How to go from heel striking/orthotics wearing to forefoot strike/ barefoot running
Should you train barefoot?
This concluding post on the barefoot vs. shoe debate will look at some of the practical applications to all the research that we've discussed. In part 1, I questioned whether cushioning or pronation even mattered. In part 2, I looked at the new study by Lieberman on barefoot running and footstrike, and finally in part 3 I discussed foot strike in relation to performance. With all of this information at your disposal, what do you do? Let's look at some relevant conclusions that were established in the other parts of this series:
- Cushioning may not matter for injury prevention as the body adjusts using feeback.
- Pronation may not be relevant for injury prevention.
- Your body has a complex system of adjusting for whatever surface you land on and whatever is on your foot.
- Footstrike matters for performance.
- Footstrike, not necessarily barefoot running, affects impact forces and energy storage.
- Footstrike is more important than barefoot vs. shod in a number of conditions. In other words, it does little good to run barefoot if your footstrike does not also change.
from Science of Running by Steve Magness. To be continued... one more section to go!
Should you train barefoot?
This concluding post on the barefoot vs. shoe debate will look at some of the practical applications to all the research that we've discussed. In part 1, I questioned whether cushioning or pronation even mattered. In part 2, I looked at the new study by Lieberman on barefoot running and footstrike, and finally in part 3 I discussed foot strike in relation to performance. With all of this information at your disposal, what do you do? Let's look at some relevant conclusions that were established in the other parts of this series:
- Cushioning may not matter for injury prevention as the body adjusts using feeback.
- Pronation may not be relevant for injury prevention.
- Your body has a complex system of adjusting for whatever surface you land on and whatever is on your foot.
- Footstrike matters for performance.
- Footstrike, not necessarily barefoot running, affects impact forces and energy storage.
- Footstrike is more important than barefoot vs. shod in a number of conditions. In other words, it does little good to run barefoot if your footstrike does not also change.
from Science of Running by Steve Magness. To be continued... one more section to go!
Liz
