Excercise without SHOES???? Really???

pdiddy02

I have a really weird thought today ...

Can you workout without shoes ie, just bare naked feet???

I know a lot of people say its not good for your knees. What about Insanity? Can do even attempt to do Insanity with naked feet?

I feel funny when I think of exercising without shoes really!! And I forgot to bring my sport shoes on my holiday - so please suggest what exercises I can do now??

P.S - I love SHAUN T and CHALENE!

Emtabo01

I exercise at home without shoes, weight lifting. I use flip flops on my elliptical.

janessafantasma

I have a really weird thought today ...

Can you workout without shoes ie, just bare naked feet???

I know a lot of people say its not good for your knees. What about Insanity? Can do even attempt to do Insanity with naked feet?

I feel funny when I think of exercising without shoes really!! And I forgot to bring my sport shoes on my holiday - so please suggest what exercises I can do now??

P.S - I love SHAUN T and CHALENE!

I strictly work out WITHOUT shoes. I even do Insanity, which I have just started (finished my first week!) and run in the elliptical without shoes. When I wear shoes, my feet start to cramp within a minute or two and it actually becomes more painful to workout so I just don't wear shoes.

moondawg14

I have a really weird thought today ...

Can you workout without shoes ie, just bare naked feet???

I know a lot of people say its not good for your knees. What about Insanity? Can do even attempt to do Insanity with naked feet?

I feel funny when I think of exercising without shoes really!! And I forgot to bring my sport shoes on my holiday - so please suggest what exercises I can do now??

P.S - I love SHAUN T and CHALENE!

Go read the book "Born to Run" and then come back. Human feet are extremely complex machines. They evolved to allow us to jump and run miles without shoes. Even the advent of shoes "with support" is extremely recent compared to all of human history.

Short answer: YES, you can exercise without shoes. Ultimately, it may actually be more beneficial for your body and feet to go without shoes entirely. (that doesn't mean you're doing anything WRONG by working out in shoes.)

knittnponder

I work out without shoes on all the time. I do Turbofire, P90X, Firm workouts and Walk Away the Pounds all in bare feet. I used to do Taekwondo at a studio and we were required to workout barefoot. Since I love being barefoot it was only natural that I ended up without shoes at home too. I should mention that I have foam tiles on the floor where I workout so it's not like I'm directly on a hard floor but it's not super cushy or springy either.

poesch77

I never wear shoes when I do my DVDs......even the jumping doesn't bother me. My knees are already shot from all the excess weight anyway.

courtneymal17

When I'm squeezing in a quick workout at home (usually in my room) I'll almost exclusively do it without shoes. I've been doing 30 Day shred for the past week without them, but I've noticed it's pretty hard to do a couple of the moves without them, so I'll just put them on for those.

RunsOnEspresso

I finished my P90X Plyo without shoes. My cross trainers were a bad buy and I was getting blisters on the bottoms of my toes so I took them off.

I used to do modern dance which is essentially barefoot.

NaomiJFoster

I work out at home with no shoes. Cardio, weights, yoga, whatever. If my ankle is bothering me, I might wear my ankle brace. But still, probably not shoes, lol. I have a weird mental thing against wearing shoes at home. But I wouldn't get on a machine without shoes, you might pinch your toes and get hurt! And definitely, I'd wear shoes in a gym!

GetSoda

Believe it or not, through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, the human foot actually works all by itself without expensive crosstrainers or running shoes.

ElBence

I exercise almost exclusively sans shoes. Of course, I'm a swimmer, but yes, it is possible to work out without shoes.

bostonwolf

WEnt to the gym tonight, ran on the treadmill then kicked off my sneakers to lift weights in my socks. Front squats, close grip bench press, bent over rows, Romanian deadlifts.

ninerbuff

In many cases, shoes are what caused foot problems.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jimfoxer

No shoes here. LOVE barefoot running! And when I need protection on my feet, Vibram Five Fingers all the way! I own 4 pair and wear them everywhere (I even have leather ones that look professional enough to go out in public with, so I'm even walking barefoot (or at least what feels to be barefoot) throughout the day). I used to suffer from shin splints and a lot of other ailments while running until I finally ditched the shoes. And I can tell you, I run over 5 miles a day and not a single leg pain from running since I went barefoot.

ladymiseryali

I do tae-bo without shoes. Also lift without them on. I like my feet naked and don't have any knee issues or anything.

bostonwolf

Believe it or not, through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, the human foot actually works all by itself without expensive crosstrainers or running shoes.

Yes, one could argue that almost all of our running/exercise injuries are caused by shoes and not prevented by them.

The shoe companies actually know this and go about their business anyways. Chris McDougall's Born To Run exposed them to some extent, which is why they all offer minimalist-style shoes now

janessafantasma

Believe it or not, through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, the human foot actually works all by itself without expensive crosstrainers or running shoes.

This made me laugh.

GetSoda

Believe it or not, through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, the human foot actually works all by itself without expensive crosstrainers or running shoes.

Yes, one could argue that almost all of our running/exercise injuries are caused by shoes and not prevented by them.

The shoe companies actually know this and go about their business anyways. Chris McDougall's Born To Run exposed them to some extent, which is why they all offer minimalist-style shoes now

And some would argue that these cushy raised-heel shoes cause a muscular imbalance/dependence on this type of footwear - done intentionally to keep people in them.

AmandaReimer1

I've never exercised with shoes at home. I naturally hate wearing footwear and socks in general lol

trinity9058

I work out at home with no shoes. Cardio, weights, yoga, whatever. If my ankle is bothering me, I might wear my ankle brace. But still, probably not shoes, lol. I have a weird mental thing against wearing shoes at home. But I wouldn't get on a machine without shoes, you might pinch your toes and get hurt! And definitely, I'd wear shoes in a gym!

You and me are soul mates lol! The shoes are the first thing that come off when I get home. That being said, I never work out with shoes on. I do my dancing without them and if I decide to workout on the beach, I take my shoes off as soon as I get to the sand. It works for me and keeps me from hurting from my hips to my toes.

janessafantasma

Believe it or not, through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, the human foot actually works all by itself without expensive crosstrainers or running shoes.

Yes, one could argue that almost all of our running/exercise injuries are caused by shoes and not prevented by them.

The shoe companies actually know this and go about their business anyways. Chris McDougall's Born To Run exposed them to some extent, which is why they all offer minimalist-style shoes now

How do you feel about minimalist shoes? I've been looking into getting a pair but I am not sure yet. I fractured my spine as a kid and my hips and pelvis are messed up and one leg is comically longer than the other and I always work out barefoot because my feet hurt when I wear shoes and I love walking around barefoot as well. Are they worth it or just another marketing ploy?

neandermagnon

I have a really weird thought today ...

Can you workout without shoes ie, just bare naked feet???

I know a lot of people say its not good for your knees. What about Insanity? Can do even attempt to do Insanity with naked feet?

I feel funny when I think of exercising without shoes really!! And I forgot to bring my sport shoes on my holiday - so please suggest what exercises I can do now??

P.S - I love SHAUN T and CHALENE!

Go read the book "Born to Run" and then come back. Human feet are extremely complex machines. They evolved to allow us to jump and run miles without shoes. Even the advent of shoes "with support" is extremely recent compared to all of human history.

Short answer: YES, you can exercise without shoes. Ultimately, it may actually be more beneficial for your body and feet to go without shoes entirely. (that doesn't mean you're doing anything WRONG by working out in shoes.)

I agree with this. I lift weights without wearing shoes.

Bear in mind though, that while the evolutionary argument is totally valid, i.e. we evolved to run etc without shoes.... there was no concrete or very hard surfaces back then. We evolved to run on natural terrain, which is softer and never completely level. Artificial surfaces like concrete which are very hard and perfectly flat, are not necessarily all that good for feet. So if you're running or doing high impact exercises on a very hard, artificial surface, then shoes that give adequate support are probably necessary.

thistimewillbedifferent

I had always assumed it would be a bad idea to exercise without shoes, but right after I started working with a personal trainer in January, one of my toenails started to come off. It was too painful to wear even a sock over it, so I had to wear flip flops for several weeks. I didn't want to fall into old habits and use it as a reason to miss an exercise session, so I talked to my trainer and the instructor of my shadowboxing class, and they both were completely fine with my doing pretty much everything either in the flip-flops or full on barefoot. (I never use a treadmill, so that wasn't an issue.) And they were right -- I never had a problem and was able to do everything I would have done with shoes. I just washed my feet a lot more often. :-)

missjojo31

i never exercise at home with shoes on. they make me thud about more.

jessicae1aine

If I'm at home, I usually don't wear shoes to work out.

BiscuitsNDavy

I exercise in Uggs.

sarahsedai

Funny, I was just thinking about this last night when I was doing a home workout without shoes. I prefer it that way. My body feels cooler and more limber or something. When I put my sneakers on this morning I felt like I was stomping around in big giant clown shoes, in comparison. Or maybe that's just cause I have giant feet to begin with.

Shelleben82

I actually bought a super pricey brand new pair of nike cross trainers for Insanity, AND i started to have knee pain during my recovery week, i finished month two barefoot and it definitely minimized the aches. i still have slight knee pain but anything that i do that is a high impact workout inside my home, im barefoot.

lillith1991

If avoidable I don't wear shoes even for exercise.

1ConcreteGirl

I had knee problems with Insanity until I took my shoes off. Yes, you can do Insanity in bare feet. In fact, I recommend it.

Of course, you have to make sure you have a good absorbent mat under you first, but yes, you definitely can do it.

I now lift heavy with no shoes and love that.

pdiddy02

Flip flops are a good options. Thanks for the suggestion - I will def try it!:happy:

I exercise at home without shoes, weight lifting. I use flip flops on my elliptical.