The Real Science of Sport Podcast The Real Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Running
36 snips
Mar 1, 2023 AI Snips
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Evidence Didn’t Match The Barefoot Hype
- The barefoot/minimalist movement ran ahead of high-quality evidence and retained appeal despite weak supporting data.
- After a decade of research, systematic reviews find no clear injury reduction from barefoot or minimalist running.
Kilimanjaro Summit Run Experiment
- Ross described climbing Kilimanjaro largely barefoot as part of his personal exploration of minimalist running.
- He opted to summit barefoot but descend in shoes because of cold and terrain concerns.
Footstrike Change Is Not Automatic
- Habitually shod runners rarely switch to forefoot strike immediately when going barefoot; about two-thirds do not.
- Successful change appears to be a learned skill requiring time, not an automatic mechanical fix.