Do you guys wear barefoot shoes? I’m thinking of buying a pair (pic rel) because there appear to be many benefits to simulating walking barefoot. I generally want to improve my health wherever I can and neglecting my feet which are a vital part to my functionality as a human seems stupid. What are your experiences with them? Can you recommend them? Have they actually improved the health and strength of your feet and legs? Also, if you’ve worn Lems shoes I’d greatly appreciate feedback about those too. The price of the shoes definitely makes me hesitant.
Ape Out Shirt $21.68 |
they're a complete meme
No because i need the boost in height from shoes more than anything. I avoid going to the beach or to the pool because i can't be seen bare footed near anyone i know.
>t.
imagine squatting in these holy hell
what the frick why
topkek
I actually tried making a thread on this earlier but jannies seem to have banned me from making threads. Yeah I bought a pair, I actually fricking love them. I hate wearing normal shoes now, feels way too cramped. I've been wearing them for 3 months now and I have had objective improvements in my balance and strength of my foot. I've improved in judo from it, I'm much harder to throw now since I can balance myself on one leg much easier now. I can pretty much stand on one foot indefinitely now and I can get much deeper into a slav style squat than before( still not totally there but its gradual) I bought xero shoes with some toe socks, which I'd also recommend. Been trying to do pistol squats and have had more success than prior(still not full ROM, but getting there). Get them and do it gradually at first, otherwise you'll hurt yourself. I get DOMS in my calves and hamstrings now after long walks as well. Shit works man.
Alright, so Xero has been mentioned a few times. They appear to be a bit cheaper than Lems. I was also worried about the very wide shape of the Lems so seeing an alternative is nice.
They improved the sensitivity in my feet, you'll have to get used to walking with them, but it feels more engaging than walking with regular shoes and it improved my ankle mobility. I think it's probably healthier in the long term, but it's not the ultimate solution, if you want to strong and mobile feet, you'll have to do mobility work, wearing minimal shoes or walking barefoot isn't necessarily enough. I wouldn't want to switch back to regular shoes, though I wouldn't recommend them for running, unless you're running on soft surfaces. Also if you start wearing them, your calves will be sore for a week or two if you're switching from shoes with an elevated heel.
barefoot != Shoes.
barefoot shoes is just a marketing trick.
>barefoot shoes is just a marketing trick
Not completely. The idea behind barefoot shoes is that they don't constrict the foot and have minimal padding, thin and flat soles, and no arch support. They're meant to protect your feet from being scraped and punctured by cement, litter, rocks, sticks, etc without getting in the way of the natural biomechanics of the feet.
ok just go barefoot instead. once you develop your sole, cement, litter rocks and sticks wont affect it anymore. i did this when I was in Spain. walked barefoot 24/7 it took 2 weeks to develop thick sole unpenetrable
I live in Spain. I saw a Spanish guy the other day actually jogging hardcore completely barefooted. He looked professional. Big chad.
Where in Spain did you see him? Might have been me if it was in Murcia, lmao
I would but theyre fricking expensive. I try to wear wider than average shoes and use toe spacers, and also go barefoot as often as possible but more than 100 euros for every pair of shoes is too fricking much unless someone can guarantee me that they will last for years.
Chadcho.
That's all well and good until you step on a rusty nail or even just need to go to work or walk into a grocery store. Being barefoot 24/7 just isn't viable for most people, shoes are required for a lot of things, so why not get shoes that cover your feet but don't frick you up?
You actually develop superb awareness of surroundings. I've been barefooting for quite a while. obviously im not gnna walk barefoot on a construction yard. you cant walk unaware when you are barefoot. give it a try.
You sound like my friend that walks barefoot through the streets of Detroit.
>uh oh you stepped on a discarded needle, enjoy your incurable disease
>walked barefoot 24/7
Some of us are unfortunately in employment or education, but I have deep respect for my Hobo NEET brothers
thanks. I just sit on my Bitcoin and live like a king. feels good not having to wear shoes or shave my beard. to think i was broke in 2017! glad I invested all my wagemoney for 4 years. and now I am free.
Has anyone ever told you that you type like a shill?
I wear vibram five fingers. I don't give a frick.
I wear picrel and basically only wear barefoot shoes and flipflops for the past 2 years. All foot pain is gone when before I had daily foot pain so bad that I would limp if I had to get out of bed in the middle of the night.
wildling tanuki
I'd love to buy them, but I can't find a single shitty store in Croatia which sells them. Even ordering online (which I am not a fan of because they might not fit and I could be sentenced to an eternal back-and-forth) seems to be nigh impossible, as half the European Amazon outlets don't seem to be shipping these shoes specifically here.
Sucks.
Anyone...?
No idea sorry, I'm Italian so pretty close to you and I managed to get some Merrel Vapour Gloves 4 from Amazon at 50 eurobucks, but they usually cost around 80. Although if they don't ship to your country specifically idk what you can do
You have vivobarefoot store in Graz or Ljubljana(Lililjolie). Go try the size than order when there is a sale.
I went with Xero Prio and can comfortably say that they are the healthiest shoes i've ever worn
my feet got strong as hell, calves completely blew up.
I ordered a pair of Lems but the sole is "foot shaped" but not the shape of my foot. So i was slipping off of the shoe at the heel. Can't have that.
if they would have had a flat sole i would've kept em.
I have these shoes too, I've worn them to hell and back, wore them on a recent trip where I walked 30,000 steps every day for a week and they felt great.
The ONLY problem with Xeros and other minimalist shoes, is that you CANNOT wear them to go running on concrete or you will frick your shit up. I wear then to trail run, or job in grass at the park, but concrete is no good. If you're going to be running on an unnaturally hard surface like concrete, you need unnatural shoes to protect your body. I fricked up my hip (severe glute inflammation, could not stand up without pain for weeks) due to running with barefokt shoes on concrete many years ago. Nowadays I only run on soft surfaces and they do fine, even treadmill is fine, but whenever I have to run across a road or something I can feel every shock in my body from the ground and shoe both absorbing 0 impact
I see, that’s too bad about the running part. I have a nice forest near me but it takes a solid 5-10 minutes of swift running on concrete to get there. I usually don’t even enter the forest because I want to keep my runs short.
I run on concrete in barefoot shoes with no problems
Just get a pair of asics wrestling shoes. They are cheap and not marketed with meme tactics like "barefoot." Flat soled and built to be used i got snapdown 3s because ankle support too.
That sounds like an interesting suggestion. I might get a pair of these high top shoes for hiking. I wonder if that’ll work.
I've tried them working as a postman. Barefoot shoes are a meme. The best benefit they provide comes from a wide toebox. Just get shoes with some cushioning but not too much of it and a wide toebox
How long have you been wearing them for? It seems that getting properly used to barefoot shoes takes a good while, especially if you`ve been wearing cushioned/normal shoes for years and years before.
I may be a gay for doing thing but I wear Vibram toe shoes and I love them. I don't think there are for everyone, though, not least for the fact that you look like a complete homosexual in them. Just wear what makes you feel comfortable.
Maybe try some shoes with minimal heel drop since that is what a lot of people actually need instead of barefoot shoes.
The perfect shoes and people are ashamed to wear them. Sad state of affairs. We don't deserve what he have.
I just don't care anyone I've been exclusively wearing them for 6 years now
I'm just frustrated with people for their shit opinions. They're the perfect shoe for their intended use and it shows. As light and sleek and form fitting as is possible while still being able to traverse hard terrain, but people think you gotta be dragging cinderblocks around with your feet or you ain't got that drip bruh. Then they go on about how it's less shoe for more money because they can't understand that minimalism literally means aesthetic blank space at the cost of more resources. Everyone's a Black person.
Yeah I've tried to wear "normal" shoes again but it just doesn't work, it's painful and you lose so much control over your body. Whatever social stigma I experience from wearing Vibram's is worth it to me
>minimalism literally means aesthetic blank space at the cost of more resources
Why does understanding shit piss people off so much?
>Why does understanding shit piss people off so much?
thinking in strawmen doesn't save you from having to actually answer the question
Why pay money to go barefoot? Are you moronic on purpose?
>Why pay money to go barefoot?
Because you can't go actual barefoot at work or in a store or any other indoor business, so you need a shoe that won't ruin your feet as you participate in society. They also protect your feet against stepping in dog shit or on nails or screws.
I haven't taken the barefoot Koolade so I don't know if any of the purported benefits are actually true,
BUT
I wear the shoes in OP and they're the most comfortable athletic shoes I've ever owned and the most durable as well. Highly recommend.
those shoes look clean but they've got me fricked up if they think i'm dropping $120 on LESS shoes homie
Well, it’s not that far off from most other „good quality“ shoe prices. I’m currently wearing a pair of Adidas skate shoes which are terrible for my feet and they cost 80 bucks. Most people spend a good chunk of money on shoes because they are vital for your health and if it’s good quality you’ll only have to buy once every few years.
>overpriced
Just buy a brand new pair of Vivos or Groundies off ebay/craigs/facebook or whatever p2p selling site you use.
There are tons of people buying these shoes, wearing them for a week and selling them because they can't deal with the adjustment period.
I swapped all my shoes to barefoot shoes over the past two years and I've never paid full price for a single pair.
I've got:
>Vivo Primus Lites
These are my gym shoes.
>Vivo Primus Trails
These are my walking around shoes, the thicker rubber outsole is perfect for making walking on concrete more bearable, I've been averaging 10k steps a day with them for the past year.
>Vivo Magna Trails
Also a walking around shoe that I sometimes take on hikes. It looks good enough to wear around town and is better for Fall weather.
>Groundies Universe
Perfect white casual sneaker for when I want to look nicer in Spring/Summer.
>Groundies Berlin
High-top black leather boot for Fall/early winter or if I want to dress more aggressively.
>ZAQQ Expeq
Padded brown leather boot for Fall/winter when I want to be more casual
They didn't change my life, but they fixed my knee and lower back pain and I'm never going back, no matter how much that one anti-barefoot gay spams threads like these.
vivos are like one of the fricking worse companies.
Say what you want, but their shoes are comfy and have lasted me quite a while already.
I haven't bought a single shoe from them directly anyway.
They're way more durable than Merrell's for example, those were my first barefoot shoe and those tore in a few months of running.
Why are they one of the worst? I really like the design of their primus shoes and I’m thinking of buying one.
bruh this shit a rubber sole with some nylon foh if you think I'm droppin 120 just to cop some tough socks fr this shit just converse with a bigger toebox, thems be $40 homie hipster ass shoe companies baka
No. I think you're dropping next months entire rent payment for some rubber soles and nylon but with a jumping man logo.
>I think you're dropping next months entire rent payment for some rubber soles and nylon
homie im finna keep wearing the same $40 sketchers I dead ass bought 4 years ago frick outta here with this overpriced shit b***h aint nobody fallin for this shit, this just $120 van's chukkas
You should have an expensive pair of shoes for every situation. Those that you use daily, you should have to pairs of. This improves every literal step of your life and you'll spend less money than moronic poor people in duck taped skechers.
>You should have an expensive pair of shoes for every situation
kek is this homie serious?
It certainly makes sense. How many situations are you in? You’ll need a pair of good everyday shoes, a pair of boots for the winter and hiking, a pair of dress shoes for formal occasions and maybe a pair of shoes for running. At most that is four pair of shoes, all of which will last you years because of good quality. If you never have any formal occasions it’s only three pairs.
>obsessed with shoes
woman-tier behavior tbh
I wouldn't having one pair of shoes for each type that I need and two pairs for the ones that get heavy use an obsession. Most women aren't even obsessed them. They just shop impulsively. The only people who are obsessed with shoes are basketball fans.
>less shoe
It's not though. It's better and more work went into it.
I have pretty flat feet. Would 'minimalist' or 'barefoot' shoes like these help at all?
Short answer: Yes, it may even make your feet less flat over time.
https://www.barefoottrainingcentral.com/are-barefoot-shoes-good-for-flat-feet/
i had flat feet all my life.
Started wearing my xero prios in feb.22.
I no longer have flat feet. Great arch
These are fricking amazing after you get past the getting use to them period.
What about shoes for the beach?
Not sandals...
Suggestions?
To run in or what? If I'm running on the beach, I'm running on the harder sand that's cooled by moisture. That requires literally no shoes.
I have the toe shoes (v-trail). They're good but you need to have strong feet. Yesterday I went on a hike, 4 miles and 2000 ft up a mountain and then down and my feet were sore on the way down from being tenderized. Might just have needed stronger feet as I haven't ran/hiked recently.
Still it provides a few advantages, I can feel the shape/stability of what I'm stepping on so I don't slip as easily, I have better balance than anyone I know. Back when I wore normal shoes I never got DOMS in the feet, now if I challenge myself too much I can feel the muscles at the arches of my feet sore. Great for calves too. I often get "nice shoes" or "are those comfortable?" from strangers.
Can't wear normal shoes anymore because of the tight toe-box, elevated heel, can't feel stuff below your feet. There's no going back, wearing normie shoes feels uncanny now. Analogous to trying on high heels, walking becomes weird in a bad way.
Toe shoes are shit for off-trail hiking (spiky stuff gets between the toes) and for rainy days (the shallowest puddle is too deep for the toe area and the front part of your foot gets soaked).
Mine are starting to fall apart after two years of near-daily use and a few trips in the laundry machine.
Also tried Xero huaraches (sandals with rubber bottom and paracord strung like an average sandal between two toes, but with a heel strap) for hot days, but never ended up using them because the fit wasn't good for running and the heel strap didn't make it convienient for slip-on/slip-off.
V-Aqua is perfect for rainy days or wet trails, they have little holes in the bottom to let the water drain and the sole is pretty water proof.
I also have toe socks because otherwise the toe shoes stink easily. You're supposed to hang dry them but I toss them in the dryer and they've been holding up, they just shrink a size.
I live in droughtland, so rainy days aren't a big problem, and trails will still have toe-gap unfriendly plants. Thanks for the info though
>Can't wear normal shoes anymore because of the tight toe-box, elevated heel, can't feel stuff below your feet. There's no going back, wearing normie shoes feels uncanny now. Analogous to trying on high heels, walking becomes weird in a bad way.
100% same experience. When you're so used to a few mm of stack, the standard 2" stack on running shoes feels bizarre. What do you think of the Merrell's trail glove?
btw, make sure you don't get "barefoot" shoes that lift your toes off the ground. I had a pair of merrells (other poster jogged my memory) that were like that and saw another brand that did that. You want your toes flat on the ground for best balance and most natural position. I think I had the trail gloves 4, and I found the sole very stiff.
dsepite what picrel says you don't want ANY toe spring at all.
OP you need to walk barefoot first to get a baseline before you buy shoes
The merrell trail glove 4 also had waterproofing which I wasn't fond of (traps sweat, and was quite hot in the first place) and basically seemed designed to appear as least autistic as possible, but the coloration is ugly as frick.
Barefoot shoes
Pick one or the other you can’t be barefoot and also have shoes unless you are stupid foo and wear one shoe and no shoe?
I fricking love my lems. Always have worn low-drop shoes though (frick your over padded dad sneakers learn to control your foot homosexual).
My toe-box has gone wider, and I can't wear other shoes now without feeling like a cuck. Love the sure-footed feeling that I have now, and can easily move around. I wear them for everything, biking, walking, working, and recently lifting.
have worn merrell's vapor glove 5 for about 9 months. wore the 3 before that daily for like 1.5 before I got holes in the soles
I use em biking, lifting, running, just walking around. they're good for everything
I don't know that they've necessarily given me any health benefits per se, but I definitely feel more comfortable wearing them than shoes with a sole. that's a benefit in and of itself I suppose
1.5 years* whoops
For whatever reason there's no stock of the 5s
I think they discontinued them...which sucks because I need a replacement to my smelly old 3s lol.
I wear these too. I can't speak to major benefits but one thing I notice is that if I'm fishing or hiking my foot and lower leg muscles work in a way that other shoes don't allow. Surely that's gotta be good.
>have worn merrell's vapor glove 5 for about 9 months. wore the 3 before that daily for like 1.5 before I got holes in the soles
haha, funny you say that as my Vapor Glove 3s are just about to fall apart I need to start looking for a replacement.
How are you finding the fitment of the 5s? I was worried they changed the profile of the sole.
also got these and have avoided normal shoes since
best shoes for the gym
yall homies aint know nothin bout these doe...
>The price of the shoes definitely makes me hesitant
buy whitin or saguaro
bought a pair of these, the chillums because they looked like the least autistic versions of "barefoot" shoes you could find. my takeaway:
-wide toe box is great, but lems is moronic because even though the top box is wide, it isn't long. so their whole sizing chart is moronic. you're a 9? get a 10.
-quality is very fricking meh. i wore my pair for about 4 weeks before they looked like absolute beat to frick trash, just from casual walking and sitting in my car driving. couldn't understand it. the material just disintegrated.
-overpriced for what it is. it's just a shoe with a slightly wider design up front. there are plenty of regular sneakers, like skate shoes, that provide width and comfort, and are also very flat and light. most of those go anywhere between 30-60 dollars year round, they look better, and they're fricking built to take a beating because of what they were designed for.
tl:dr lems are a meme, and so is colorado
sadly the fact that it's a niche products means that they are overprices as frick, there's a huge gap in quality between a normal $50 shoe and a $50 barefoot shoe
also wearing barefoot stuff
for cold weather i have Lem's shoes which are not this flat but are really wide and comfortable, also there are versions made of skin
and for summer time i've got monk sandals, they're really simple and just wer
I've got the exact shoes in your pic and I've had them for 4 or 5 years already. They do feel expensive for what's so simple but mine are still like new even though they're practically the only shoes I use in summer. So the quality is good.
I won't go back to "normal" shoes now that I'm used to barefoot shoes. It does take some time getting used to barefoot shoes. So you probably don't want to jump into them instantly but start by wearing them first couple times a week.
I used to wear lots of minimalist shoes. Probably for about 13 years. I can't anymore because my arches fail and I get knee pain if I wear them often.
https://www.amazon.com/WHITIN-Minimalist-Barefoot-Sneakers-Treadmill/dp/B07KN4NF44
I wear these OP. The two key terms you want to look for are "zero drop" and "wide toe box" to simulate barefoot walking, and these shoes feel like you're wearing nothing at all. They are fricking amazing. I also own a pair of vibram toeshoes, and honestly I think a wide open toe box like I linked above is more comfortable on top of being much cheaper.
There are some issues though. They don't do well on wet surfaces, and the breathable upper mesh lets rain into your feet. They don't insulate well from the cold. You will want to treat them well since they are very lightweight and some parts on them are a little flimsy, especially where you are yanking and jerking every time you strap them on or off (mine have lasted about 2 years with no problems but I do feel the fragility).
Also you might not find them ideal at the gym for heavy deadlifts or RDLs, since the flexible shoe and open toes will encourage you to lift your heels off the ground. I would recommend something with a harder, flatter sole like converses or their cheap knockoffs.
For running I wear Merrell Vapor Gloves. Otherwise I'm just actually barefoot or have some flip flops. Don't know if they did shit for me though since I've mostly gone barefoot or worn cheap flat flip flops since I was a child, never liked shoes.
I'm thinking about getting a pair too. I want the proprioception, dorsi and plantar flexion gains.
>barefoot
>shoe covering your foot
?
I don't have some type of miraculous foot benefit from them, but I prefer lightweight minimalist shoes so I wear Lems. I've hiked hundreds of miles in their waterproof boulder boot, had guides tell me they won't last, etc. but they're the best hiking boots I've owned.