I Only Wore Barefoot Shoes for 30 Days

What would happen if I switched from my normal squishy comfortable running shoes to bare foot shoes? Do they really help strengthen your feet? Do they help your gait? What are some untold downsides to wearing only barefoot shoes? I share my experience!

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[k.constantine]

PRO-TIP (after 2 years of only wearing barefoot shoes):
Flat barefoot shoes like Geo Racers are ideal for grass, dirt and indoor environments like gyms.
For hard and flat surfaces like concrete, asphalt and sidewalk tiles, it's actually better to get a "trail" barefoot shoe that have thicker rubber lugs on the bottom. Those are intended to give you grip when walking or running in trail environments, but the stiff rubber lugs actually provide some cushion which is ideal to protect your feet from unnaturally hard and even surface like roads and sidewalks

[JEAGERlST]

As someone who walks barefoot every day, I'm honestly glad to see others experience what it feels like.

[Addzaye]

I've got vivos and Skinners. Both are amazing. I've been in barefoot shoes for over a year. First 3 months were an absolute struggle. Developed pain in the arch of my foot, calves and knees. But I stuck to it, didn't bitch out. Developed strong feet, stronger calves and tendons.. now I can't step into traditional sneakers. I run on concrete now with no issues. Glutes and hamstrings fire perfectly with barefoots (develops over time)

The concept of barefoot shoes is weird in today's society.. but it's the most natural thing for us. Fuck what people think and do what's best for you.

[estherisawesome]

The reason you got back pain would have been because you went straight into it, going from all your life in tall cushioned shoes, to minimal support. It's best to start wearing them for only a few hours a day and work up to full time. There are also some good exercises out there to help prepare your feet

[izakrobles]

After years of experiencing knee pain that essentially ended my high school running career. I switched to barefoot shoes a year and a half ago and I just ran my first half-marathon two weeks ago pain free. If you give them time and take time to research and practice appropriate running strides with a barefoot shoe you can definitely reduce injury and have a good time.

[WotanSkyFather]

I switched to barefoot zero drop shoes in 2008 along with Paleo and switching to a standing desk. Best health decisions I've ever made in my entire life.

[Mathijsvanderbeek]

Your ankles have a much better posture on the before / after photo!

[lucasmmllo]

I switched to a barefoot shoes about 3 months ago and I can't go back to regular shoes anymore, my feet change so much. Also, I usually run on sidewalks here in my city, changing terrain, and I feel great.

[jeaninesilva]

I've been a hospital nurse now for 36 years and as you can imagine have feet/shoe issues. I now wear these barefoot type after many years of trying all kinds of cushioned specially designed shoes. I only wear these at the hospital walking on hospital floors and yes your legs seem affected by them in a good way and my feet are fairly comfortable most of the time. I do occassionally towards the end of my shift get a little heel pain..we will see.

[wlvwcsv]

Turns out they just released the super bare shoe. They're free, and they get equipped right when you wake up. Just say "abra cadabra" and you will have 24/7 barefootedness.

[Nurg]

damn, your flat feet problem (ankles angling inwards) has been reduced significantly....that's amazing. still skeptical before, but this is making my mind go slightly more in favor of barefoot now. (I also walk barefoot/socks in the house a lot, so I'm not sure I need these for outdoor use) Thanks for experimenting it for us viewers!

[EKiNGl]

@pigmie When you’re gait changes from heel striking to the more efficient ball of foot push your posterior muscles are stretched a lot more. The calves, hamstrings and glutes are a lot more active. If you had a previous posterior injury/weakness/imbalance you lower back will start to hurt because the psoas is also trying to stretch against those muscles. The spoas connects to the back. There’s a lot more to this but that’s the simplified version

[Hunty]

I think the back problems may stem from the fact that you actually have to learn how to walk/run/jog barefoot. Years of heel striking with straight legs has been trained from watching others and the types of shoes. I used to be a distance runner when young and would do it barefoot on the grass oval tracks. But once I started wearing running shoes, succumbed to knee tendonitis injuries. I have discovered barefoot running and have found that after some initial training, the knee injuries are non-existent. My confidence has gone so high that I'm researching fun runs etc to see if I can get back into running.

[jeanbaptist]

I started running in bearfoot shoes. And man, the activation of muscle on my legs. Balance is way better too. First 6 months I had crazy gains to my legs

[swalscha]

No matter the shoes you wear if the arch of your foot is flattened, your bone structure starting from your ankles is not aligned anymore and you lose your natural shock's damping. Potentially causing pain in knees, hips or lower back.

To test your feet/reinforce your arch, you can do the following exercice:
Stand on one foot, straight leg, and with the other foot in the air, also straight leg, trace half a circle starting from behind you to the front. Reset the position by going in a straight line with your leg.
It's important to NOT go from front to back in an half a circle trajectory because this will flatten the standing foot. Always do it from back to front.
You should be able to do 20 of these without losing balance.
To do this as an exercise, you can increase the movement speed, put weight on the moving ankle, do the exercise on an unstable surface or a combination of these.

[tanzilhossain]

Dude when walking or running, internally rotate ur feet and have no heel strike. Maybe that’s why ur back is hurting. Barefoot shoes supposedly align ur entire body properly. ❤️

[kuroon]

I think that if you're not used to walk barefooted or at least on flipflops, you shouldn't go from 0 to 100 in barefoot shoes since your body isn't ready for it. You need to get used to it first, going bit by bit. You can run on cement barefoot if you're used to it, same for these shoes. Just give your feet some time

Edit: yes, you can see a bit of difference in your feet. But also, 30 days isn't a lot of time for things to dramatically change

[BACKROB]

Must admit, the geo racers aren't designed for trail running... Slipping is to be expected😅 They are really more of a weight training/short run/casual trainer. For your purposes, the Primus Trail would be better...

Also, I would warn anyone else away from just jumping right into barefoot running. You need to transition slowly for several weeks/months, it might have contributed to the back issue.

Otherwise I have personally found far less injuries since transitioning, but I also realise its not for everyone. So give it a try if you aren't happy with your current shoes, getting injured for no reason, or feel like changing things up. If your happy and running fine, then stick to the usual. To note, mine last for about 1000-1300km of running on asphalt, which is fantastic, so well worth the investment in my opinion.

[stringbazooka]

I mean you saw the difference in the before and after of your ankle angles, right? You after was soooo much more upright and/or correct! So I'd actually saw yes. Those shoes caused your back pain. Your body is becoming much more aligned. Your feet/ankles started off very pronated and ended nearly aligned. Which is huge in just 30 days. I deal with a great deal of pain all the time and have to pay too much attention to my posture in order to make it through most days without ending up on my cane. Lot of physical therapy. Probably why I noticed the big difference in your angle.

Great video! Love your content. Keep it up!

[christianperi]

Yeah definitely transition slowly. I was someone who wore super tight toe box, arch supported, high heel drop Nikes all day everyday for the previous 12 years, literally never took them off. I thought it was a good idea to switch straight into some altras 100% for my normal daily walking and standing. That was a big mistake as I have had achy/sore feet pretty much all day everyday for the last 5-6 months straight. It’s slowly getting better and slightly starting to ease up. Use me as an example. I highly recommend the SLOW part of the transition. 1-2 hours a day for probably the first 3 months, then maybe 4 hours a day for the next 3 months and/or until you feel good in them most days.