Family Encyclopedia >> Sports

Barefoot:the new way to jog

Running Tarzan style or going back to nature

Barefoot in a nutshell is running barefoot in nature (or on asphalt).

The Benefits of Barefoot Nature Running.

Barefoot aficionados advocate a return to nature, a new way of feeling anchored in the ground, of rediscovering our roots. From this stems an ancestral and therefore more natural way of running. It is true that for classic joggers (including wearing running shoes), the support is first on the heel and then towards the tip, while barefoot involves landing on the front of the foot. Proponents of this new discipline claim that it improves balance and strengthens muscles, but this has not been scientifically proven.

Why Tarzan is not necessarily right.

Attacking the ground with the front of the foot limits the stress on the heel which can lead to lesions in the muscles, bones or tendons, assure the followers. This is perfectly true, "but pressing on the metatarsal heads located in front of the foot bones conversely increases the risk of stress fractures of the metatarsals. In short, we are only moving the problem, ”says Dr Bruno Sesboüe to Figaro, doctor at the Regional Institute of Sports Medicine in Caen. Basically running with shoes or barefoot, we are likely to get hurt but not in the same place. Why don't we go swimming instead?

We are not born Tarzan, we become it.

Running barefoot involves radically changing your posture or risking injury. Approaching the ground barefoot by the heel is to ensure a sprain in less time than it takes to tell. It is therefore necessary to become fully aware of your body and your feet, which turns out to be a good exercise, when you test barefoot. A soft surface, such as grass or sand for example, is preferred to bitumen or more rocky paths.

A discipline to test.

Alternating with a classic running session, a barefoot session on safe surfaces can diversify training and challenge the muscles differently. And if we are afraid of hurting our feet, we invest in these bizarre toe shoes acclaimed by followers. Get out the leopard leggings Oh Hi Oh Hii Ooooh!