Virbram Five Fingers (lift, gym, treadmill, workout)

[tommodonahue]

For some reason, I can't stand looking at individual toes of people while at the gym.

What the proponents say:

- They train a different part of my leg, I can run faster!
- They increase my endurance!
- I'll be able to lift more because it's training different parts of my leg!

My opinion - those individuals wearing the finger shoes are degrading their workout by imposing quick-fix benefits to those shoes. I.e., instead of fixing diet, exercise, sleep pattern or workout scheme to fix their inabilities--they think the shoes will do it for them. Many people I know seem to think their 1.5mile time will decrease wearing the toe shoes, when they should spend time on training running, not spend money on training running.

I know they are beneficial for some (maybe most) people. A friend of mine was in a car accident and her femur was shattered. Toe shoes are the only type of footwear that will allow her to engage in physical activity without pain.

I don't know why, but the look of toe shoes really creep me out.

http://gawker.com/5839329/the-evil-r...ed-immediately

[imsh0t]

they look weird but do u go to the gym to look at peoples feet.

[daellis99]

I wear them I and I really prefer them. I also have the new balance shoes with the Vibram soles. I prob wear them more than the Vibrams themselves. While I dont think it gives any benefit to my w/o I like them because I have real bad knees and when I run in them or workout they are the only shoes that keep my knees from hurting. I used to wear Nike Pegasus but I would still have knee pain and then I went to Nike Free 3.0...the worst shoes I ever owned. So for me VFFs are one of the few shoes that I can run in without any pain....I also helped that I lost weight in the process. That gave my knees relief also.

Some people wear them just because they are popular but do think they have some benefits

[hooligan]

I had some and they were OK. I prefer the New Balance Minimus shoes since they offer at least a little cushion and arch support. I've pretty much switched to Nike Free TRs full time since my knee surgery. I needed something with a little more cushion, but I don't run much - typically a mile or less at a time.

[elikhom]

Do you really hear people say that?

I'm planning to get some to use at the gym but mostly because I heard coworkers talking about how comfortable they are and I love walking barefoot or with flip flops. Never hear them being mentioned as if they were some kind of miraculous training device.

[tommodonahue]

Originally Posted by imsh0t

they look weird but do u go to the gym to look at peoples feet.

Yes.

[Luckyd609]

My friend has some in black and he looks like he has gorilla feet.

[eric99gt]

I wear them....not for any of the reasons you list above though. Most proponent literature I've read had nothing to do with what you're referring to above and had more to do with pain. I've had knee pain for years when I would run so I figured what the heck might as well try em out. Figured it couldn't be any worse than what I was currently experiencing. Surprisingly it's worked out well. Much less pain while running. With that said I do think they look ridiculous but i'm willing to deal with it.

[wutitiz]

I don't have the VFF but I have been doing all my cooldown treadmill runs barefoot. I had PF a few years ago, and a foot stress fracture last year. I figured maybe some barefoot would strengthen my feet so why not try it. I slowly worked my way up to running 1.5 miles and plan to keep adding a little distance at a time. First of all it's fun. There's a differernt feel in running barefoot. Push off seems a lot more precise. You feel like you're in control of every square centimeter of your foot rather than just swinging a big block back & forth. And also it feels more bouncy, almost a kind of plyometric-like feel.

I don't plan to give up my conventional running shoes, though. I have yet to see any elites using them. If they really offered a big advantage injury-wise, I think you would see elites using them, because often the best runner is simply the guy who can ramp up training more than the next guy, without getting injured.

[gichicago]

If you are talking pure aesthetics its ok in the gym, and im fine with people running, but just looks weird if worn for running errands, shopping, etc.

If you are talking in respects to the barefoot running movement, then im cool with it. Its not for me, i perfectly happy in my Nikes. It seems to help people who have had injurues/pain; however i don't see any evidence that it makes you a faster runner.

I liken it to going Vegan. Some people swear by it, and its not for everyone, but if you're up to it, why the heck not. Lots of companies are jumping on the bandwagon.