Barefoot Running Shoes - the Natural Way to Run

Barefoot running shoes are a brilliant way to not only increase your fitness, but also your balance, agility and running speed. They allow you to experience all the freedom of running in barefeet, without any of the risks, such as treading on sharp objects and cutting your feet. They provide a kind of second skin that allows your feet to move freely and naturally, meaning you are able to run as nature intended you to. Because of this there is no need for any kind of gait analysis or particular type of barefoot running shoe, the only element you need to choose when buying a pair is the colour and style you want. There are a few different types of barefoot running shoes, such as five finger trainers and free shoes, and it is purely a matter of personal choice as to which ones you buy.

Our feet are a truly amazing piece of craftsmanship, with 33 ligaments, 26 bones and 20 muscles all working together to allow us to traverse across any landscape. Our feet are constantly working to keep us balanced and stable, even on the roughest terrain. However, we have restricted our feet by putting them into trainers and shoes that provide support and correction in the way we move our feet, making us use them in an unnatural way. It has become a common belief that you have to have the correct pair of trainers to be able to run frequently and without injury, which in a sense in true. However, this is only because when you wear any kind of shoe to run, it changes the way your foot strikes the ground, and puts undue pressure on parts of the musculoskeletal systems that should not normally be strained while running. Many people experience various forms of discomfort after running, such as sore ankles, aching knees or pain in their hips and lower back - this is all because they are running against their body and not with it.

We are designed to run on the balls of our feet, but when we encase our feet in trainers we strike the ground with our heels and roll through the length of our foot. This is where corrective trainers come into play, because many people have a roll either inwards or outwards as their foot contacts the floor - too much of either way creates immense pressure on your body and will result in injury. There are trainers that correct over pronation, which is where your foot rolls inward, and trainers to correct supination, where your foot rolls outward. A method called gait analysis allows you to find which of these, if either, your foot does as it hits the ground and you can then buy trainers that help suppress this roll. However, if you were to ditch your trainers altogether and run in barefeet or barefoot running shoes, you would find that your foot doesn't roll either way to a great degree and you are moving effortlessly with no major impact or effort.

Now you might be thinking "hang on, barefoot running shoes - oxymoron or what!" and while this is very true, it is important to remember that barefoot running shoes offer no support or correction, they simply provide a layer of protection for your feet from the harsh surfaces that you may run on, and with modern day living being the way it is, most of us find ourselves running on roads or pavements, which in all honesty you don't want to be running on in barefeet.

It has been proven by numerous studies that barefoot running is in fact the best form of running for you, with very few, if any, injuries attributed to it. Shin splints, IT band syndrome and other aches and pains that are commonly associated with running are virtually unheard of in barefoot runners, as they are running the way their body is designed to, working with the natural shock absorbers we have throughout our bodies, rather than using manmade ones. Barefoot running shoes are the way forward for anyone who enjoys running but suffers with aches, pains and injuries as a result.