aid drinker was the first person I knew who had them. The problem was he couldn’t scientifically explain why these shoes were better he would just say stuff like “Mike, we weren’t born with shoes on” or “Mike, Jesus didn’t wear tennis shoes”. Me being an Exercise Science major I needed some factual research to back this “barefoot is better” claim.
In March I attended the 1st annual Tactical Strength and Conditioning Conference hosted by the NSCA of which I am certified through. One of the speakers was a retired Physical Therapist who had helped to develop the Ranger Athlete Warrior (RAW) program.
In his presentation he said that what the researcher’s where finding is that with the help of EMG they showed that orthotics actually shut off the intrinsic muscles of your foot, thus causing your feet to get weak and lazy. They said that when they removed the orthotic from the foot that the EMG lit up with all the activation of the muscles in the feet.
As we know the feet are part of the kinetic chain, so shutting off the intrinsic muscles of the feet will cause other parts of the chain to compensate thus leading us to have compensatory injuries.
This affected me personally when I started getting a nagging Achilles paratenonitis injury after switching to a motion control shoe with my orthotics. What was happening is that the cumulative effect of the orthotic with the motion control shoe had actually caused my peroneals to shut off and become fibrotic, thus transferring the entire torque of my heel-strike to my Achilles.
After I visited my local ART practitioner she said to ditch the orthotics and motion control shoes and start doing some barefoot training to wake these muscles back up. Two months later I have no more Achilles pain, and have been able to knock 30 seconds off my 2 mile APFT time.
It will be a long time before we see the masses accept the benefit’s of barefoot training, but as ambassadors to it we can ensure the people that do make the change do it SLOWLY. The last thing we need is a bunch of people who have ran in shoes for 10-20 years putting on some VFF’s and trying to run the same distance they did with shoes on right off the bat. I can assure you only bad things will happen, and people will blame the shoes rather than their poor training protocol. [/quote]
I think your experience is typical- most of us don’t know what to think at first about these things. But we’re either dealing with an injury- shin splints in my case- or want to maximize our performance. I have yet to hear from anyone who didn’t like their VFFs! I know I can NEVER go back, shoes now feel like concrete blocks. Next month I’ll be addending a wedding, guess what I’ll be wearing with my dress pants?!
[quote]Vegita wrote:
[quote]Mad_Duck wrote:
[quote]armygrunt82 wrote:
It will be a long time before we see the masses accept the benefit’s of barefoot training, but as ambassadors to it we can ensure the people that do make the change do it SLOWLY. The last thing we need is a bunch of people who have ran in shoes for 10-20 years putting on some VFF’s and trying to run the same distance they did with shoes on right off the bat. I can assure you only bad things will happen, and people will blame the shoes rather than their poor training protocol. [/quote]
for people thinking of ‘converting’
One of the links I picked up somewhere recommended (to paraphrase) "go totally barefoot for the trip out, carrying your shoes, then if your soles start to get ‘irritated’ put your VFFs on for the return trip, and go slow for the first few weeks. [/quote]
The only real problem I have with advice such as this is that most of the time it sounds more spiritual than scientific. I don’t think your leg muscles will be able to really tell the difference if you are wearing vibrams, or you just have really thick callouses. The difference in lower leg activation with Virbams vs shod is extremely noticeable. I don’t know if you could say the same between Vibrams and BF. To me unless you are some hardcore naturalist runner who wishes to gather chi from Gaia with each gentle barfoot stroke to her nurturing surface, just stick with the Vibrams.
V[/quote]
I had been thinking more about people going too gung-ho at the start leading to callouses & blistering. Runners used to using a heel strike I would guess self-correct pretty quickly. But I haven’t have those problems ever since I got my Magical Thermochromic Mood Ring!
So, how bout them Celtics?
Xen Nova, if you’re still reading, I really enjoyed the Parkour videos. Thanks for posting them.
[quote]Hog Ear wrote:
Next month I’ll be addending a wedding, guess what I’ll be wearing with my dress pants?! [/quote]
Damn, dude. That’s hardcore.
I love my nonshoes a lot, but I can still wear workboots or a decent pair of dress shoes. You’re impressive.