"Toe" shoes

pantherkeith
pantherkeith Posts: 19 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I recently bought a pair of "Skeletoes" shoes with cutouts for each toe. I bought them for tubing in the river and wearing when I shower at a campsite or other unfamiliar place. I am told, however, that working out in these shoes (cardio and leg strength training) is superior because it works a lot more of your overall leg muscles. Anyone have any experience working out/running/eliptical in these things?

Replies

  • NoxDineen
    NoxDineen Posts: 497 Member
    A friend of mine wears them to run and says all his knee problems disappeared when he made the switch. My boyfriend wears them just for strolling around with the dog and while they're ungodly ugly they do look super comfy.

    I'm thinking about swapping to them when my current running shoes are approaching the end of their life. From what I've read you should transition on to them, since they do engage your calf and foot muscles more and differently. So if you usually run 5k a day, start running maybe 1-2k in the toe shoes (and the rest in normal runners if you want). Be prepared for tight calves, so if you don't already stretch post-workout maybe look into some good leg stretches.

    There's a fantastic TED talk about barefoot running: http://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_mcdougall_are_we_born_to_run.html
  • nickhuffman74
    nickhuffman74 Posts: 198 Member
    Nice profile pic, LOVE the Panthers! Grew up a couple miles from the stadium,

    I got a few pair of the skeletoes, I have the water shoe version as well as the turbo running version. I still prefer to run in my Addidas. I did find that running in these shoe will help you improve form as you will want to strike lightly on the ball of your foot and not the heal as you have very little cushion.
  • vtachycardia
    vtachycardia Posts: 374
    Watch Strong men competitions, deadlifts and squats done in mostly bare feet.

    Lifting shoes are a flat base but with a hard heel without inches of compression material

    Stupid squishy trainers = bad lifting and less weight

    So,that's lifting done
  • sciman111
    sciman111 Posts: 2 Member
    There are many schools of thought on minimalist shoes. I have a pair of vibram Komodo Sports which are similar to the skeletoes. I work out in them once every three days. In my opinion they have made my feet and claves stronger and have helped with my balance. I have had flat feet my whole life and after wearing these for a the past few months I am starting to see somewhat of an arch develop. A good place to get some info on the subject is www.birthdayshoes.com. You will also find that some people belive the whole thing is baloney so best to make your own judgment based on your experiences. :smile:
  • CoderGal
    CoderGal Posts: 6,800 Member
    There are many schools of thought on minimalist shoes. I have a pair of vibram Komodo Sports which are similar to the skeletoes. I work out in them once every three days. In my opinion they have made my feet and claves stronger and have helped with my balance. I have had flat feet my whole life and after wearing these for a the past few months I am starting to see somewhat of an arch develop. A good place to get some info on the subject is www.birthdayshoes.com. You will also find that some people belive the whole thing is baloney so best to make your own judgment based on your experiences. :smile:
    Love my komodos. And like the above posted said you have to work up to them. I was use to doing 10k hikes and suddenly I could hardly walk down a street 'cause my arches killed. And I have arches lol. They definitely made my legs and feet stronger and my balance better.

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