Why Your Feet Are Weak AF! - Modern Day Shoes Are Trash
A lot of people experience low back pain, knee pain, hip pain etc. The majority of these problems start from ground up. Meaning that a lot of these ailments could be avoided if they had strong feet to begin with. I've made a strong statement for the title of this blog but i'm about say why & i'll leave it up to you agree or disagree based on what you read. So if you're ready, let's get right into it.
The Problem
Modern trainers, sneakers & shoes don't promote healthy strong feet, these shoes compress your toes together all day along, which actually make your feet weaker over a prolonged period of time. Eventually this leads to the detorioration of joints and muscles in the body which supringsly can affect your lower back.
Another issue that most people don't realise is that your foot is supposed to have a natural arch to support the patella (knee). Unfortunately modern day shoes don't support the arch leading to people having flat feet. If you don't already know this, you should be able to generate a lot of explosive power through your feet. However with flat feet you're significantly limited in your capabilities to carry out such actions.
Also not mention the next point of contact after the feet which are the ankles are take a beating if you have weak feet, An Interesting Australian study showed that "Shoes with air bubbles or pockets are 4x times more likely to cause a sprain in the ankle". This study was carried out on 22nd April 2001.
The Solution
First things first, It makes sense to acknowledge the issues your currently facing. Then you need to spend more time in shoes that allow your toes to completely space out or train barefoot. I typically train barefoot when i'm not doing cardio. I use shoes as protection.
Next, create a feet strengthening regimen that you can follow 2-3 times per week & it doesn't have to be super difficult. The key is to make this easy to follow whilst incorporating an element of progression each time.
Now, I mentioned that I train barefoot unless i'm doing cardio, I understand most of you don't necessarily want to do that due to lack of hygiene on floors. So here's a solution which also an investment in your health that you can consider: