Stop your forefoot fantasies about running

[@dannydixon4313]

People will perform all sorts of mental gymnastics to refuse accepting injuries and inefficient running form can usually be fixed by ‘running as often, as far, and as hard as your body can handle’ It feels like I’ve stumbled across a cheat code to just stop worrying about carbon plates, GCT and cadence when I couldn’t consistently run an easy 10km on back to back days. Thanks for always being a voice for real common sense and critical thought and somehow still keeping it fun

[@mv80401]

I gave this thumbs up at ~3min because Fredrik is asking the right questions, questions that are not only relevant but have verifiable answers you can't wriggle out of.

[@hexfire]

Amazing video and one of the most important in running circles. I will share it on every occasion. It has long been known that heel striking is 100% natural, but some people keep stubborn in their belief that it's only forefoot striking which is "healthy" and "right".

[@FEWGEE1]

I used to be a heel striker, and was plagued by injuries. I haven't been injured once since I switched to a mid foot strike.

[@cristian-adrianfrasineanu9855]

Papa Zillen is the Layne Norton of running

[@faulypi]

Keep up the good work. This is one of the most educational running channels. I have seen the same issue when I record video of my runs, my perception of my stride differs from what I am doing.

[@ebrensi]

Thanks this is a great video. I am a habitual barefoot runner and I totally agree. It is totally possible to heel strike and overstride barefoot. I know because I have been running mostly barefoot for 20 years and still work on it. Whenever I hear people say barefoot running forces a forefoot strike I always want to say that's not true, but it's become such a trope.

[@303anders]

Thank you for correcting the all knowing socialmedia experts! 😂 It’s easy to see how you are running with your running shoes wearout point. But I guess it doesn’t matter. I learned from my years as a runner that we are all built different and that makes people run in different ways to get the best energy return from running. It’s easy to say that something is right for everyone but that’s always wrong.

[@ddddggjgjhjhjhjk]

I started running this year and already completed multiple half marathons (sub 1:30). One thing I have deliberately done is ignore advice online on how to run. I think I’ve benefited from just going out and running rather than trying to change how I run. I’ve gone through multiple pairs of shoes now and I have a clear wear pattern on the outside heel area and forefoot. This is my natural landing and I couldn’t care less

[@endakis1]

not sure you can deduce anything from this one way or the other. happy you get good results

[@thadstuart8544]

Very thought provoking. Thanks for sharing

[@PeterLindmark-w2n]

Back in the late (19)80’s the pronounced formula of running was a ”rolling” stride - i.e. a lot of heel. As a very fit crosscountry and orientering runner with interest in marathon I tested/changed my stride according to this theory. Injured immediately. I have seen and believe ”fore foot runners” that only change their stride (from their actual fitness level) only run awkward… Looking at shoes are a teller - if You run without changing stride with intention. My sometimes ”road shoes” showed a smidge of wear at the heel, somewhat more on the toe region. My crosscountry/orienteering shoes had virtually no heel wear. I believe that stride type is simply a matter of posture in different running. After five years non-running I today can not run slow with my natural posture (I am too weak, simply), but rising posture and speed feels fine - for a short while. I will not change from my natural ”silent stride” but that does not include any experiments with forced fore foot running. Thanks for a great video on the subject! 🙂

[@ancientmuppet2432]

I am a heel striker, but if I increase my cadence I tend to strike midfoot. I change cadence through a workout depending on the terrain and how I am feeling.

[@michaelhatch1994]

I think it would be a useful study to see how the carbon shoe has changed runners stride to get the maximum advantage from the mechanics of the shoe. It is my personal observation (obviously with no evidence) that when I run in my almost super shoes (the same brand you run in on the treadmill video portion) I have a slightly better perceived mechanical response if I can focus the majority of the landing just behind the midfoot position. As an older runner my stride length, strides per minute and speed is considerably lower than a marathon or track athlete of any quality. Considering the number of strides in any race above 5k even a few centimeters gain in stride length provides a significant time change.

[@OldManRunning-dj7qi]

Great vid as always. Thanks.

[@garyholder5873]

I like to train barefooted on track and natural surfaces, but I road run in shoes. I figure being barefoot will show, for sure, what a person's natural run actually is. I also think a strong musculature foot inside a protective shoe makes a runner somewhat enhanced. Having said that, barefoot is quick, really quick.

[@fernandoserrano9393]

I heel strike when I run barefoot, it’s about a cm from the back of the foot.

[@NicolasVERMANDE]

And how about checking where your shoes wear out first to determine exactly where your foot lands? :)

[@LuisRamos-qw1gj]

Keep up the good work!

[@lowzyyy]

3:45 Yehualaw not only heelstrike, she is overstriding too

[@drbachimanchi]

I am able to activate my hips if i land just before heel on the laterally on side of feet ...

[@marc_frank]

pretty interesting that the marathon study and barefoot tribe study found about the same percentage of heelstrikers

[@flameace]

Well there was this daniel Lieberman who compared barefoot runners and shod runners on force plate. With shoes in there is this big initial spike on force from heel strike, and with barefoot running there isn't such spike. So, how it visually looks like isn't where "forefoot fantasies" come from. It is indeed possible to study how much, when and what parts take the force.

[@successfulstone]

Why is the spike assumed to be bad? Mechanistic data is well and good, but when the real world studies don't show a great difference in injury rates, it's hard to interpret what the spike means for injury/efficiency/performance/biomechanics. Of course certain movement patterns changes the risk of injuries in some areas, but that doesn't automatically mean everyone should run with one specific foot strike

[@flameace]

@@successfulstone Well, I agree on that. Mr Zillen just told in the video that it can be determined only visually how footstrike happens, while it has been studied that barefoot running indeed changes footstrike.

[@CoachChristianHofors]

Grym film Fredrik. Tack

[@tetsuth]

The barefoot woman isn't even running . Her weight is still on the back leg when her heel contacts the ground; she never becomes air-born in which case landing on her heel would hurt.

[@swede178]

Fredrik! Jag har en videoidé till dig. Jag brukar blanda in minst en intervallträning i veckan. Häromdagen föreslog klockan att jag skulle köra sprint istället, så 10 sek max istället för 30 sek mycket snabb jogg. Vilken av dessa två ger den bästa anaeroba träningen? 😊

[@simonskoogh17]

Sprint är nästan bara anaerobt. Tränar du för längre distanser skulle jag säga det är onödigt att fokusera på anaerob träning, det systemet kommer inte till användning(möjligtvis i slutet när du sprintar på ett 5km race). Sprint kan dock va bra för löpmekanik och styrka i benen👍🏻

[@till_57]

I have seen some of your videos where I did not agree with your message. Knowing that there would be no way to convince you, I never left a comment. This video however is great.

[@radomirsretenovic8492]

I have explanation. Modern Running shoes has SOFT 35mm or thicker heel sole thickness. So when you hit road with heel, load is instantly distributed full foot size.

[@HealthandExercise-ht1zl]

My exact thought. And also.. the heel on those shoes stick out, it will contact the ground first even if they don't actually put any real load on the heel. Put them in a minimalist shoe (thin flat sole, no heel) and a lot of those heel strikes will magically turn into midfoot/forefoot strike without actually changing their step. My point? It's not really about what "touches" the ground first, it's what is _loaded_ and when/how. Edit: wrote this while watching the video, and he talks about the loading after about midway.

[@brentg2792]

Heel striking causes me to run from my hips. Switched to landing on the ball of foot and glutes got more activated and cadence picked up. Not optimal for my mechanics to heel strike.

[@mohammadsweileh284]

like that i always watch a New stuff here, not old science repeated over and over the internet!, intersting studies, never thought even among the barefoot habitual runners have variations! OFC if smn has a problem with what you said they should say why, what their resources and everything not just come out dry and say you're wrong. I had a theory in mind, that runners has variation of foot strike , if all has the same correct technique, bc of differences in body shapes and femur &tibial length. what do you think?

[@ChristopherLynchRunWild]

Hi Fredrik, good video, as a fully barefoot runner I land on the forefoot as you say, and my heels NEVER touch the ground . heel strikes barefoot send huge shocks up body when moving with any real pace. (I have slow mo’s on my channel) When we move heels up it’s more of a digitigrade posture, meaning the knee needs to be over the toe. I’d love to have a bigger conversation and on this point. Coming at the subject from an evolutionary standpoint, we evolved without shoes on meaning our natural gait should coincide with our barefoot abilities

[@Rob1066-]

I haven't been able to distance run most of my adult life. I'm 54 and haven't been able to run since my 30's. I discovered Coach Timo Limo and also ballet foot strengthening exercises for pointè. Now I can run again! Also, I use flat soled shoes.

[@lurifaxish]

Hey, hey, everyone knows the earth is flat!! 😂

[@Sergedb74]

Fredrik, I agree with you on this one, good analysis but two things, it certainly depends on the speed, some people think they do not heel strike because the heel or 1/3 of the whole foot will have a 1/3 contact time with the ground plus shoes with higher drops will probably cause more weight to be moved on the forefoot but it is still a heel strike of course. And second, you would be surprised that, in fact, there is no evidence that the globe spins around the sun but the other way around but, hey ... this is a secret.

[@MrFrescocotone]

It's wrong to take elite runners as running form examples to follow. Mechanics change dramatically when athletes constantly run at that speed CONSISTENTLY. Its the same as tennis. Technique has changed after modern strings, were introduced, surfaces kinda all amde the same, and modern fitness introduced. Copying champions' Technique for beginners is pointless

[@ligmasurvivor]

Also without one kidney you are lighter so your pace is faster 😆

[@RowOfMushyTiT]

8:08 Why you use some fat woman as your example and not Abebe Bikila?

[@marcoc2706]

Bad title

[@Acenis]

What if they learned to use their shoes lifted heel as a cushion instead of running naturally with forefoot because they wore shoes all their lives they never developed those nerve endings? Noone is able to run long distances on hard surfaces barefoot and still heel strike. It's just so much more painful and that lady you've shown clearly is not a good runner. Also you said some that are convinced they run forefoot and they don't... Thats because they have limited sensory feedback from shoes. How can you determine to keep your centre of mass stable while running if you can't even feel how you're running? Running shoes simply interfere with your running biomechanics because of their poor design made for fashion instead of functionality and if that isn't considered bad then I still don't understand your way of thinking. And that african tribe that probably just walk with water 20ks a day? Make them run long distance barefoot and see how they like heelstriking. Also this Bekele elite runner with heelstrike you've shown is known for lots of injuries.

[@robiniddon7582]

I think most of the runners in the world have grown up wearing shoes and yet many of them, including record holders, heel strike. Are you saying they would be even faster if they didn't? I don't understand the CoM comment, could you elaborate please? Why would elite athletes waste their time on running in fashion shoes? Wouldn't their coaches know what you know and get them to run in whatever shoe is designed for speed and not fashion?

[@Acenis]

@@robiniddon7582 What is CoM? Sponsoring is a big thing and big corpos have lot's of money. Why would they redesign the shoe if they can keep making $ on same mold over billions of sheep consumers. shoes with elevated heel and pointy toe came from horse riding way back in history when only elites rode them. Elevated heel locked with stirrups and ponty toes were easy to put in place. They were considered a fashion and to this day shoes are not foot shaped for some reason. Can you give me one?

[@thenayancat8802]

"Running shoes simply interfere with your running biomechanics because of their poor design made for fashion instead of functionality" Brother do you know how insane and ridiculous this sounds? You think the Alphafly and Vaporfly are designed for fashion...?

[@Acenis]

@@thenayancat8802 Can you please go and check foot anatomy? Since when big toe curves inwards???

[@thenayancat8802]

@@Acenis Have you ever tried on a well-sized pair of alphaflys?

[@emillsommer-kt4mb]

and that study is paid by which major shoe company

[@francesc5313]

XDDDDD

[@dcdno_one2393]

Except it wasn’t.

[@Steffne2743]

🤣

[@emillsommer-kt4mb]

@@dcdno_one2393 studies are not free, so who paid ?

[@thenayancat8802]

Big shoe is out to get you

[@carlos36917]

fitst of all as a runner you can't minimize and compare hip-knee injury with low knee injury, as you know hip - knee injury can take you away of running for good, (osteoarthris, knee replacemnet, etc) and there is not much research about injuries under the knee causing by forefoot runners. And you right forestrickers and mid-food strikers could be a good runners, but that's irrelevant to injuries that lead to impairment. Secondly you don't informate about food sensitivity, mainly barefoot people feel more sensitive in the heel rather than mid-foot. and please don't put videos of amateurs barefoot runners of their landing, people using barefoot shoues 24-7 we know exactly how to land, Lastly it looks that you have bias against barefoot people, if you really want to make a good video consult with people who use barefoot for long time

[@simonskoogh17]

How exactly does food increase sensitivity in the heel? If that statement applies, then every part of your body should be more/less sensitive to touch due to your diet.😂

[@emillsommer-kt4mb]

cool story swedish buddy, check on those african womens knees when they are 70

[@emillsommer-kt4mb]

It sounds like you're discussing the cultural and lifestyle differences that impact joint health, particularly the knees, and how regular physical activity, like deep squatting, plays a role in maintaining good mobility and strength over a lifetime. You're absolutely right that people in some African and Asian cultures tend to have better knee health, in part because they maintain physical practices that involve squatting or sitting in ways that strengthen their legs and joints. In many cases, squatting is a natural position for daily activities, like using the restroom or socializing, which helps keep the muscles around the knees strong and flexible. In contrast, many Westerners often don't engage in activities like deep squatting as part of their daily routine, and the lack of such natural movements can contribute to weaker knees and joint problems over time. Additionally, sedentary lifestyles and poor posture (such as prolonged sitting in chairs) can further strain the knees and lead to discomfort or degeneration. It's also important to note that cultural factors, such as the types of work people do, the availability of physical training or exercise, and the overall level of movement in daily life, can have a huge impact on joint health. For example, in societies where physical labor is more common or where people move around more throughout the day, there may be better joint function simply due to the natural use of the body in various ways. Maintaining mobility, flexibility, and strength through regular exercise like squats, stretching, and other forms of functional movement is key to sustaining healthy joints. It's a reminder that joint health is as much about lifestyle choices and cultural practices as it is about genetics or the specific activities one participates in. @neilj8224

[@RowOfMushyTiT]

Ye avg life span of 40, so we won't get to observe that.

[@PeterLindmark-w2n]

Back in the late (19)80’s the pronounced formula of running was a ”rolling” stride - i.e. a lot of heel. As a very fit crosscountry and orientering runner with interest in marathon I tested/changed my stride according to this theory. Injured immediately. I have seen and believe ”fore foot runners” that only change their stride (from their actual fitness level) only run awkward… Looking at shoes are a teller - if You run without changing stride with intention. My sometimes ”road shoes” showed a smidge of wear at the heel, somewhat more on the toe region. My crosscountry/orienteering shoes had virtually no heel wear. I believe that stride type is simply a matter of posture in different running. After five years non-running I today can not run slow with my natural posture (I am too weak, simply), but rising posture and speed feels fine - for a short while. I will not change from my natural ”silent stride” but that does not include any experiments with forced fore foot running. Thanks for a great video on the subject! 🙂