In case the term "barefoot" is unfamiliar to you in the context of exercise, and you're suffering visions of losing all the skin on the soles of your feet to uneven pavements, let me enlighten you: for a number of years now, and for decades in elite athlete circles, the concept of running "barefoot" - either without shoes or wearing shoes that mimic going barefoot as far as possible - has been gaining credence as the best way to train and compete.
When it comes to running, the theory is that shoes structured with plenty of support encourage runners to strike the ground with their heel first, where a barefoot runner would hit the ground with the fore or midfoot first. We were not designed to run wearing shoes, so the logic goes that running barefoot allows our skeleto-muscular system to move as it was meant to, leaving the barefoot runner less prone to aches and pains and better equipped to perform at an optimum level.
If you have seen people in the gym wearing funny-looking Velcro shoes with an individual slot for each toe, they are barefoot converts and the shoes are the popular Vibram FiveFingers. The wearer is also engaging in the most recent stage in the barefoot experiment, which extends the concept beyond running and into other forms of exercise. The catch-all term is "barefoot training", which could mean lifting weights, doing circuits inside or taking part in one of the new barefoot classes on offer in a number of gyms. The added benefit is that if you're training inside, although there will be certain health and safety niggles if you're in a public space, you can ditch the Vibrams and exercise as nature intended, wearing no shoes at all.
"We need to get back to the patterns of movement our bodies have adapted to through the evolution of the foot," explains Stephen McKirgan, who launched dedicated barefoot training classes in London's Third Space gyms in December. "We are aiming to re-educate people on how to develop and use the senses they have in their feet. How can you expect somebody who has their feet bound by laces tied too tightly to be able to sense changes in surface variables and adjust accordingly? You can't." To address this, McKirgan, a personal trainer who specialises in working with the body's natural and holistic movements, has designed the barefoot classes to help clients develop their postural muscles, reduce overall tension, prevent injury and, ultimately, improve performance.
Virgin Active introduced a barefoot class called Willpower & Grace to its schedule last year. It is an energetic mix of aerobic, dance and yoga moves set to music, put together by trainer and dancer Stacey Lei Krauss, who has been teaching her willPower method in the US for more than 10 years. "Our feet are our base," she explained at the first class. "Everything else comes from there. But we've been hiding them away in shoes for years. We work hard on the rest of our bodies, but forget about the feet."