A few things I have noticed since training with the Vibram Five Fingers for about a week and a half during workouts (strength training and running):
After my workouts my feet feel like they actually participated in the workout. I have been working out for a long time and have never had that same feeling after workouts (unless training barefoot in the sand). It’s a weird feeling for your feet and lower leg to be just as a sore as your hamstrings and glutes.
- The foot is free to move through the full range of motion and activate muscles during athletic movements.
During jogging, running and sprinting I feel more aware of what part of foot is striking the ground and where in space (under or in front my center of gravity).
- Increased proprioception is a major benefit to barefoot training.
I have seen an increase in proprioception carry over even when I am wearing regular athletic shoes.
- Training barefoot has a transfer to athletic performance in court shoes, cleats, and turfs.
There is a feeling of being more connected to the ground when doing strength training exercises such as deadlifts. Athletic shoes with all the fancy cushing and arch support limit the feeling of gripping the ground with your feet. We know grip strength during exercises is important for activation of the shoulder musculature. The same is true for the foot and leg. If the foot is activated and gripping the ground the signal will be sent through the rest of the muscles in the leg.
- Barefoot training can enhance strength performance.
One of the hottest trends in the fitness world is barefoot training. This concept has blown up since the release of Born To Run by Christopher McDougall. I just finished the book and thought it was an amazing read. It really gave insight into the world of long distance running and how the body was designed to run great distances. One part of the book that has really hit the fitness world is the idea of training barefoot or with Vibram Five Fingers. The benefits of training barefoot or with the Five Fingers includes improved balance and stability, increased strength and power, improved range of motion at the foot and ankle, and improved athletic performance.
Here are my new Vibram Five Fingers:
I think we will begin to see more competitive athletes train barefoot or with shoes like the Five Fingers. Athletes that first come to mind are volleyball and basketball players. Most court athletes wear ankle braces and supportive athletic shoes when they compete. Practicing and training braces and shoes weaken the muscles in the foot and ankle. This increases the risk of injury not only to the foot and ankle but also up the chain – knees, hips, and low back. Athletes need their foot and ankle to function properly to maximize athletic potential.
I finally have a free moment to make my first post in a couple weeks.I have been busy working as a strength coach at Pierce College and running ASAP Performance Training.I am training well over 100 athletes a day and hoping to start shooting videos of the workout sessions and upload them on the blog.I also have a lot to blog about at the end of the day after coaching various skill levels.Make sure to keep checking this blog for valuable information.Thanks for checking things out.
Lessons from the trenches
I came to Pierce College with a ton of good training ideas (so I thought).One thing I got a lot of rift about from the football players was front squatting and not barbell bench pressing (this will be another post).Here is my rationale on front squatting: I believe in programming front squats into a workout routine before I introduce back squats.The front squat is a great core dominate exercise that requires the athlete to maintain a rigid torso (emphasizing core stabilization).At Pierce, we front squatted for 6 weeks.We never did heavy singles, doubles or triples because we were still in the foundation phase of our program.Even with relatively low loads on the bar, many of the athletes said their legs had never been that strong.In fact, we tested the back squat (using this number as a baseline for the next training phase which did include back squats) after 6 weeks of front squatting and most of the athletes said they beat their PR on the back squat.We didn’t even back squat though!Now this didn’t take place with every athlete, but I think it does illustrate that the front squats helps to build a stronger chain between the lower half and the torso.With back squats I tend to see a lot of hip/lumbar flexion and extension.The athletes tend to have greater forward tilt with their torso.With the front squat you don’t have that option – if there is excessive forward tilt of the torso you will miss the lift.
Adaptation doesn’t take place during a training session, it is during the recovery. Knowing this, is makes sense to plan your workout routine with hard days (higher intensity) and follow those up with easier days (lighter intensity). It seems like some people feel they need to go at it hard every time they train. This can lead to over-training and decreases in performance in the weigh room or on the field/court. Here is an example I use with college athletes during a typical week of training:
You can listen to the entire interview, or I suggest going straight to the 4 minute mark….
If you want to be great, you will adopt this same attitude in sports/school/work/life. If you’re an athlete shoot those extra 50 free throws everyday, do an additional 10 sprints every other day, get that extra weight training session in, hit in the cage every day, do whatever it takes….
The hips need to function properly to maximize athletic potential considering the role hip strength plays in sprint speed, explosiveness, and change of direction. I recently demonstrate a series of exercises to help improve hip mobility. The video associated with this post illustrates how incorporating a mini band into your routine can improve hip strength. Many of the exercises are performed in multiple planes of motion. This is important because many strength exercises are primarily performed in the sagital plane which can lead to deficiencies in the other two planes (frontal and transverse).
There are powerful muscles in the hip that work to produce many athletic movements. The hips need to be strong and stable to transfer energy during sporting movements such as hitting, pitching, and kicking (soccer). However, the hips can not do their job effectively if they are locked up or restricted in their range of motion.
Hip mobility is extrememly important to help protect the lower back and knees. There is a limited amount of motion that takes place at the lower back, so the hips actually need to be the area where the greatest range of motion comes from in the core.
Shown below are a few simple stretches that will definitely help improve flexibility of the muscles of the hip and enhance mobility of the entire joint.
In that post, I noted that certain physical characteristics such as muscle fiber composition (type I and type II muscle fibers) is predetermined or genetic. I made that statement to inform you that you cannot convert all your slow twitch muscle fibers into fast twitch muscle fibers and start winning gold medals. However, there is actually more to the story. Type I and type II muscle fibers have different capabilities (type I fibers has a greater aerobic capacity and able to produce less force at slower velocities, while type II fibers have a great anaerobic capacity and are able to produce more force at faster velocities). Now the theory that many of us have heard is that you are predetermined with the number type II fibers at birth (the fibers all athletes want so they can be fast and explosive during sport). However, there are hybrid fiber types that have the capacity to change based on the stimulus provided to your muscle. A well-designed training program (weight, speed, agility, and power training) actually has the ability to change muscle fiber composition in hybrid fibers! Training can actually alter the ratio and percentage of type II to type I fibers that leads to increased strength and power-generating capacity. This really strengthens the argument that great athletes become “great” because of hard work, dedication, and a well-structured training program throughout their entire life.
Every athlete has the capacity to improve based on the stimuli provided to the body.
Source:
Bompa, Tudor and Haff, Gregory. Periodization – Theory and Methodology of Training. Illinois: Human Kinetics, 2009
