FAQ
Barefoot shoes in general
Our feet are highly sensitive and sensory parts of the body. You can feel what it is like to run on natural surfaces again. Feel the dew of the fresh spring meadow under your feet or walk barefoot in the sand. Strengthen your muscles, prevent varicose veins, stimulate your metabolism. Run as much and as often as you can barefoot. If you are concerned about injuries, wearing barefoot shoes can give you better protection, but you need to ensure your running style is as if you were running barefoot.
When it comes to injuries or serious musculoskeletal disorders, barefoot running can lead to overuse-type injuries. In such cases, barefoot activities should only be undertaken with your doctor's permission and under the supervision of a knowledgeable physiotherapist. Joggers should start slowly, giving the muscles, tendons, and ligaments 15-18 weeks to get used to (protected) barefoot running.
You can indeed and it is also a good idea because you can make the most of functional training through improved ground contact. Many well-known personal trainers and therapists use barefoot shoes themselves. Unfortunately, gym owners sometimes specify in their gym rules that some types of barefoot shoes are not allowed due to the alleged danger of falling dumbbells or similar hazards.
In terms of the therapeutic benefits, we can confirm that it makes perfect sense to carry out climbing exercises using very soft soles. This is because. when climbing, the foot muscles are placed under extreme demands. Our customer feedback tells us that some of our customers are actively climbing in barefoot shoes. However, we lack the specific expertise in this area to comment further.
Regularly wearing barefoot shoes can strengthen the foot muscles and optimise the use of the foot arch. The altered posture can also strengthen your back muscles and body alignment by shifting your centre of gravity away from the heel, leading to a further improvement in well-being.
ou have to begin by rethinking your posture and correcting your usual running technique. Then, your leg muscles will gradually strengthen, as well as your lower leg tendons and ligaments. Also, your arch will gradually adapt and soon provide natural protection.
Posture: Push your chest out, keep your head up and look towards the horizon. To help you achieve this, you should aim to raise your neck (without over-stretching) above your shoulders.
Gait: Take light, short steps. You should land on the flat of your foot with the weight on the ball of your foot. The ball of your foot is the hard area of the foot just behind the big toe. Jump up and down a few times on the spot to find it. When you land on the front part of your foot, you can use your arch and the muscles and tendons of your foot to naturally cushion the impact. A good running technique enhances this effect. (Survey by Daniel Lieberman)
This depends on many factors such as your running style and body weight. We recommend short sessions of 15 - 20 minutes on soft ground taking the simple form of the ABC of running and going on regenerative runs. If your "running" is problem-free, you can increase the distance and occasionally test harder surfaces. We have feedback from customers who have complete marathons in barefoot shoes. This is possible, but requires a perfect front-foot running style. We would rather recommend shorter distances and especially ask that you pay attention to your altered posture and the different muscle load this brings. Please also bear in mind that the lack of a heel strike places more strain on the Achilles tendon in its original position. The Achilles can become shortened by wearing heel-raising shoes for long periods of time. Please give yourself and your body time to adapt.