United Kingdom
Professor Daniel Lieberman Interview from vivobarefoot on Vimeo.
Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University, Daniel Lieberman talks to VIVOBAREFOOT about, amongst other things, running barefoot.
If you haven’t done so already read Dan Lieberman’s barefoot study, published in Nature: “Foot strike patterns and collision forces in habitually barefoot versus shod runners”
Dr. Lieberman and his colleagues spent years looking at the evolution of man. In particular at his capacity to run and potential history as ‘persistence’ or endurance hunters, capable of running animals to exhaustion as they hunted their prey.
The central ideas is that “as ancient man left the trees and the jungle, he adapted and became more of a runner than a climber. Many adaptations and changes took place, including, but not limited, to changes in the lower leg and foot.” Michael Sandler from Runbare.com summarises ”In his latest study, Dr. Lierberman and his colleagues looked at the difference between barefoot runners and shod runners to understand the differences in form, efficiency, impact, and to try and better understand how we evolved into the bipedal runners we are today.”
Links 7/19/11 « Links As Rx'd
[...] isn’t just taking off your shoes. Vivobarefoot has some great resources that explain the theory and technique of how to run like our paleo ancestors did. Oh yea, they also sell some great shoes. [...]
Pingback by Links 7/19/11 « Links As Rx'd — July 19, 2011 @ 1:24 pm
Bob Bradley
As an Alexander Technique teacher I noticed this too: people have very weak feet. Why are people’s feet so weak? One reason is that they stand on their heels. If you do this, and you probably do it all day long, in fact, life long, you’re not distributing the weight into your foot properly and it feels, and is used, as if it were one big block or slab of flesh that you toss forward from your hips or thighs in order to walk. If you want to run better learn to stand better. If you stand more towards the balls of your feet and off your heels with your feet parallel you’ll be activating the reflexes in the heels and then working and so strengthening the muscles in your feet. This will relieve the tension in your body that’s there because your’ve been standing on you heels, crushing the supportive reflex there.
Great shoe. I tell all my clients about them.
Comment by Bob Bradley — September 13, 2011 @ 10:30 pm
VIVOBAREFOOT | Community
[...] to the The Barefoot Party at South Street Seaport. The ”Kudus” (Chris McDougall, Dan Lieberman, Lee Saxby and more) were invited to give short talks on all things barefoot. A fun and relaxed [...]
Pingback by VIVOBAREFOOT | Community — October 18, 2011 @ 8:51 am
steve
All is covered in “Born to Run” Dr. Lieberman is in there too.
Comment by steve — December 14, 2011 @ 1:09 am
Marguerite
I enjoyed what Dr. Lieberman had to say although I have trouble with the barefoot running concept. The gastrocnemeus is a secondary muscle group and is not built to take high loads..gleuteus, quads and the hamstring muscles are all primary muscle groups built to take high loads. Someone please help me understand how building the calf/gastroc would be a good idea when it is not meant to function as a primary muscle group? To me I feel that the barefoot concept is encouraging the body to work in a way it was not built to work. I agree that runners must condition their bodies to run properly/injury free however, I have trouble with building a secondary muscle group and altering one’s biomechanics to such an extreme. Perhaps I need to do more reading on barefoot running however, at this point I cannot believe that barefoot running is the answer for everyone. We have evolved as a species for a reason and I think that one must be careful when such findings are put into the hands of novices who do not understand the body and biomechanics….the general population does not know and understand the amount of work it takes to move properly especially when it comes to running. I say, interesting concept but take heed unless someone can prove me wrong/help me to better understand how this concept is good for everyone.
Comment by Marguerite — January 13, 2012 @ 4:37 am
Vivobarefoot’s “Barefoot is Best” Campaign: Another Example of Marketing Twisting Science | Road Runner Shoes
[...] a believer in “Barefoot is Best” since 2003, there is now scientific proof. Harvard Professor Daniel Lieberman has released his latest ground breaking research: Foot Strike and Injury Rates in Endurance [...]
Pingback by Vivobarefoot’s “Barefoot is Best” Campaign: Another Example of Marketing Twisting Science | Road Runner Shoes — February 6, 2012 @ 6:20 pm
VIVOBAREFOOT | The original barefoot shoe | Barefoot Running | Barefoot Shoes | Community
[...] (almost) first: rear foot (heel) striking causes double the rate of injury than forefoot striking. Daniel Lieberman and others’* study on foot strike and injury rate in runners has just hit the [...]
Pingback by VIVOBAREFOOT | The original barefoot shoe | Barefoot Running | Barefoot Shoes | Community — June 20, 2012 @ 4:02 pm
VIVOBAREFOOT | The original barefoot shoe | Barefoot Running | Barefoot Shoes | Community
[...] is Best” since 2003, there is now scientific evidence to suggest this. Harvard Professor Daniel Lieberman has released his latest ground breaking research: Foot Strike and Injury Rates in Endurance [...]
Pingback by VIVOBAREFOOT | The original barefoot shoe | Barefoot Running | Barefoot Shoes | Community — July 23, 2012 @ 10:49 am