Barefoot shoes and back pain...

I was in the gym yesterday, and one of the members came and started talking to me.

He was wearing some vibram fivefingers shoes.

Apparently we'd spoken about it a few months ago and he went off and looked into it a bit more, then ordered some.

Anyway, the guy's in his late 40's/early 50's and had been suffering with back pain for a long time.

But yesterday, he told me his back pain has almost completely gone since getting the barefoot shoes!

Something THAT simple!

It makes sense though.

Your feet are your foundations. The only part of you in contact with the ground.

If your feet are out of alignment (because of shoes or for any other reason), everything above them will be out of alignment too.

Set up a Jenga tower and take out the bottom brick first... see what happens.

If you don't look after your feet, then it will affect everything.

Ankles, knees, hips, lower back, upper back, neck, shoulders...

Your foundations need to be solid and functional for everything else above to work properly.

I'm not saying your back (or any other) pain will go if you just switch to barefoot shoes, but you stand a much better chance of fixing it if you do!

My favourites are Vivobarefoot - they have lots of options to choose from and they're worth the investment (and apparently, I'm out of touch with the cost of things these days so they're not that expensive compared to other, shit shoes either. I just haven't bought any regular shoes for about 10 years!)

If you use the link above, you can get 20% off your first order. On me!

I'd also sign up and keep an eye out on Sport Pursuit as they sometimes have them on there and they're the BEST price you'll find for them anywhere. I've had a couple of pairs from them as have many of my clients.

So free your feet and let me know how it feels!

Mark

P.S. A quick word of warning, if your feet are used to being in foot coffins, you may need to ease yourself into barefoot shoes as your feet will have to get used to them and strengthen up (a good thing!). So just don't overdo it straight away.

Start with short walks and wearing them (or being completely barefoot) around the house as much as you can.

Replace your squats with these...

You've probably heard me say before that squats ARE NOT the king of exercises.

Most people can't even sit into a full, deep squat so they certainly shouldn't be loading up the weight and doing it for reps.

I've seen too many awful squats over the years to count, and every time, I just wait for the "POP" and the scream, waiting for their back or knees to give out.

Luckily, I've only witnessed this once or twice, but for most, it's just a matter of time before it starts to take its toll in their bodies.

People don't tend to relate aches and pains to a particular exercise unless it happens whilst they're doing that exercise.

But that back and knee pain you have may well be from the squats you've been doing for years.

That's also a common argument: "It can't be that, I've been doing it for years without a problem"

It's a bit like someone claiming that smoking can't have caused any issues because they've been doing it for years without a problem... Or eating junk can't have caused any issues because they've been doing it for years...

You see where I'm going with this!

Just because something seems to be ok now, doesn't mean it's not adding a little more damage each time that'll build up over time.

Your body is quite resilient, but it can only take so much.

So what should you do instead of squats?

Something more natural.

An unloaded, bodyweight squat should be accessible to everyone with a little work and is definitely something to practice, but if you want to build strength or size in your legs, yes, you'll need to use some resistance.

My personal favourites for building stronger, ore functional legs, with far less risk of injury are:

• Sled Pushes (just load up a sled, and push!)

• Walking Lunges

• Step-Ups

• Multi-Directional Lunges

Essentially, pick a movement that you encounter in every day life, and add some resistance to it.

DON'T sit yourself on a machine designed to 'target' muscle groups because they almost certainly won't make you move in a natural way.

Try swapping these out in your training and replace the squats, leg extensions, hamstring curls etc.

See how you get on and let me know.

Mark

The most common question I get asked by strangers...

The most common question I get asked by strangers (seriously, this happens at least 2 or 3 times a week!) is this:

"Martial Arts?"

Sounds weird I know, but because I train differently to everyone else in the gym (i.e. not going from machine to machine), people automatically assume I must be training for something specific. 

Well...

I am.

I'm training for LIFE.

Better movement and movement-based training is NOT reserved solely for athletes training for a specific sport.

YOU ARE AN ATHLETE.

You need to be able to move your body well, with balance and strength, all day every day, for the rest of your life.

And if you're not training for that, then you're only going to get worse at those things as you age.

You don't "get old" because of your time on this planet, you get old because you stop moving like a young person.

Your chronological age doesn't have to dictate your ability to do stuff.

But if you're not doing those things, you will lose the ability to over time.

Use it or lose it.

Training on machines will build strength in those specific exercises - you'll get strong "on that machine", but that doesn't translate to being able to move and function well.

If you train movements, human movements, then you're strengthening the movement patterns that you use in every day life.

Think about it - what use is your 100kg bench press if you can't climb the stairs?

What use is a 200kg Deadlift if you can't kneel on the floor to play with the kids?

How are your tricep push-downs going to help you carry the shopping in one arm and a child (your own child, I hope) in the other?

Stop training "exercises" and start training movements.

That's my aim. I'm not training for martial arts (although many years ago that was my main hobby), I'm training for better movement and resilience.

That's also my aim with my coaching business. I help people improve their health and Move Better

If you want to get started with training like a human, get in touch and we'll get you started.

It's also the primary focus of MoveBetter.Club, so if you're not ready to invest in coaching just yet, I'd definitely recommend you check it out to get started.

To better health and movement!

Mark

"To know and not do, is not to know"

Here's the thing...

Everyone knows they should do more.

They know what they need to do (supposedly).

YOU know.

...but do you do it?

For most people, the answer is NO.

That's what my job is.

My job is, essentially, to get people to DO what they know they should be doing.

So many people refuse to hire a coach or get help because "they know what to do" or "it's too expensive", but the reality is, they just place higher priority on other things.

They'd rather binge on Netflix than go workout.

They'd rather have the newest iPhone than pay for a coach.

They'd rather follow a free plan that's not working and kid themselves that they're doing the right things (even though it's not working???)

Fancy cars and clothes... going out every weekend... takeaways multiple nights a week... everyone's different, but mostpeople will happily drop £100's every week/month on stuff that's unnecessary (and even damaging their health!), yet they won't spend it on their health.

Then they drive around in the fancy car, wearing the fancy clothes, getting their hair and nails done, lips pumped full of crap or buying other stuff to make them look/feel better, still unhappy with the way they look, because they'll do everything but the most important things - eat well and train.

So the message here is simple:

If you're not getting the results you want, because you're either not doing what you should be, or you're doing the wrong things - you need a coach.

...and I'd love to help you.

If you're ready to:

• Invest in yourself, not "stuff"

• Improve your health

• Lose some excess weight

• Move better

• Feel better

• Put in the effort

And you need help with:

• Knowing what to do (the right things)

• Staying on track and accountable

• Working around a busy schedule

• Troubleshooting issues as they arise

• Support along the way

Book in for a quick call with me (no charge), to see how/if I can help you.

Just fill out the form here and I'll be in touch.

I really do want to help! I've spent 20 years learning this stuff and it goes to waste if I don't share it!

So fill out the form and let's chat. Then you can decide if you want my help or not.

Fill it out.

Mark