Review of the Five Fingers Shoe
Filed Under: Barefoot Training
Filed Under: Barefoot Training
Never seen a shoe with individual pockets for each of your toes? Well, I just bought a pair called the Vibram Five Fingers and I’ll soon tell you why.
Not long ago I was reading an article about a coach who used these “shoes” to reduce the hip pain that he had been dealing with for about a year. During this time he saw doctors, massage therapists, and physical therapists, with noone really having any answers.
He decided to give them a try after going to a strength training seminar on kettlebells and seeing them on some of the other participants. After a week of using these shoes, he noticed his baby toes were now gripping the floor and no longer “sleeping.”
At the end of the week his hip pain was significantly improved. Your feet and ankles are linked to how your hips function. The idea of wearing the five fingers is to strengthen the muscles of your feet, improving how well everything further up the chain works.
Shoes that are too rigid or too cushioned can weaken the muscles of your feet, as they don’t have to do as much work as they would otherwise.
I’ve had some problems with my right hip and have a slight bunion on my right foot. I’m trying to see if these shoes will help. My baby toes seem to always curl under the toes next to them and I have had some slight balance issues when standing on one leg, in the past.
So I bought my pair yesterday and have been wearing them inside for a few hours at a time. Getting all your toes into the individual pockets can be a little tricky the first time, especially the last two toes.
The second day was a little easier to get them on. I wore them during my workout today and they feel a little strange at first, but you get used to them.
The idea is that by stretching out your toes, they will all have to do plenty of work as you walk. They could be used during yoga or pilates classes, joint mobility training, or weight (resistance) training. Though, you might get some strange looks or whispers when lifting at the gym.
Since I don’t train at a large commercial facility it doesn’t matter – but I frequently do exercises outside of the mainstream, anyway, so I don’t care how silly these red shoes might look on my size 13’s.
I’ll keep you posted on any changes that might occur.
Get moving!
Brian
