Vibram fivefingers and bare footedness

David Cynamon · 05-02-2006, 12:17 PM

Anyone hear of Vibram Fivefingers?

I have been looking at the pose method sites and found these interesting shoes. They were made for sailing and similar situations where people want the control and mobility of being barefoot and the traction and protection of shoes.

The guy who started pose said they are good for pose and a couple of the barefoot marathoners used them and liked them very much. I don't know what the consensus is on the pose method or barefoot running, but I thought these were pretty interesting and might be an improvement on the Nike Free.

http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/26/23834.jpg http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

Neal Dickey · 05-02-2006, 12:50 PM

Those look like fun!

I recently picked up a pair of Nike Waffles that I found on Niketown.com. They only cost about $55.

They have about the same amount of cushioning as these; which is minimal.

I wanted the bare minimum of shoe for running around the streets here in Los Angeles.

Garrett Smith · 05-02-2006, 05:43 PM

David,
Thank you for posting that! I love my Nike Free's, it looks like they may have some serious competition. I'd prefer to work out barefoot, so the WODs with runs don't work so well. These would totally change the game.

My wife will absolutely hate them. Oh well. :lol:

Blair Robert Lowe · 05-02-2006, 09:46 PM

Interesting. Running barefoot is an old sprinter's trick to getting faster and the foot area stronger.

Christian Lemburg · 05-05-2006, 05:25 AM

Back when I was doing only running, I trained for some time in aquasocks - seems to me like this would be very similar to these "five-finger" thingies (but of course, those look cooler than normal aquasocks).

On "natural terrain" without rocks - wood trails, beach, running trails - aquasocks work very well for running. On roads, I would be careful. If you do a lot of mileage on roads (say, more than 50km a week), I think aquasocks are too tiring for your feet. But you probably don't want to do that, anyway.

Just take care not to stub your toes - really painful in aquasocks. Jumping on sharp rocks or glass is also to be avoided, especially on roads. Running over mussel shells on the beach is no problem at all.

A good "minimal" running shoe for POSE that seems to be available everywhere in the US (harder to find in Europe, but can be ordered from UK) is the Nike Zoom Waffle (cross country running shoe - take the one with the rubber sole, the "no spikes" version) - cheap, and does the job.

Just my experiences,

Christian

Eugene R. Allen · 05-06-2006, 01:26 PM

Those just may be the coolest things I have ever seen for feet. I have really grown to like being barefoot after a lifetime aversion to it and now I can get the feel of barefootedness without making my feet filthy. I will get some of these and report back to you on how they feel.

Eugene R. Allen · 05-06-2006, 02:23 PM

Found a set on Ebay and the bid was up to $46 and I was poised to make a last second $60 bid just to make sure I got it and...waited to long and the auction ended. Oh the drama. So I went to the Vibram website and paid full boat, $70, but they don't have any shipping charges. I should have them in two days and will give you all the low down.

Pierre Auge · 05-06-2006, 06:04 PM

Those are very cool!

Misael Lopez · 05-09-2006, 07:43 PM

Just got mine, blue/gray. Very nice. And surpisingly comfortable, after I got used to the separated toes.

Broke em in by jogging around the backyard playing with the dog, also marks the first time I've done more than walk since Nov 20. The achilles is coming back!

Eugene R. Allen · 05-10-2006, 03:37 PM

Just got my Five Fingers and after a small struggle trying to get my toes to have the dexterity to find their own little slot I got them on and walked around a bit. Weird. You don't usually feet your toes individually like you do with these things on. You walk differently too...at least I do, very Indian like. Interesting to feel your toes when you step.

If you have a longer second toe than your big toe, these things will be rather uncomfortable. My feet happen to be shaped just like the Fivefingers are designed so they fit just right.

I would only run on grass in these things. Pose running or not I'm a bit of a heel striker. They are fantastic for non-running WODs for anyone that likes to be barefoot. My best use for these things will be keyaking. I can approach and portage with these on and then climb right in. I have a tight fitting Jackson 4 Fun and these will work perfectly in my boat.

They are magnificently unique, feel good, work great for feeling barefoot without exposing your feet to the dangers of shoelessness and they rock for water sports.

I have black on black and I look like I have gorilla feet.

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05-02-2006, 12:17 PM	#1
David Cynamon Member Profile: Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Baltimore MD Posts: 79	Anyone hear of Vibram Fivefingers? I have been looking at the pose method sites and found these interesting shoes. They were made for sailing and similar situations where people want the control and mobility of being barefoot and the traction and protection of shoes. The guy who started pose said they are good for pose and a couple of the barefoot marathoners used them and liked them very much. I don't know what the consensus is on the pose method or barefoot running, but I thought these were pretty interesting and might be an improvement on the Nike Free. http://www.crossfit.com/discus/messages/26/23834.jpg http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/

05-02-2006, 12:50 PM	#2
Neal Dickey Member Profile: Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Los Angeles CA Posts: 54	Those look like fun! I recently picked up a pair of Nike Waffles that I found on Niketown.com. They only cost about $55. They have about the same amount of cushioning as these; which is minimal. I wanted the bare minimum of shoe for running around the streets here in Los Angeles.

05-02-2006, 05:43 PM	#3
Garrett Smith Member Profile: Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,264	David, Thank you for posting that! I love my Nike Free's, it looks like they may have some serious competition. I'd prefer to work out barefoot, so the WODs with runs don't work so well. These would totally change the game. My wife will absolutely hate them. Oh well. :lol:

05-02-2006, 09:46 PM	#4
Blair Robert Lowe Member Profile: Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Sacramento CA Posts: 7,948	Interesting. Running barefoot is an old sprinter's trick to getting faster and the foot area stronger.

05-05-2006, 05:25 AM	#5
Christian Lemburg Member Profile: Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Aachen NRW Posts: 308	Back when I was doing only running, I trained for some time in aquasocks - seems to me like this would be very similar to these "five-finger" thingies (but of course, those look cooler than normal aquasocks). On "natural terrain" without rocks - wood trails, beach, running trails - aquasocks work very well for running. On roads, I would be careful. If you do a lot of mileage on roads (say, more than 50km a week), I think aquasocks are too tiring for your feet. But you probably don't want to do that, anyway. Just take care not to stub your toes - really painful in aquasocks. Jumping on sharp rocks or glass is also to be avoided, especially on roads. Running over mussel shells on the beach is no problem at all. A good "minimal" running shoe for POSE that seems to be available everywhere in the US (harder to find in Europe, but can be ordered from UK) is the Nike Zoom Waffle (cross country running shoe - take the one with the rubber sole, the "no spikes" version) - cheap, and does the job. Just my experiences, Christian

05-06-2006, 01:26 PM	#6
Eugene R. Allen Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma Washington Posts: 1,715	Those just may be the coolest things I have ever seen for feet. I have really grown to like being barefoot after a lifetime aversion to it and now I can get the feel of barefootedness without making my feet filthy. I will get some of these and report back to you on how they feel.

05-06-2006, 02:23 PM	#7
Eugene R. Allen Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma Washington Posts: 1,715	Found a set on Ebay and the bid was up to $46 and I was poised to make a last second $60 bid just to make sure I got it and...waited to long and the auction ended. Oh the drama. So I went to the Vibram website and paid full boat, $70, but they don't have any shipping charges. I should have them in two days and will give you all the low down.

05-06-2006, 06:04 PM	#8
Pierre Auge Member Profile: Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Ottawa Ontario Posts: 735	Those are very cool!

05-09-2006, 07:43 PM	#9
Misael Lopez Member Profile: Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Floreat West Australia Posts: 51	Just got mine, blue/gray. Very nice. And surpisingly comfortable, after I got used to the separated toes. Broke em in by jogging around the backyard playing with the dog, also marks the first time I've done more than walk since Nov 20. The achilles is coming back!

05-10-2006, 03:37 PM	#10
Eugene R. Allen Affiliate Profile: Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Tacoma Washington Posts: 1,715	Just got my Five Fingers and after a small struggle trying to get my toes to have the dexterity to find their own little slot I got them on and walked around a bit. Weird. You don't usually feet your toes individually like you do with these things on. You walk differently too...at least I do, very Indian like. Interesting to feel your toes when you step. If you have a longer second toe than your big toe, these things will be rather uncomfortable. My feet happen to be shaped just like the Fivefingers are designed so they fit just right. I would only run on grass in these things. Pose running or not I'm a bit of a heel striker. They are fantastic for non-running WODs for anyone that likes to be barefoot. My best use for these things will be keyaking. I can approach and portage with these on and then climb right in. I have a tight fitting Jackson 4 Fun and these will work perfectly in my boat. They are magnificently unique, feel good, work great for feeling barefoot without exposing your feet to the dangers of shoelessness and they rock for water sports. I have black on black and I look like I have gorilla feet.