Review of Vibram FiveFingers
May 11, 2010
A quick review on the FiveFinger shoes that arrived in the mail three weeks ago.
I have a rule against spending way too much money on shoes, but this was an exception. It was in line with my view of training without shoes on. These particular pair of shoes FiveFingers by Vibram has allowed the barefoot minority to explore even more activities available.
I tried running and jumping yesterday up Mount Street Kings park and today everything from knee down copped a feel of D.O.M.S. including the gastrocnemius, tibialis anteriors and plantar fascia. It may be a build up from the Leg training the leg before, but tibialis posterior also felt worked.
The freedom it allows is amazing. Being able to grip the terrain with your phalanges is something else extra. Traditional shoes have a large layer of cushioning on the sole of the shoes which does not allow too much force production from toe flexion. But in the case of the FiveFingers, more force generated from toe off improved stride length and also stride rate.
Looks wise, it is a very peculiar looking shoe and shaped like your foot, it will generate a lot of interest. There is not anything like it in the market at the moment.
Training and exercising with the FiveFingers is a different feeling altogether because you are able to connect with the floor and closed circuit training becomes a lot more ‘feelable’. Do ask your gym or centre if these shoes are allowed, because I have heard of certain centres who have restricted the use of these shoes on the premise that you could ‘injure your feet if you dropped some weights on your toes’. Poor excuse when you will injure anything if you drop any weight on your toes unless you are wearing steel caps.
I tried them on last week for Pilates and they were fantastic! Just like not wearing shoes. Not that I do my pilates with shoes on.
FiveFingers can also be used in outdoor training, rock-climbing, bushwalking, swimming, jogging, trekking and yoga.
Are You Fit?
January 23, 2010
Fitness refers to ability of the body to function with vigor and alertness. But do we know if we are really fit? How do we tell?
You might want to look at your exercise habits, if there are any. If there aren’t any exercise routines to examine, no fitness. Everyone, no matter what their age, benefits from exercise. It keeps our bodies conditioned, our mental sharpness working at top speed, and thanks to the physical aspect, we get a boost to our cardio health, extra calorie burn, and more oxygen to those cells!
Fitness requires us to examine more than just our exercise routine. The mere definition of fitness refers to the body’s ability to meet physical stresses. That includes coping with our day to day life, getting from the beginning of the day to the end, without being worn completely out. In order to be truly fit, we find ways to rid ourselves of built up stress, the kind that begins to affect our muscles, muscle tone, and composition.
Everyone should aim at performing exercises that are the optimal for improving your level of fitness and increasing your functional strength effectively. Some popular activities that increase cardiovascular fitness include running, swimming, jogging, dancing, cycling, and very brisk walking. Of the examples provided, walking seems to be the most popular Australian activity although; its intensity is nowhere near enough to raise your basic metabolic rate significantly over a longer term.
Functional Strength is the strength to perform daily tasks that incorporate a select range of muscles including pulling, pushing and lifting. Functional strength requires specific functional training with weights that will improve the balance and harmony of your muscles and allow you to move a weight more efficiently.
If you were given a checklist to mark off the definitions above, do you have all the boxes marked off? If you have not, then it should be your goal to sharpen every aspect of your physical capabilities.
Maximize your true potential.
