While I am no doctor and am not licensed to provide a medical opinion, I say go barefoot, strengthen your feet, and work to improve your feet and legs. Don't take the "easy way out" that may do mare harm than good down the line...
The other week the New York Times had an article about orthotics, and if and how they "work". As someone who is all about minimalist shoes and going barefoot, you could accurately guess that I'm anti-orthotics or any support for that matter. (The only exception I would make is for people who have physical disabilites, like two different leg lengths, club foot, etc.) The article talks about whether orthotics really work or not, and if so, why? Orthotists usually have different opinions from one another on what type of insert would work on a certain patient, categorizing orthotics as an art form rather than a science.
While I am no doctor and am not licensed to provide a medical opinion, I say go barefoot, strengthen your feet, and work to improve your feet and legs. Don't take the "easy way out" that may do mare harm than good down the line...
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I recently checked out an article from Outside Online magazine about one man's firsthand account of Erwan LeCorre's MovNat course. MovNat is an outdoor fitness program that teaches you how to functionally move in the real world, completely different than confined movements most people do in a gym. While Barefoot Benny Boot Camps are awesome (I spit at modesty in the face), Erwan's MovNat retreats sound extremely fun and badass. As a gift to myself I oneday want to attend a week long course, just to see how tough I really am (I'd like to think my chest hair makes me hardcore!)
I had the opportunity earlier this year to meet Erwan at a barefoot running clinic on the Brooklyn Bridge, and he definitely knows what he's talking about when it comes to primal fitness. Have an awesome new year, and I hope to see you out at a Barefoot Benny Boot Camp in 2011! Nike recently came out with photos of a prototype stick-on foot protector, probably for no other reason than to lift the spirits of the barefoot/minimalist running crowd. Are they for runners, gymnasts, or for fashion? Who knows.
These sole pads come in contact with the ground where the majority of your foot touches, saving them from dirt and street grime. The midfoot and arch will still get dirty (this is a fact based on my barefoot running experience) so these aren't totally that smart. Maybe if Nike came out with a full-foot concept design it would gain more traction (no pun intended.) I am skeptical of the practicality of this new release, but am also encouraged that Nike is taking an interest in minimalism beyond their "barefoot" (read not minimalist by any means) Nike Frees. If Nike or any other shoe company needs a tester for their minimalist products, don't hesitate to contact me. I have a marathon to train for in 2011 and will racking up the miles, mostly in my Vibram Five Fingers. Oh yea, thanks to Melanie for the heads up on the foot pads. She rocks! After you gobble down your turkey and stuff some stuffing down your throat, take a break and do some exercise! It'll make you feel a lot better and get you ready to....eat leftovers!!!
Enjoy this Quick Workout Of the Day and have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!!! QWOD for November 25th, 2010
Last night as I sat on my computer scouring the internet for barefoot running related information (because that's how I roll on Thursday nights), I came across a recent Dave Letterman interview with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. John Durant's website, called Hunter-Gatherer, posted the video in which Gyllenhaal talks about running in minimalist shoes (I'm assuming Vibram Five Fingers) on the streets of New York. He also mentions how his brother in-law run completely barefoot, and how it's better for your body. While he didn't get into any biomechanical details nor mention Pose running, it seems as if he's onto something. Check out the short clip, and have an awesome weekend! If you're not ready for today's QWOD, then you're not ready to look hot! Today's Quick Workout Of the Day is all about your bum and your back, so get ready for the burn!
QWOD for Thursday, November 18th
My star client Melanie recently sent me over a general interest article written up by the New York Times about the popularity of barefoot running. The article came out just in time for this past Sunday ING New York City Marathon. Unfortunately, I was unable to watch the race this year, but I can imagine there was a solid number of either barefoot or minimalist runners in the throng. I only have to complete one more New York Road Runner's race to get guaranteed entry into next year's marathon - woo hoo!!!
The short article is worth the quick read, and even provides a link to the Barefoot Runners Society, of which I am now a member. I really love helping people lose weight, tone their muscles, and feel great about themselves. As long a my clients show up and give it 100% (110% is a load of BS) then they'll be happy and I'll be happy. It's a win-win.
Even my clients who bail on me once in a while and are sometimes not "all there" during class, well, I still love those people too. But it's the people who complain of stomachaches after eating stuff like this that I am obligated to kick out of my boot camp. Sorry people, I just have no patience for cupcake hamburgers or Baby Ruth stuffed jalapenos. Get out of my class!!! *Full disclosure: you've never lived until you've scarfed down a deep fried Snickers I just finished reading an article about Alberto Salazar, a former competitive runner and now coach, who is a stickler for proper running form. If you're a running enthusiast, exercise scientist, or just curious about why you're slow (kidding, kidding) , then check out the article which discusses the scientific aspects of training and form.
The latter two thirds of the article talk a lot about running form, basically all of it referring to Pose running. Pose breaks running down into three simple parts: the running pose, the fall, and the pull. Pose --> Fall --> Pull. Even simpler, all you have to do to run is to change support from one leg to the other by pulling the support foot from the ground. Here are a couple of excerpts that I found particularly interesting: On the importance of form: "In late 2005, Salazar began overhauling the Oregon Project. He recruited A-list racers, including Kara Goucher, while the members of the original team gradually left. He also abandoned the OmegaWave system and began to shift his emphasis from technology to form. The transformation was startling." Salazar discovers Pose: "Scrutinizing Bekele’s body on the screen, Salazar noticed that he didn’t arc his back leg up slowly between strides but instead retracted it sharply, like a piston. “While all these other runners had long, trailing legs, his foot was coming right up to his butt,” Salazar recalled. “I thought, Is that just coincidence? Or could that perhaps be part of why he’s so good?” Heels striking causes a braking motion: "Freezing the frame, Salazar targeted a wedge-shaped space between Ritzenhein’s thighs. That gap reflected both Ritzenhein’s tendency to heel-strike and the sluggish recovery of his trailing leg. “It’s only in slow motion that you can see it, but that’s braking him,” Salazar said." More on braking: "Salazar believes that a runner striking even slightly in front of his body will experience a momentary hesitation while the hamstring labors to pull his torso forward over the grounded foot. “It’s like having a square wheel on your car,” Salazar said. “Each time it comes around, there’s a moment where the car will lurch.” Salazar gets the last part wrong here. Efficient runners fall forward, they don't push off: “His hips are directly under his body, which is directly above his foot. So all that force is going up through his legs and hips into his upper body, to propel him forward. There’s nothing being lost there.” Dr. Romanov, discoverer of the Pose Method, will get his due some day. Until then, coaches will just keep trying to recreate the wheel Romanov's already perfect |
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