Todays post is a guest post from Taylor Simon, owner of Taylored Training in Kingston, Ontario Canada. Taylor’s a smart guy with a pretty quick wit and “no BS” view of how to train for the best gains possible. Enjoy, and make sure you show him some love in the comments section at the end!!

 

It seems like every month brings in some new fitness craze or fitness product that promises to change your body and life. The vast majority of the time the promises don’t pan out and disenchanted consumers move along to the next unsubstantiated claim promising tight, toned physiques.

The last year has seen a uniquely hilarious shift, which I have yet to see anyone else notice.

It all started with Sketchers and their product Shape-Ups Toning shoes; wear the shoes and the instability will help you burn more calories, tone your thighs and calves, and help get that body you always wanted. They printed off a few fancy graphics, substantiated it with some shoddy science from unknown ‘labs’, and took the shoe market for a whirlwind ride. Other companies jumped on the bandwagon after the Shape-Ups sales blew through the roof, even going so far as seeing Reebok launch Toning Clothing. Yes -wear these clothes with built in resistance elastic bands and watch your abs pop through the fabric like glorious sunlit hills.

 

Then it got funny, hence the hilarious part. The industry somehow went from wearing mini-trampolines on your feet to barefoot shoes. The 5 Finger Vibrams kicked it off with the funny little duck shoes that snugly hugged each toe allowing for fast and easy games of ‘This Little Piggy’. Again, sales soared and Nike, Reebok, and Adidas all came out with barefoot mimicking shoes.

The shift is now toward the minimalist shoe. Exactly what this means I can’t really say. Maybe the kid working at a local retail shoe chain could explain better than I could, that wasn’t a topic we covered during my Master’s Degree studies. Versions of the minimalist shoes abound and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

What is the truth? Is barefoot better? Or should you have customized orthotics built for your shoes to give you maximal support for your foot?

I am a huge advocate for evidence based practice, essentially, there needs to be scientific evidence for a chosen training method or program. This doesn’t necessarily have to be peer reviewed journal articles, it could include an analysis of a given technique or idea by scientific rules and understanding. We know that 4 reps or less builds power and a little strength so when we devise a new protocol within that rep range we can be fairly certain to see power gains without doing a peer reviewed study of that particular training protocol.

What is the evidence of the barefoot movement?

This is going to depend on what type of training you are doing. Current research has focused on barefoot running. There is mounting evidence that running barefoot is better for your body. It has been seen to improve gait patterns, foot striking, biomechanics, and to lead to fewer injuries.  A good mix of peer reviewed journal evidence exists and continues to get published and there is a host of evidence based literature from those practicing in the field, not to mention some anthropological analysis of various cultures around the world that live and run barefoot.

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

As a strength coach, however, my concern is with strength training, or as most people refer to it- weightlifting. In the gym, lifting weights, and performing conditioning drills is where I ask the question, shoe or barefoot?

Off I went searching the literature and I was shocked.

There was no literature, not a single study. I did find some good science based anecdotal evidence from other strength coaches in some books. But what I quickly discovered is that there is no actual research on the effects of barefoot vs. shoes in the fitness world.

This mostly surprised me because it seems that there is a dichotomous debate for or against the barefoot training trend. How can people be so polarized when there is logically nothing to base their opinions on? As a strength and conditioning professional it is imperative that I base my practices on solid evidence. This isn’t like debating politics or whether we should send people to Mars, if what I tell my athletes and clients is not accurate I jeopardize their health and future.

The opinions you will find are most often mediated by the source. Most doctors and chiropractors with tell you sturdy shoes and orthotics are a necessity. That is how they are trained and what they are told by manufacturers. Barefoot advocates typically have listened to a few other people online and have decided that the only natural state for your foot is naked and that everyone should be barefoot for life.

I recently asked an orthotics rep to present me the evidence that orthotics are needed. He couldn’t. Sure he could provide all sorts of studies and charts showing that orthotics made an improvement on the kinematics of specific joints that were being tested at the time of testing, but none of the studies demonstrated long term results.  None of the studies did what I would call good research. There isn’t a barefoot control group to be found.

You all want some practical advice, right? I will provide my interpretation of what I see as the state of the debate in the industry.

I am a firm believer in barefoot training in the fitness world. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, short sprints, sled drags, tire flips, and all the other tools I utilize as a strength coach, I believe are best done barefoot (caveat – for most people, there are always exceptions to every rule).

Like anything else in fitness this doesn’t mean jumping into things headfirst. Just like you wouldn’t put a gym newbie into the squat rack and load them up with their bodyweight on the bar, you wouldn’t necessarily start someone barefoot all the time. A more progressive approach is smarter.

We will start new members at our facility barefoot for just their warm-up and movement prep first. We let them get a feel for ‘going naked’ and adapt their newfound footwear slowly. Realistically this is something that is beneficial for everyone. Think about it – do your clients live in orthotics and shoes? What about when they are in the shower? Walking barefoot from their bed to the washroom in the middle of the night?

As they become adapted to the feel of being barefoot we let our members choose whether or not to adopt this practice while they train. At the moment we probably have about 70% of our members training their entire program barefoot, on a regular basis. I don’t believe it is a magical cure for all of our ailments, however, I do believe that it is a more natural state for our foot and bodies to operate.

ARVE Error: id and provider shortcodes attributes are mandatory for old shortcodes. It is recommended to switch to new shortcodes that need only url

Studies as far back as the mid-90’s show decreased proprioceptive abilities simply from wearing socks as opposed to going barefoot, yet alone strapping your foot into modern supportive footwear. A sock provides just a thin layer of fabric on your foot and it changes the way your body is able to balance and coordinate. We did a little impromptu research at our training facility as I was composing this blog. What did it find? Members still wearing shoes were averaging an inch and a half heel lift. Yes, an inch and a half and some as high as two inches!

A two inch heel lift, really? What strength coach or trainer in their right mind would think that spending the majority of your day and training time in a two inch heel lift is a good idea? Don’t we caution our female clients to avoid high heels as much as possible?

My opinion on this? It’s crazy. Your foot was not designed to operate under these parameters. We can’t. And I don’t think we should.

Our focus as strength and conditioning coaches and trainers is to improve the body’s natural function and I believe that this is as applicable to your feet as it is to the rest of your body. Living in a leg brace long-term isn’t good for your body either, is it?

Now, obviously there are exceptions to every situation. The intent of this article is to discuss the general parameters and issues surrounding barefoot training (and to try and do this without dropping fancy catchphrases).  In general I think barefoot training is better for the average person. If a client isn’t comfortable going barefoot then a move to a minimalist shoe can be an effective happy medium. Remember though, they are ‘minimalist shoes’, hence, still shoes none the less.

Taylor Simon MSc, BA, CSCS

Taylor Simon is a Canadian business owner and personal trainer. Recently, he was appointed the Provincial Director of Ontario for the National Strength and Conditioning association. This position allows him to further blend his passion for evidence based practice with real world practical application. He’s also a coach for thePTDC.com

Speaking at international events, such as the Arnold Classic Strength Summit, to local schools, businesses, and community associations allows him to impart his 10 years of experience in the health and fitness field. He has guest lectured for numerous organizations and institutions including the Queen’s School of Business.

Taylor has worked as the head strength coach for University Varsity Volleyball and in 5 years working with the Queen’s Golden Gaels men’s team he saw them through two provincial championships. He has worked with and continues to work with national level athletes competing in Trampoline, Cheerleading, Firefit, and Ironman. Most recently he has begun working with Swim Canada to prepare Paralympics national swimmers for the 2012 games in London, England. He also acts as a coach for numerous physique competitors in a variety of categories.

Follow Taylor’s blog at www.tayloredtraining.ca/blog