Barefoot running and training tips
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 6:44PM
Discover Movement in General, barefoot running training tips, barefoot training, running training in new jersey

New studies are being published on barefoot running. If you have decided to give it a try, proceed with a lot of caution and keep this tips in mind from Daniel E. Lieberman and his team.

At Discover Movement we believe that barefoot training is very beneficial. However, we are hesitant to recommend "long-distance" barefoot running to our athletes due to potential risks involved. Read for yourself what the very latest studies suggest. 

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Forefoot striking barefoot or in minimal footwear requires you to use muscles in your feet (mostly in the arch) that are probably very weak. Running this way also requires much more strength in your calf muscles than heel striking because these muscles must contract eccentrically (while lengthening) to ease the heel onto the ground following the landing. Novice forefoot and midfoot strikers typically experience tired feet, and very stiff, sore calf muscles. In addition, the Achilles tendon often gets very stiff. This is normal and eventually goes away, but you can do several things to make the transition successfully:

                                              

 

Source: http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Article originally appeared on Athletic Development & Youth Conditioning (http://discovermovement.squarespace.com/).
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