1) Enhanced running efficiency; research has shown that running barefoot results in a 4% increase in efficiency. It is not clear why this is, though it is likely to be due in part to the toes and the arches of the foot being allowed to function more effectively without a stiff sole and unforgiving arch supports.

2) Facilitated venous return resulting in:

a. Decreased blood pressure; this is true – particularly if walking on uneven ground (ie cobbled streets or off road). The walking itself, of course, helps to support good cardiovascular function but, in addition, the fact that the foot strikes the ground at a slightly different angle with each step and is allowed to roll over the naturally convex heel (rather than a flat, straight, rubber plate) means that multiple muscle groups are activated resulting in greater pumping of blood back through the valve-based venous system (Vines 2005).

b. Reduced risk of deep vein thrombosis; for the same reason as above (2a) there is less pooling of blood in the lower leg and enhanced venous return.

c. Lower incidence of varicose veins; because there is better venous return, blood does not sit in the veins increasing pressure on the vein walls and creating varicosities. Instead it is pumped more efficiently back to the heart through enhanced muscular use in the lower leg.

3) Decreased ankle sprains; it is claimed that increased awareness of foot position from direct contact with the ground (Robbins et al., 1995) may decrease risk of ankle sprain – and/or the reduced leverage and consequently twisting around the ankle (sub-talar) joint from going “barefoot” minimizes the risk of spraining the joint during a stumble (Stacoff et al., 1996).

4) Lowered risk of shin splints; chronic ailments such as shin splints, ilio-tibial band syndrome and peri-patellar pain are attributed variously to altered biomechanical loading of the limbs (Siff and Verkhoshansky, 1999, p.451). When running barefoot on hard surfaces, the runner compensates for the lack of cushioning underfoot by plantar-flexing the foot at contact, thus giving a softer landing (Frederick, 1986). Barefoot runners also land mid-foot, increasing the work of the foot’s soft tissue support structures, thereby increasing their strength and possibly reducing the risk of injury (Yessis 2000, p.124).

5) Minimize back pain; walking barefoot means, inherently, that the only heel you’re walking on is your own. Walking wearing standard shoes means, almost inevitably, you’ll have an extra heel. Any change in the orientation of the heel instantly changes the mechanics of the arch of the foot, but importantly also changes the mechanics of the low back – increasing the curve. An increased curve in the low back means that the small facet joints on the back of the spine which are not designed for weight bearing (Bogduk 2003) become loaded and, across time, painful.

6) Enhance proprioception; 70% of the body’s terminal nerve endings finish in the hands and feet. Of course, if you look to the evolution of vertebrates you find that they progressed from fish, to tetrapods (ie forelimbs and hindlimbs in touch with the ground) then finally to bipeds. Bipedalism not only requires significant balance but, by definition, means that our only two consistent points of contact with our surrounding environment are our feet. This is reflected by the fact that there are 200,000 sensory nerve endings in the sole of the foot – more than anywhere else in the body.

7) Strengthen intrinsic foot musculature; just as when you support a broken limb with a plaster the muscles weaken and atrophy, so when you support a foot the muscles weaken and atrophy. Weak muscles make for greater injury risk, greater dependency on shoes, and impaired performance. Don’t let yourself become a statistic.

Maximise biomechanical performance; funnily enough, the arches of the foot evolved that way not by chance, but for a reason. Counter to the commonly held belief that the arches are there to absorb shock, in actuality the arches are designed to store energy and return that energy to the gait cycle on the next step. Similarly, the natural arches of the spine are designed to perfectly store energy as the body “derotates” during the gait cycle (Gracovetsky 1988, 1997, 2001). Wearing shoes that “support” the arch prevent the arches from performing their function, while any change in heel height above that of the forefoot results in changes to the spinal curves compromising energy storage and recoil in these two key areas for efficiency and performance.

9) Diminish risk of bunions; the traditional shape of shoes means that they round to a point somewhere in front of the 2nd or 3rd toe. This means that the big toe is often pushed towards the middle of the foot and the same is true of the little toe. This phenomenon coupled with a heel on the shoe – which loads the big toe even further – results in a deviation of the big toe called hallux valgus and ultimately bunions may develop.

10) Optimise balance / prevent falls; we mentioned above (point 6) that the feet provide significant sensory feedback to the brain and are therefore critical in balance and efficient gait. However, it is sad to learn that the leading cause of death in people of the age of 65 years is not heart attacks, not cancer and not strokes – but falling (Chek 2004). In fact, 25% of elderly people who fall and fracture a hip, die within 1 year of that fall.

(Taken from the website www.fivefingers.co.uk). 

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We live in a truly amazing time.  Gyms, studios and health clubs are chock full of new concepts, machines, gadgets and equipment.  There are more new techniques and theories being launched and explored all the time, many of these are repackaged versions of old methods, a few are truly innovative.  Whilst it’s great to have so much choice and opportunity within exercise, it can be very confusing to know what exercise to do.  They all promise the best results ever, they can’t all be right?!

Buzzwords come and go in the health and fitness industry, as quickly as they are the next big thing, then they have disappeared into oblivion.  The same goes for a lot of the egos and opinions that go with them.   One such buzzword is “functional training”.  This form of training usually comes with a lot of funky-looking equipment and exercises that may look like they’ve been lifted straight from a circus.  Functional Training tells us that the body should perform certain exercises to be able to qualify as “functional”, and that if you cannot hold your core abdominal muscles in then you must be “dysfunctional”.  However, it may well be that the very phrase “functional training” is a bit of an oxymoron.  The definition of function is to perform your given task or activity, whereas the definition of training is to prepare for your given task or activity.  Can the two be truly integrated? 

A good definition of function is doing what you do.  That could be any activity, from pushing a pram, to bench pressing  100kg to playing tennis.  Training, therefore, should come as close to that activity as possible in order to have the most benefit and carryover.  It could be suggested that rather than functional training, a more suitable description could be Training for Function.

Human function is defined according to three sciences; the physical science, the biological science and the psychological science.

 The Physical science refers to the laws of physics, defined by Isaac Newton.  These state that we act and move due to, against and with gravity, ground reaction force and momentum.  These forces are tolerated, overcome or used by the body to allow successful movement and completion of certain tasks.   They can also be increased or decreased in order to improve movement.  This is most usually achieved through what are known as Drivers.  Drivers are objects that literally drive movement in a desired way.  Common drivers include dumbells, barbells, kettlebells, bodyblades, powerbags, cables and theraband tubing. 

The Biological science refers to the physiology, biomechanics and neurology of the human body and, in no small part how it reacts to to the laws of the physical science.  By using certain drivers, the componants of the biological science can be manipulated to give a desired training effect.  The above Drivers are commonly used to manipulate the biological science.

The third science, and possibly the most important, is the Psychological science.  This refers to the influence of the mind, body and spirit.  An individual’s emotional goals, motivation and levels of enjoyment play an integral part in whether they achieve success or not.  These are Drivers in themselves.  People enjoy doing things that they are good at, in an environment in which they feel comfortable.  The Drivers mentioned above are all commonly used to created such an environment.

If all of these sciences are adhered to correctly, then the individual will by definition be training in their function. 

A common theme here is that Drivers are all used  to create the correct training environment for success in their chosen activity.  So, in actual fact these Drivers are merely tools to be used to manipulate the three sciences.  This may help in the decision of which of these tools to use for training.

No single piece of equipment or exercise can define these three sciences, they are simply tools that may be used highly effectively create the most appropriate environment for the three sciences to exist.  How these tools are used is crucial.  If not applied appropriately, even the most up-to-date dumbell, kettlebell is merely an inaminate piece of metal, and the funkiest exercise is just monkeying around! 

The skill of a real “Functional Trainer” is to be able to use the tool to build the movement, not let the movement be defined by the tool.

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