The BEST Training Shoe for Health and Performance
Why you need to switch to this type of footwear........
GIVEAWAY : I will be posting today on my IG stories about a Vivobarefoot Shoe Giveaway I will be running. I am giving away 1 free pair of your choice as a thanks to my followers and the support once I hit 50k on instagram. To enter, all you have to do is subscribe to this newsletter. Since you are already subscribed if you are reading this, all you have to do is email me letting me know you want in! Thank you so much for the support!
I started my foot health journey a few years ago when I purchased my first Vivobarefoot training shoe. I got the idea from Phil Daru who is a world renowned strength and conditioning coach, who’s content is dedicated to athlete performance, life, longevity, personal growth and helping people become the best versions of themselves. In one of his videos, he briefly mentioned his preferred training shoe and why. This peaked my interest and a bunch of research later, I was sold on Vivobarefoot.
“The natural foot is wide (fan shaped), flexible (with three dynamic arches) and sensory (with thousands of nerve endings)” - Vivobarefoot
Why would someone transition to minimalist footwear, and why choose the company Vivobarefoot? I am a big research type of guy and I have enjoyed digging into the benefits of minimalist shoes and the science behind it. The science Vivobarefoot talks about is composed of three main parts (Sensory, Stable, Strong) with subcategories describing each pair of Vivo’s (Thin, Wide, Flexible). This science is why it is crucial for anyone looking to improve their health and performance to transition to this type of footwear. Below is a little more in depth description on the above main aspects of the human foot, and Vivobarefoots shoe.
Sensory (Thin) : With barefoot shoes you are more connected with the ground allowing your brain to receive feedback just like your hands! Overly cushioned soles interrupt that information negatively impacting your movement. Vivobarefoot’s soles are not only thin enough for adequate sensory feedback but tough enough to last a long time.
Stable (Wide) : A wider shoe allows your toes to spread providing a much more stable platform. Vivo’s have a wide toe box makes this possible. Narrow shoes reduce stability and restrict that natural splay weakening your muscles in your feet!
Flexible (Strong) : A flexible more natural foot shaped shoe allows your muscles and tendons in your feet to load, splay, and recoil. This not only will allow for natural movement, but strengthen your feet in the long-term. You can laterally roll up a pair of Vivobarefoot shoes.
All the science and research is great, but what has my experience been like? It has been about a year since I have transitioned to exclusively wearing minimalist type shoes. I even went with a minimalist style boot for work as my normal work shoes started really giving my feet issues due to the rigid and narrow nature of them. Here are my takeaways from the last year.
Improved Performance : Even though I have been wearing Vivo’s for over two years in the gym, it was not until I maintained a minimalist style shoe outside of the gym where I started really feeling my workouts improve. My feet feel stronger, I have better connection with the ground, I am able to create more torque and force and regardless of the movement, it feels way more effective with a shoe that allows me feet to naturally do what they are made do to!
Better Knee Health : In the past while doing strength training my knees would sometimes act up. This was probably for a variety of reasons regarding upstream and downstream issues. Improve my downstream strength and mobility (Ankle / Foot) from consistently wearing Vivobarefoot shoes while I train and outside the gym, I noticed a profound decrease in knee pain.
Literal Change in Foot Shape : Once you go down the road of minimalist shoes, your foot will actually change shape. My toes are more spread out, my arch has improved, and as a whole my forefoot is wider. The more I noticed my foot shape change the more I believe regular shoes are way too narrow and allowing my feet to regain their natural shape is extremely important.
The BAD (sorta lol) : If you wear this type of shoe long enough and consistent enough your are going to have trouble wearing regular shoes again. You will notice a big difference! Also, make sure to check out the playlist listed below if you are wanting to make the transition to barefoot shoes. A mistake I often see is jumping right into this style of shoe and trying to run. Without allowing your feet to get stronger and adapt this could cause injuries. Also Vivobarefoot shoes are on the more expensive side. However, you pay for quality. Take a look at my Instagram and you will notice the same pair of shoe every post. 2 years strong!
Design : Bridging the gap between a shoe that allows your feet to naturally do what they are designed to do, and look stylish is something Vivobarefoot has accomplished magically. Out of all the minimalist style shoes out there, in my opinion Vivobarefoot’s not perform the best, but also look the best! As I build my collection, I will not only have performance shoes, but casual wear as well.
For a deeper dive check out ———> Vivobarefoot Science
New to barefoot shoes? Check out this playlist ———> Transitioning to Barefoot
Speaking of Phil Daru…. Here is a great podcast episode speaking about all the benefits of barefoot shoes and the history behind the movement!
Closing Thoughts
“Strengthening up the feet is the foundation, support system. If you dont have that ability then its not going to work throughout the entire body.” - Phil Daru
As I continue relentlessly pursuing better in regards to my physical health, I am so glad I started going down the road of strengthening my feet. In the above video Phil talks about how simply wearing Vivobarefoot every day both in and outside the gym, and being barefoot as much as possible, he is literally strengthening his feet every day. This has a tremendous effective on your entire body.
If you are serious about physical health and performance, I HIGHLY recommend looking into minimalist shoes. I would go with Vivobarefoot shoes as I believe they are the best. I have been wearing Vivo’s for a couple years and am excited to finally be partnering with them. Make sure to use KROSS10 at checkout for 10% off to support my training as well.
The Rebuild Update
- 9 1/2 Weeks post surgery
- How I am feeling?
Unless it is a specific pushing movement I do not really feel my shoulder anymore. Pulling movements feel great direct arm work is no problem. Slowly bringing in more pushing movements with modified push ups and landmine type presses. I did notice an extra amount of soreness this past week so pulled back a bit on the volume.
I was also reminded that even though I am focused on rehabbing my shoulder and making them as resilient as possible, that does not mean other parts of my body are bulletproof. Ran into a small low back tweak so have been working on hip / glut mobility and improving my overall movement. Thankfully I believe I have the tools and knowledge to work through any type of low back strain.
- Future Goals / Plans……
My PT added some band work which at first I was not to excited about as I have been doing for a few weeks on my own. However, he gave me some variations to try that are more dynamic and not just internal and external rotations. Excited to continue progressing my pressing movements and I am looking forward to being able to knockout some pushups!
I am using the 4th of July weekend to deload my training a bit. With a few small tweaks here and there and my sleep not being great it is my body letting me know its time to recover a bit. I have been going hard for 9 weeks! Perfect timing however as I am going to be out of town. I will take Friday and Monday off of training but stay as active as I can while out of town with walks and hikes.
What is my current PT / Rehab looking like?
- 100 Band Pull A-Parts (Non-Strength Training Days)
Daily
- Soft Tissue Work
- Scapula CAR’s
- Shoulder CAR’s
- Bicep Stretch ——— > Video
- Thoracic Cat Camel
- Prayer Stretch
- Quad Rotation
- Swimmer Hovers
- Rumble Roller Snow Angels ——— > Video
Strength Training Days Only
- Banded External Rotation to Overhead Press
- Modified Push-ups
- Standing Alphabet Tracing
Keep Relentlessly Pursuing Better!
- Kameron