Second, while attending the Russian Kettlebell Challenge’s “Unlock” workshop twice in 2006, I observed the thin, slipper-like shoes worn by instructor Steve Maxwell. Maxwell, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion and joint mobility instructor, talked about his significant injury history, all while demonstrating strong, yet fluid movement. His feet seemed to glide over the floor, which no doubt was largely due to his well practiced, overall flexibility and strength. But something about his thinly sleeved feet seemed to be an essential aspect of that grace.
2. Research: I recently finished the book “Born to Run,” by Christopher McDougall. McDougall followed the Tarahumara, also known as “the running people,” an Indian tribe of the Mexican outback. The Tarahumara run in sandals homemade with thin strips of old tires. No $120 Nikes there … and no injuries, either. An unavoidable contrast when you consider that the incidence of running injuries overall has increased in the years since cushioned running shoes came onto the market in the ‘70s. McDougall cites research showing that excessive cushioning in shoes interferes with the foot’s ability to strengthen and support the body by itself. The shoe does the job of responding to the terrain, so the foot doesn’t have to – or doesn’t get to. The foot stays minimally active, leading to weakness and inflexibility. These deficiencies, logically, will affect everything above the feet.
McDougall also cites studies, and his personal experience with gait analysis, demonstrating that is the cushioning underfoot increases, so does the impact with which the foot strikes the ground. Studies of gymnasts illustrate this point. Gymnastics coaches use thick mats, knowing their gymnasts will stick their landings that much harder. McDougall’s book opened my mind, while also lighting my fire to run again.
Long before the book, though, I was exposed to the idea of barefoot training through the Russian Kettlebell Challenge. The RKC is a major certifier of kettlebell instructors, and also hosts other workshops like the one featuring Steve Maxwell. Traditional kettlebell workouts are performed barefoot. I never wear shoes when I work with kettlebells. I am better able to engage all of my muscles with more power when I can feel the ground through the soles of my feet. More accurately, I can feel the muscles in my feet and derive more power from the ground up.
3. Injuries: I’ve struggled with various overuse injuries since about 2000. First, it was tendonitis in my left knee – a common running injury. Then, between competing in three bodybuilding shows from 2005 to 2006 and running the Chicago Marathon the following year, I developed IT Band Syndrome. Despite regular foam rolling, movement prep exercises and a pretty well balanced exercise and flexibility regimen, these problems have continued. The ITB syndrome became a nagging case of piriformis syndrome, and other issues along with it – chronic lower back fatigue, neck and shoulder problems, and seemingly random, sharp ankle pains. A common thread is the excessive sacral mobility that was diagnosed a couple years ago by a physical therapist. Simply put, when your sacrum moves too much, it wreaks havoc on the rest of you. And like many other injuries or imbalances, it takes consistent work to manage or reverse it.
I also wondered, however, if my footwear was part of the problem. This was the experience described by McDougall in his book. He suffered from chronic running injuries too, which finally subsided when he ditched his cushioned shoes. One thing that kept bugging me was the idea that as long as I kept wearing cushiony shoes, the instability that started at the feet would only contribute to my problems. I don’t expect Vibram Five Fingers to be the answer to all of my problems, but I think that allowing my body to rebalance itself without interference from athletic shoes can only be a good thing.
4. Instinct: My instincts tell me that the design of the human foot is superior to the design of any running shoe; that the Tarahumara are a remnant of the greater mass of our human history – that we all are truly running people with bodies that are built to run in their natural healthy state; that every time we try to improve upon nature, we are eventually reminded of our place in it. This is a very simple, general way of saying that our bodies probably know better than we do, and we should just let them do the best they can, as organically as possible.
