I know what you’re probably thinking, “why does he always talk about barefoot running?” Well, it is a topic that has been on my mind for a long time, and since the release of the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, it has been a hot topic in many running circles as well. Since, I do work with runners I feel an obligation to address this issue, so people have a clear understanding of barefoot running, in case they hear about it and want to try it for themselves. With that said let’s move on.
In part 1 I posted a video about the mechanics of barefoot running, and how it is different from shod running (running with shoes). In part 2 I would like to discuss the rationale for barefoot running. Dr. Lieberman (from the video) and many others have explained that for most of human existence we have survived without shoes, especially the modern running shoe, so we are perfectly adapted to handle shoeless running. If you read anything about barefoot running you will hear that argument over and over. It makes sense, but I’m the kind of person that wants to understand why it’s supposedly beneficial. I’m a strength coach, so I need to know if barefoot running will strengthen my feet, and if so, will it do it better than other foot strengthen techniques?
I like many other curious people have to try things out if I truly want to understand them. I have researched and experimented with barefoot running, so this is what I’ve come up with in terms of why I like barefoot running. My rationale is threefold:
1. Forces you to adopt a more “natural” running stride.
When I say “natural” I mean whatever stride your body naturally wants to adopt when running barefoot. You can test this out for yourself simply by walking down the sidewalk barefoot. The first noticeable difference is how much more you will feel. Your body will be able to sense every little crack, pebble, and imperfection. You will become more aware of your surroundings. You may also notice that your stride shortens, and every once in a while you may land on the ball of your foot if the terrain becomes uncomfortable. If you like, start to do a light jog. Do you land on the ball of your foot, or your heel? At this point, there’s no right or wrong answer. As you get more practice your stride will change. The point of this exercise is to simply become aware of any changes in your stride that may occur. Once you let your body do what it wants to do, your stride may start to feel more “natural”.
If you want to develop a more efficient running stride it is extremely helpful to run barefoot. I’ve coached running 
technique to many athletes, but it’s amazing how quickly you can make all the right changes once your remove the support of shoes. Your body has to adjust to absorb the impact of landing differently, since it can no longer rely on a big cushy heel. It is your body’s natural protective mechanism that keeps you safe by making the appropriate adjustments. Why do you think you start landing on the ball of your foot, or shortening your stride? To decrease the force of landing. I will discuss this concept in more detail in Part 3: The Reality. In the meantime, just think about it.
2. Easier and more fun than foot strengthening exercises.
My wife is a physical therapist, so I’ve seen the exercises and the protocols for rehabilitating an injured ankle joint. Many of these exercises are for people who are non weight-bearing, so you have to start at a very low level before you can increase the intensity to weight-bearing exercises. However, I’ve seen many of these low level exercises printed in running magazines as part of a foot strengthening program for runners, healthy runners. Well, if you’re not hurt and you’re already running every week, you’re most likely ready for something more challenging.
Think about it this way. Say I have a program of 5 different exercises for my feet (this is a lot). Each exercise will be done for 3 sets of 15-20 reps. By the end of the workout I will have completely a total of 225-300 reps per foot, since both feet are doing work. If that sounds like a lot of reps, it is. Now, let’s look at barefoot running, just barefoot running.
The average runner has a stride frequency of 75-90 strides per minute (this is only for one leg, so it’s the # of times the right or left foot touches down in one minute). If you wanted to get the same 225-300 reps per foot you would only need to run barefoot for 3 to 3.5 minutes*. That’s less than 2 laps around a track. However, I would not recommend that you do this your first time out. Break up the time running barefoot into shorter intervals, then build up to continuous running.
The reason I bring up the idea of reps is because any prescribed strength exercise should transfer to the skill we are trying to improve. The skill in this case is running. If you are performing strength exercises for your feet to prepare them for the demands of running, shouldn’t those exercises really prepare your feet for the demands of running. How will 300 reps prepare your feet for the thousands of reps (strides) they will perform during a run lasting a few miles. If you choose to give running barefoot a try, you could, realistically, build up to running a few miles without shoes. It takes a while to get to that point, but you could work toward that goal. It would also be a lot more fun than staying home and doing 2,000 reps of those foot exercises. Your choice.
*(225 reps/75 strides per minute = 3 minutes; 300 reps/90 strides per minute = 3.33 minutes)
3. Specific to running.
In the field of Motor Learning, there is something know as the Theory of Specificity. The Theory of Specificity suggests that “transfer of training is proportional to the similarity between any two tasks“. In other words, if you want to practice a skill, such as throwing a baseball, you’re not going to play basketball you’re going to throw a baseball. This seems very obvious and simple, but it’s more complex than that. Yes, practicing a particular skill will improve your proficiency in that skill, but what if you’re not practicing that skill correctly. You’re then reenforcing bad habits. What do you do then? How do you fix those bad habits, and start practicing good ones?
Running shoes are very forgiving pieces of equipment. They are designed to make running more comfortable. This means that we can have less than perfect running form and still get the job done. We can now land firmly on our 
heels because the shoes’ cushy soles will absorb the impact. We can have weak ankles that are stabilized by firm arch supports. The modern running shoe allows us to compensate for any weaknesses we may have. The problem I have with this is that those weaknesses will never get addressed and fixed if you allow your shoes to do all the work. Our bodies have all the muscles necessary to perform the actions our shoes handle for us. There are muscles around your ankles that turn your foot in, turn your foot out, point your toes up, point your toes down, hell, roll your ankles around in a circle and you’ve just witnessed all those muscles perform in perfect synchronicity. We have all the tools necessary to have our feet support themselves. We just need to learn how to use those tools.
Remember when I stated that, “transfer of training is proportional to the similarity between any two tasks“. To prepare the muscles around your feet and ankles for the demands of running, they need to be trained in the way they are going to be used in running. The reason I suggest that you take your shoes off is because now your feet have to work in an unsupported environment where all those muscles can’t really on anything else but themselves to get the job done. You now have no way to cheat, no way to compensate. Your muscles can perform the tasks they were designed to do.
What makes barefoot running such a great means of strengthening your feet and ankles is that it will directly transfer to the skill of running, because it IS running. Any number of calf raises or ankle rolls can never replicate the actual movements of the ankle joint during running, in terms of the speed and coordination of muscle activation. Nothing replicates running like running.
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Hopefully, this gives you some incite into the rationale for barefoot running. The final piece in this series, Barefoot Running Pt. 3: The Reality, will cover how to appropriately and safely introduce barefoot running into your current program.
