Why You Should Try Barefoot Training

Have you heard of the dreaded pancake butt? It’s basically a flat butt caused by weak glute muscles. Not a fun situation right? Well, from now on, the only pancake we want you to think about is the one you’ll have for brunch next weekend. Because we’ve got a little-known secret that will get your booty burnin’.

Barefoot Training.

You may be thinking, “EW! GROSS! I DON’T WANT TO GO BAREFOOT AT THE GYM!” We totally get that. While you can still wear sneakers for training — here are our faves based on the type of workout we’re doing — there’s definitely an advantage to kicking off your shoes once in a while. 

The Benefits of Barefoot Training

Total Body Awareness + Increased Mobility

When you wear shoes, your feet are surrounded by soft fabric and cushion. This can dull the nerves in your feet. Once you start squatting without shoes, you will feel the ground underneath you and can work with it to improve form, balance, and stability.

Here’s what will happen:

• Your toes will spread and grip the floor.
• You’ll have more muscle activation.
• Your weight naturally shifts to your heels. 

These are some of the most important cues to remember when you are doing a squat. 

Reduced Risk of Injury

Wearing shoes while lifting - especially general training shoes that are not designed for weight lifting - may actually lead to a higher risk of injury. Fancy running shoes with all that extra cushioning and ‘special’ features cause instability in your ankles. You’ll compensate for this with your knees, hips, and back. NOT GOOD.

Shoes also don’t require our toes or feet to do much work. And when we’re not working them, we’re weakening them. And weak toes, ankles, and arches can lead to ankle sprains, shin splints, and knee pain. That is definitely NOT what we want when we’re training.

Gains, Gains, GAINS

You’ve heard us say this time and time again; you’ve got to keep your body guessing in order to see change and improvement. Think about the workouts we share on Insta or in our challenges— we never repeat the same workout twice. We’d be bored out of my mind if I did!

Your body feels the same way. Every time you work out in shoes, your body is reacting to your movements in the same way. It’s used to it! And muscles that aren’t constantly challenged, stop adapting over time.

Do a squat without your shoes, and it’s a game changer, hunnneyyyyyy. Your body starts moving in new ways and activating new muscles. It isn’t bored anymore. It’s guessing, adapting, and getting stronger. It’s alert. You’ll see total-body results faster and may even increase that PR. 

See! There are so many benefits of barefoot training! 

NOT SOLD?

Okay, okay, we know not everyone is going to start squatting barefoot, but hopefully, you’re at least intrigued by the idea. If you want to keep your shoes on when you squat, we suggest wearing shoes designed for weight training.

Look for:

• A hard sole to increase stability and consistent movement patterns.
• Traction so you don’t slip.
• Shoes that provide ankle support.
• Room in the toe box so you can spread your toes and mimic the action of gripping the floor.

If you do want a pair of shoes, these are our RIDE OR DIE when we can’t go barefoot.

Give us your thoughts below!

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