Who can help?

Alexieo

Barefooters
Nov 8, 2015
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Greetings all,

I'm young and adventurous. I have no idea how I came across barefoot/minimalist running, but here I am trying new things. Prior to starting I have done the bare minimum (no pun intended) research in order to get started. Take it slow, get the posture right, get to know your feet is what I have taken so far. My research has primarily been around Dr. Nicholas Romanov, Lee Saxby, Chris McDougall and a couple of others I can't name off the top of my head but those appear to be the big names thus far.

I have only be doing this for a couple of weeks but have an elaborate amount of experience with running, primarily long distance which is why this technique peaked my interest. My experience comes from running track and field as a kid (800m, 1.4km, and 1.6km races constantly) and doing my own 5k runs which takes ~30 mins. I'm not completely sold because A. Keeping an open mind and B. need to see remarkable results.

With that being said, I walk ~30 minutes or 2km at 110bpm barefoot every night outside on concrete. Prior to that I do a warm up with the variations of deep squats, and hopping on two feet (2mins x 5 sets) at 90bpm to start, and a couple of other exercises for balance. I then lace up my regular shoes and go for a 2.5km run at 180bpm working on landing on my forefoot. My plan is to do a little bit more every month, while still attaining the knowledge.

I am here seeking advice on if the direction I am heading is correct, and also any advice for progression. I am a serious athlete and would only expect the seriousness in return. I have also posted a few pictures of me in the deep squat. Unfortunately, only one of them shows my feet planted but I can assure you that my feet are the same in every picture. If you look in the one picture it just looks like I am crushing my ankles.Untitled.pngScreenshot_2015-11-04-18-49-22.pngScreenshot_2015-11-05-19-35-08.pngScreenshot_2015-11-05-19-50-46.pngScreenshot_2015-11-08-22-06-45.pngScreenshot_2015-11-08-22-07-43.png In addition, there are also pictures of my feet while jumping at 90bpm, there seems to be some ankle issues. Just want to thank anyone that took the time to read and give advice!
 
Welcome, Alexio! :barefoot: Others, more experienced, will chime in here shortly.
 
For me, it was remarkable that barefoot running was possible at all! Before doing any conditioning I went out on the road and ran about 50 feet, landing on fore/mid foot with each step landing under center of gravity. It felt so, dare I say, natural. That was a remarkable enough result for me and I was hooked.

You are young so you will probably adapt just fine. Just be sure you increase you BF distance gradually, especially if you have only run in highly cushioned shoes. Your bones and ligaments need to adapt as well as your skin.

One thing about barefoot/natural running is to keep your knees bent. I incidentally found one exercise that helped a lot, even after doing squats and then one-legged squats, and this will help your soleus (lower calf) as well. 90 degree bent knee calf raises: stand with your forefoot on a block or something--I used a stair step and lightly held the walls for balance--bend your knees to 90 degrees and do calf raises, going as low as you can. The stretch down is as important as the lifting (end on the stretch, according to my massage therapist). When doing both legs gets too easy switch to one leg at a time. For me the limiting factor was my thighs. I couldn't keep the 90 degree bend long enough to do more than 5 one-leg reps at first.
I had always bent my legs the minimum amount when running--thighs got too tired. After I could do 20 of these reps on each leg, suddenly the thighs can take more of a bend during the runs.
 
i'm not exactly sure what it is you're seeking. you aren't too clear. you want help but don't want to go barefoot(bf)? help online is good but all over the place with recommendations as everyone has a different journey. depending on what you want and how fast you want it.

seek out help in person, not online if you want some real help and better results. what i can see from your STILL pics is you lose control of your lumbars in your squat. this is lovingly called a "butt wink" . you have mobility but are lacking either stability or motor control. flexing your low back like that maybe fine with no weight but repeated and under load will get dangerous. only a live person can help you correct that. not something you may exactly be able to read about. your feet are also flared out meaning they're compensating and you're robbing yourself of getting the full power you could deliver.

i recommend seeking out a coach, pt, chiro, or personal trainer with good results and certain qualifications to them. start here

http://www.rehab2performance.com/find-a-provider/

http://www.rehabps.cz/rehab/certified_practitioners.php

http://www.healthyrunning.org/find-a-coach.html

there are likely more than this that would be great at coaching. you'll have to seek for yourself. good luck.
 
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