Vibram FiveFingers Review.

OR what have I been doing to my feet for thirty odd years!?
Until recently, I've never been that interested in feet. They're quite far away from my face and they've always liked it that way. What's changed is my interest in how physical dysfunction can be eliminated with movement pattern training and corrective exercise strategies.

As a society we're plagued by a heap of physical problems. Lower back stiffness, knackered knees, bum shoulders, a catalogue of issues that keeps us in pain which could easily be resolved by progressive and regular exercise.

And a lot of these issues stem from the ground up, from our feet.

When I studied for my personal trainer qualifications there were two parts of the body that were absolute hell to memorise; the ankle/foot region and the lower arm/hand region. To this day I still can't remember all the bits to either of them! Suffice to say, they're complex.

Why can't I use chopsticks with my feet?
There are over 100 muscles controlling 33 joints and a quarter of the bones in the human body reside in the foot, numerous nerve innervations and blood vessels stimulate the foot so why can't I do anything except create interesting odours with them? Okay, maybe eating with chopsticks is trying to push them too far but most people can barely wiggle their toes and rotate their feet. What's led to this lack of podiatric dexterity? From the looks of it...shoes. Most shoes bind and restrict movement of the foot and this leads to sensory motor amnesia - where the lack of freedom to move through a full range of motion leads to chronic tension and restriction of muscles. Space age trainers; the ones with shock absorbers, supported arches, internet access, all that sort of thing are usually the worst.

So we should all go barefoot, like our ancestors did?
Well, no. I suspect that the barefoot extremists haven't quite thought through their argument that going sans shoes is always better. This may be true from a purely clinical point of view; you allow your feet to move, get stronger, develop full range of motion - but then you really don't want to be barefoot when you're walking down Cricklewood Broadway on a Friday night. Kebab vomit between your toes is a bitch to get rid of. It's a fine balancing act between allowing your feet freedom of motion and protecting them from the environment around you.

How to get as close to barefoot as possible, whilst still keeping your toes clean
The good news is that there are a lot of shoes that go back to basics - allowing you to get as close to barefoot as possible whilst still protecting your feet.

Good old fashioned martial arts shoes - available in almost all martial arts shops these are fantastic. I used to where them all the time as the soles are thin, the uppers are highly flexible and they are extremely light; handy for those moments when you need to repeatedly kick people in the head. Downsides are that they are typically meant for indoor training and withstand outdoor environments extremely poorly. They also tend to harbour malingering odours which is never pleasant, especially on a packed bus.

And my new test for going "barefoot" - the Vibram FiveFingers. Engineered but in a minimalist way these feel like gloves for your feet.

Week one of the VFF's
Day 1. Ouch. I've never been one to do things sensibly and spent a whole day in them. Walking the dog, training and a trip to London. Get very good at stemming the torrent of blood gushing from my right heel. Feet ache too.

Day 2. Contemplate washing bloodstain out of shoes. Decide against it as I can't walk to the sink. Not impressed.

Day 3. Foot healed and have to leave house. Determined to give them another shot or feed them to the dog. Give them another go.

Day 4. Success! Have worked them in and they're...just the most comfortable things I have ever worn. Only downside is that all manner of dust and grit get into them. Girlfriend tuts as I complain about this. Common occurrence with most women's shoes apparently. Another reason to give cross dressing a miss.

Day 5. Regain control over my little toes. Have developed knack of wiggling it laterally. Keep doing it which is apparently quite disturbing when asleep.

Day 6. Try them whilst deadlifting. MUCH better than normal trainers but still not as good as barefoot. Side effect is more people staring than usual in the gym.

Day 7. Anniversary looming and I told the missus I got her a pair of shoes to celebrate. Have a sinking feeling that she is thinking Jimmy Choo's or Manolo Blahnik's. Writing this blog to convince her that I have only her health and fitness as my primary concern.

So how was the week in VFF? Not bad, although I have found a few negatives about them.

They'll collect dust faster than a Dyson.
Not sure how long lasting they'll be. The pair I have already have a tiny tear in the big toe

Apart from that, I love them; will be investing in a second pair whilst this one goes in the wash!