Hi friends,

I’ve had many people ask me about barefoot shoes and whether they should get a pair or not.

Barefoot, or minimalist shoes, are designed to minimize interference between your foot and the ground. About a year ago, I purchased my first pair of Xero barefoot shoes and have worn them almost daily since.

I was drawn to barefoot shoes for three main reasons: to strengthen the muscles in the foot, to improve foot proprioception (awareness of position and movement), and to allow my toes to spread naturally in the wider toebox.

While my experience has been positive, I've observed many people struggle when transitioning from conventional footwear to barefoot shoes.

The most common mistake is switching too abruptly—going from ultra-cushioned shoes like Hokas to wearing barefoot shoes exclusively. This sudden change doesn't give feet adequate time to adapt, often resulting in pain or injury.

If you're interested in trying barefoot shoes, I recommend starting with short periods—just 30 minutes to an hour—and gradually increasing your time in them.

A word of caution about the barefoot zealots—some advocate wearing barefoot shoes for all activities, including running and high-impact sports. However, this approach isn't optimal for everyone and may result in stress fractures if not used properly.

Research on barefoot shoes' injury prevention benefits remains limited, with few long-term studies and small sample sizes to substantiate claims about reduced injury risk for runners.

Regarding weight training, I've found barefoot shoes great for most lower-body exercises like deadlifts and lunges; however, I still switch to different shoes for barbell squats because minimalist shoes have no heel drop, requiring excellent ankle mobility for proper, safe squat form.

While improving ankle mobility is beneficial, attempting this with heavy weights on your back isn't advisable.

Overall, I've enjoyed wearing barefoot shoes regularly and believe many could benefit from them, provided they gradually increase wearing time and understand when these shoes are appropriate for a given activity.

Until next week,

Kevin

✍️ Quote I’m reflecting upon

"Overthinking invents more problems than it solves."

— Gurwinder Bhogal