Vibram Five Fingers

[saechaka]

I just got a pair cheap and just tried it out for a day at work today. I seem to be walking better on the balls of my feet and ankle is feeling more work. Vibram Five Fingers

I'll start using it for my leg days and light jogging days.

 

[spamsk8r]

I want a pair, but I don't want to spend 80 bucks on them.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: saechaka
I just got a pair cheap and just tried it out for a day at work today. I seem to be walking better on the balls of my feet and ankle is feeling more work. Vibram Five Fingers

I'll start using it for my leg days and light jogging days.

What kind of arch support (if any) do they have? Those seem neat, but I'm wary of them at the same time.

 

[GenHoth]

I always thought they looked really weird. I'd want to try 'em out before I got a pair!

 

[saechaka]

Well I used it yesterday for my squat day. I was able to pyramid up to 215lbs. Which is the best I've done so far. I have the classic version so there is no strap. There is a tightner that runs around the top. I was starting to get pains from where it was too tight around the top area near the big toe. There is no arch support. I was able to walk at 10% incline at 3mph for 20min but the balls of my left foot was starting to hurt.

My conclusion is that I will definitely pick up the KSO model as it has a strap and top cover. I will buy some Iniji socks to go with them. My foot, esp. around ankle area, feels like it gets more work. I seem to roll my feet better when walking or running. I seem to be in better control while running (I ran for 5 min in the beginning of my workout). I hope that makes sense.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Good stuff to hear. My first inclination was to go for the KSO's. There's a store near me that carries them so I may go try that out.

 

[Red Dawn]

They seem like some kind of gimmick.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
They seem like some kind of gimmick.

Not necessarily. The NY magazine had an interesting article called You Walk Wrong which makes the argument that our footwear interferes with our natural walking patterns. Specifically, the big cushiony heel messes up how people plant their feet, which gradually results in injuries to the knee, hips, and back. The belief is that our feet have been ideally developed by millions of years of evolution and that any footwear we use should keep as close to being barefoot as possible. That's the point of the Vibram Five Fingers and other similar shoes, such as the Vivo Barefoot and Nike Free.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
They seem like some kind of gimmick.

Not necessarily. The NY magazine had an interesting article called You Walk Wrong which makes the argument that our footwear interferes with our natural walking patterns. Specifically, the big cushiony heel messes up how people plant their feet, which gradually results in injuries to the knee, hips, and back. The belief is that our feet have been ideally developed by millions of years of evolution and that any footwear we use should keep as close to being barefoot as possible. That's the point of the Vibram Five Fingers and other similar shoes, such as the Vivo Barefoot and Nike Free.

Yep. Our natural footstrike is nothing like how most people walk due to the "support" and constriction of shoes. Heel to toe walking is unheard of in indigenous tribes. However, I would like to see a research study done that tests agility for active five fingers users and for normal regular-shoe users.

 

[SWScorch]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
They seem like some kind of gimmick.

They're weird, that's for sure, but Anton Krupicka wears them and has good things to say about them, so they have to be more than just a gimmick. What if your second toe is longer than your big toe though??

 

[Kaido]

Those are creepy. I bet Bigfoot wears those!

What if you stub your toe?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: SWScorch

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
They seem like some kind of gimmick.

They're weird, that's for sure, but Anton Krupicka wears them and has good things to say about them, so they have to be more than just a gimmick. What if your second toe is longer than your big toe though??

They mention that in their FAQ. You order the shoe size for your longest toe. They don't really say if there are chafing issues or not as a result of that. I think it's mostly elastic so it will stretch or shrink to fit the toes.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

So I went and tried some on over at a place down here. They were a little weird since my second toe is longer than my big toe. They feel pretty much like walking barefoot except you get some protection from the ground. I didn't buy them 'cause they didn't have black, but I'm still unsure about them. They looked a little cheaper than what I thought they should look like. I still may buy a pair online though.

 

[rezinn]

They look neat, but I don't see how they could possibly fit well unless they were made from a mold of your feet.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
However, I would like to see a research study done that tests agility for active five fingers users and for normal regular-shoe users.

Yea, good point. I wonder if they really is any advantage of having the toes separated. Speaking of which, are there any very similar shoes that don't have separated toes?

 

[saechaka]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
However, I would like to see a research study done that tests agility for active five fingers users and for normal regular-shoe users.

Yea, good point. I wonder if they really is any advantage of having the toes separated. Speaking of which, are there any very similar shoes that don't have separated toes?

I usually run with my puma's. They are flat and comfy. I think next to track shoes or rock climbing shoes they are the closest to the feel of the vibrams. I also tried my friend's nike free's and they felt good but i felt like I was still to high off the ground. I just thought these were cool and unique. I can't do a quantitative nor qualitative test regarding whether it will help you or not but I liked how it felt for me.

As for sizing I would go with actual foot measurement rather than their standard of size 42 for 8 1/2 shoes. I just bought a pair off of the REI website for my wife to try and see if she likes it. You can sign up for their email list on the front page and you'll get a 15% off coupon, which is better than nothing. Plus REI has the best return policy.

Tommorrow is my front squat day so I'll do one more report about these shoes.

By the way, REI sells some iniji socks which goes with these shoes. They are $12 a pair. I've been trying to find some cheap toe socks and it seems the dollar store has them but only for girls and they go all the way up the calf. If anyone knows of some cheap toe socks please report back. Thx

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Alrighty, I ordered a pair. Shoes have always created problems for me (tendinitis from bad arch support, broken foot from going from too much support to no support) so I decided to try these out. I'll ease into them with lifting/walking/jogging/sprinting. I hope they turn out well and I'll update this thread and I cross those things off my list.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Alrighty, I ordered a pair. Shoes have always created problems for me (tendinitis from bad arch support, broken foot from going from too much support to no support) so I decided to try these out. I'll ease into them with lifting/walking/jogging/sprinting. I hope they turn out well and I'll update this thread and I cross those things off my list.

Yep if you are going to look like a Hobbit at least let's hope it helps your feet.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Alrighty, I ordered a pair. Shoes have always created problems for me (tendinitis from bad arch support, broken foot from going from too much support to no support) so I decided to try these out. I'll ease into them with lifting/walking/jogging/sprinting. I hope they turn out well and I'll update this thread and I cross those things off my list.

Yep if you are going to look like a Hobbit at least let's hope it helps your feet.

haha

Yeah I'm interested to hear how they work out for you. I think I'd be pretty self-concious about wearing those in public though, haha.

 

[gramboh]

The way I understand it (done a bit of research, no personal experience) is that these are excellent for running if you use the correct technique for them (and some would argue, running in general) which is midsole striking using a technique like "POSE". If you run as you did in big cushy runners (heel strike) these will cause insane amounts of pain. I've been looking into it a bit since I know my running technique is terrible and want to learn something like POSE/midfoot strike for more efficiency/less pain on distance runs.

For weightlifting, cushy shoes suck, so yep these would be awesome, especially for deadlifts (comparable to barefoot). For squats, if you are doing a narrow stance/oly style, then oly lifting shoes with heel wedge would be better, although these would train more ankle flexibility.

 

[zerocool1]

There was an article in the September 2008 Runner's World about this shoes.
linky

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: zerocool1
There was an article in the September 2008 Runner's World about this shoes.
linky

Awesome. I pretty much bought them for running and lifting. His account just makes me glad I'm gonna try em.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Just got them in the mail today and I have to admit - they're pretty comfortable. I will be lifting with them tomorrow so I'll update how it goes later tomorrow night.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I may get these for winter surfing, booties suck, so I never wear them.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: DAPUNISHER
I may get these for winter surfing, booties suck, so I never wear them.

Really? Why don't you like the booties? Have you tried a "good" pair? It seems to me that the fivefingers and the booties would be made out of very similar material, especially if you got the cold-weather fivefingers.