Hi everyone its Bretta Riches here
from RunForefoot.com and today I want
to talk to you about why and how
barefoot runners are able to run without
getting injured as compared to most
joggers who run in shoes. Many of us see
barefoot runners and wonder why they
aren't getting hurt and there's a
specific reason for this and this reason
is known as impact moderating behavior
which seems to be maximized primarily
under barefoot conditions and is hampered
when a runner wears really thick cushioned
running shoes. So, it's a known fact that
we as humans evolved as barefoot
runners and from this humans have
evolved networks of nerves that begin in
the feet and travel to the brain and
these nerves, which humans have retained
today, which is the main reason why we
have a hard time running in shoes without
getting injured. These nerve
networks instruct our landing behavior
which includes adjustments in landing
intensity to help us avoid high-impact
landings, hence the term 'impact
moderating behavior', for when we run
without shoes. So essentially, humans are
hard-wired to run with less impact when
barefoot, and like I said, we didn't
evolve to run in shoes, which again. may
suggest why injury rates are so high in
runners. So again, the number one way
barefoot runners are able to run with
less impact and thus less injury as
compared to a runner who runs in shoes
is through impact moderating behavior
and this basically means that the body
reflexively avoids high impact painful
landings in the absence of soft
cushioning under the foot. So, the term
impact moderating behavior was sort of
coined by Dr. Steven Robbins and I call
him the barefoot professor. He's at
McGill University in Montreal. He
demonstrated that our natural impact
moderating behavior ability works or
becomes highly activated through a
series of withdrawal reflexes of the leg
which are activated when the cutaneous
and pressure sensitive nerves that line
the bottom of the feet t are highly
active. These nerves appear to be more
activated when we run barefoot and less
activated when we run in shoes. So
therefore, it would then follow that our
impact moderating behavior would be less
responsive when we run in very thickly
cushioned running shoes. When running
barefoot, optimal impact moderating
behavior is controlled by the plantar
proprioceptors which are the nerves
in the soles of the feet and these
nerves link up and communicate to the
nerves in the ankle and knee joints and
to the spinal cord and to
motor cortex of the brain. And don't
forget that the spinal cord is just as
smart and adaptable as the brain, so this
means that by adding barefoot running to
your training regime, you can fully
improve and restore the natural impact
moderating behavior and will eventually
train your body to land with less impact
via a lighter landing on
your forefoot. So, this is a key point I
wanted you to remember is that for our
neuromuscular system to stay healthy and
active for low-impact running, running
barefoot is a more well-rounded approach
because the spinal cords ability to
coordinate the withdraw reflexes in the
lower leg depends so much on the
activation of the sensory nerves in the
feet and as I implied earlier, there is
an evolutionary basis for this and that
humans evolved as barefoot runners, so it
makes sense as to why neuromuscular
output really heavily depends on the
amount of sensory stimulation on the
nerve networks in the feet. When barefoot
running, these nerves are highly
activated which provide lots of impact
protection. So for example, when we run
barefoot on harder surfaces, the nerves
in the feet signal the nerves in the
spinal cord to instruct the nerves in
the knee-joint to cause the knee-joint
itself to slightly bend at touchdown -- this
increases knee flexion and knee flexion
is a natural way to absorb impact and
reduce mechanical work on the knee. So,
this is how the lower leg sets up for a
softer landing when you run barefoot. In
my opinion, this is why you want to do a
lot of barefoot running training to
build muscle memory and to give you
better impact moderating behavior. So in
other words, the more you run barefoot,
the better and stronger and more
responsive your lower leg withdrawal
reflexes will be and you end up landing
with less impact than you would in cushy shoes.
Basically when we are barefoot, our
central nervous system is better able to
regulate this impact moderating behavior.
So to improve your forefoot running
form, you are just better off at
increasing your barefoot running
training and I would suggest running
barefoot on pavement versus grass
because that's going to give you the
best, more clear pressure sensations to
help you stay off your heel, so you'll be
in a better position to develop a higher
snappy back-kick and overall will give
you a more perfect forefoot running biomechanical
alignment. So that's what I wanted
to emphasize today and, so like I said
before, up your barefoot running
training, so that you can run more
efficiently in your minimalist shoes and
have fun out there on the roads and
don't forget to subscribe to my youtube
channel and for more information on
forefoot running, barefoot running as
well as minimalist running, don't forget
to check out my blog runforefoot.com and
have fun out there on the roads! Bye