This is an important distinction to make because an exercise deemed contraindicated for a back care class may not be contraindicated for group of professional football players training during the off-season. And because of the variety of body shapes, sizes and abilities of people in general, what might be considered contraindicated for one person may not be for another.

Due to the nature of group exercise, it would be nearly impossible to make those determinations for each and every student and for multiple exercises or movements. Therefore, to err on the conservative side we often label an exercise as contraindicated if it is potentially unsafe for anyone in any class. In private or semi private training, the needs of the individual can be catered to more specifically, therefore only exercises specifically contraindicated for that individual need to be eliminated.

There are certainly exercises that are contraindicated for most people including athletes. For example, exercises that repeatedly load the ligaments of the joints without protection from the muscles will ultimately lead to instability and injury. Loading of the ligaments occurs when joints move past a “normal” range of motion and rely in the ligaments to hold things in place.

An example of this is the “hurdler stretch”. Once a very common stretching exercise seen at track meets, in group exercise classes and with team stretching, it is now generally accepted as a contraindicated stretch. The reason for this is due to the stress placed on the inside of the knee joint of the back leg while it is held in place. The stress is placed on the ligaments of the knee from the hip position above and the foot position below.

hurdler stretch

Repeated squatting, with weights and using poor form could be bad for the knees of someone with an existing knee injury or with poor lower body mechanics. But overall the squat is a safe and very effective functional exercise.

An exercise or movement may be contraindicated for you right now, especially if it causes pain. We know pain is a warning sign and telling the body it does not appreciate what you are doing to it. But an exercise is not necessarily contraindicated for life. Over the years we’ve had hundreds of clients be able to do exercises and movements they thought they would never do again. Bending, reaching, twisting, shifting-all things that we need to do in life and are better prepared for through the right exercises.

Be smart about what you do, but don’t assume you can never do something again. You might be cheating yourself of a more fulfilling life.

Really? Is that your earth shattering insight into making the world a fitter more functional place? All these back to nature workouts would be great if our society was not what it is today. Our movement repertoire has “devolved” in the last 20 years or more.

As the modern history of fitness shows us, the pendulum always swings way too far in one direction before sanity returns. Most outdoor-only, “natural” movement purists have not been around long enough professionally to have seen the evolution of where the industry is today. We leave behind that which has no value and we utilize all options at our disposal in the best interest of our client.

Don’t get me wrong. I am all for getting outside and using the body in the many forms of play or workouts. When we started Function First way back in 1994, we were doing what we called “Adventure Workouts”. These consisted of full body workouts at a local high school obstacle course, trail runs and strength stations we created in Torrey Pines State Park and full body beach workouts-all of which preceded the boot camp boom that came many years later. We were doing outdoor functional movements long before the word “boot camp” was part of the fitness vernacular.

The facts are, you cannot do everything you want to do with all of your clients all the time outside with no tools to add to the mix. To imply that we just need to get outside and move lacks a thorough understanding of the client/athlete that we all work with.

Why do we need Olympic Training Centers with state of the art strength and conditioning facilities? Why don’t those with back injuries just go out and chop wood for rehab? I’ll give you my top 7 reasons why we need more than just a get-back- to- nature workout. From the practical to the technical, here’s why we need our tools:

7. Your clients won’t want it all of the time. Sure, they might enjoy one or two workouts outside a week. But if that is all you have to offer, I can guarantee they are going somewhere else for their workouts on the other days. And if they do only want to train outside, you have an extremely small customer base to draw from.

6. Weather. If you do outdoor only workouts in Minnesota, how’s business in January? How about Phoenix in August? Not likely that these places are very conducive those times of year for outdoor exercise. If we want to help instill consistency in our clients, we need to be consistent in our offerings.

5. Perception. Let’s face it, a bare bones workout in the middle of park can be perceived as a bare bones budget. People can do push-ups, planks and body weight lunges at home. Clients might perceive a lack of individuality and customization to their programming.

4. Gravity. There are limits in determining the force vector best suited for the client. Gravity is the constant as we know, but gravity alone limits what direction we want the force vector to act on the body. Sure, the more fit the participant the more possible options. But again, you limit your market size and still have a finite number of movements.

3. Variety. The mind and body love variety for learning and engagement. If you would like to compare your outdoor-only exercise library with my exercise library just let me know. How many ground based push-varieties can you come up with? Regardless of your answer, introducing one of any number of pieces of equipment trumps that because we can do all of yours plus those with equipment.

2. Not-so-natural. As someone who works with clients with musculoskeletal challenges, what is often referred to as “natural” movements isn’t so natural anymore. Years of dysfunction are layered on top of and intertwined with muscles and connective tissue. And even though the nervous system determines when and to what extent a muscle fires, the physical characteristics of the muscle and its surrounding fascia determine whether or not it can execute. Send that feedback to the nervous system regularly and it adapts accordingly. We see 35 year olds who can’t decelerate down stairs without a handrail. Not a chance they can successfully execute walking lunges across a field.

1. Specificity. To be able to provide the best possible programming requires designing around the client’s needs, goals and limitations. We do this by manipulating the environment. If we know what the body needs/wants but it can’t get there on its own, we create the environment for success using the tools in our toolbox. Whether it’s influencing a joint position, increasing the load or adding novelty to the proprioceptive system, the right tool for the right job makes all the difference in the world.

All too often a client’s body is asked to cash a check it does not have the funds for. With the right tools and mastery of the training environment, we can lead our clients down a path to movements of all kinds in all places. So many great tools are conducive to outdoor workouts and others are not. We should not limit ourselves through a single-minded philosophy. It’s not about us. It’s about the person writing that check to us.

In Part I, we explored the pros and cons of the FiveFinger’s foot support. It can be great for some people to regain the dynamic mobility that the foot is designed to have, but may be overwhelming for those who are accustomed to highly supportive footwear. In Part II, we’ll examine how well FiveFingers protect the feet and how comfortable they really are – compared to traditional footwear.

Protection

Whether it’s braving the weather or the ability to walk on rough surfaces such as asphalt, protecting the soles of the feet is a must for many of us who were born with shoes on. It’s important to compare the traditional shoes to the Fivefingers in terms of thickness and levelness of soles from heel to toe – as each have their pros and cons.

Fivefingers have a very thin and flexible sole (roughly 4 mm) that is leveled evenly from heel to toe. This characteristic awakens receptors in the foot and can result in changes in normal walking/running patterns – which, due to the thick soles and heel lifts, you will not find in traditional shoes. When running in Fivefingers, you’ll quickly learn that landing on your bony heels can be uncomfortable. This discovery may cause your foot to switch its landing to the area where the midfoot and heel meet. This switch may help you take advantage of the spring-like nature of the foot; which was designed to allow for minimal energy expenditure and improve gait efficiency. However, your foot is most likely not conditioned to walk or run on pebbles, rock, glass, hard dirt, concrete, etc. Be prepared to feel EVERY single step you take. Also, one must be cautious of stepping on sharp surfaces that may penetrate the shoe. Our friends, over at the American Council on Exercise, recently published an article that discussed how most people actually need to re-learn how to walk/run in Fivefingers. Simply putting a pair on will not automatically cause you to move better – it must be a conscious change.

In comparison, traditional athletic shoes come with heavily padded heels. So much so, that the heel rests about 1-2 inches above the toes. This has a dramatic influence on how we move and carry our posture. Try this: Stand up, lift your heels up off the floor just 1-2 inches, and balance there. What did you notice? What did your knees, hips, and/or torso do? More than likely, you had to flex your knees, shift or tilt your pelvis forward, and/or lean your torso forward to maintain your center of gravity. Even a slight heel lift in your shoe, changes your center of gravity resulting in a change in postural alignment. Over time, these changes can be disadvantageous because it is energy expensive to maintain the unnatural posture. It also stresses numerous tissues and joints that are commonly painful or sore in many people; such as, the knees, low back, upper back, shoulders, and neck.

To sum up, the Fivefingers may not protect the soles of the feet as well as traditional shoes, but they may do a better job of protecting one’s posture from deteriorating. If you choose to wear Fivefingers, it may be best to start with walking and strength-training – and then gradually progressing to running and more athletic movement. If you enjoy running in Fivefingers, I would recommend sticking to “real” surfaces only (e.g., grass, dirt, sand), as opposed to concrete. This helps avoid, not only the hard impact, but also the repetitiveness of a flat surface.

Comfort

Let me be completely honest here. Putting on FiveFingers for the first time was a big pain in my gluteus maximus! It took me over 20 minutes to put my first pair on and I was sweating bullets. Putting on, what is essentially a glove for your foot, and trying to wiggle your toes into the correct holes is no easy task – especially considering what poor control most of us have over moving our toes and feet. But with more practice, I can now slip them on and off in seconds.

So a common question I get is, “Are they comfortable?” ABSOLUTELY! If you can find the right size and you don’t have a funky shaped foot, there’s a good chance you’ll be calling these your most comfortable pair of shoes in your closet and wearing them around town every chance you get. Plus, they come in many styles, although some styles may be more comfortable than others (which I’ll talk more about in part III). Heck, they even have a casual FiveFingers that is soon to be released. But beyond the physical comfort, they may actually be mentally uncomfortable for some. Again, these shoes are not the most attractive on the market and they definitely make you stand out. Beware of people staring, pointing, talking behind your back, or stopping you in your tracks to discuss your footwear. On the other hand, this may be a great way to help you become more social!

A last note on the comfort level of the FiveFingers, I must address the “stank” factor. Yes, your feet and FiveFingers will stink up the joint after a few wears. The nice thing is you can throw them in with your laundry every week (and then air dried). Baby powder and wearing special toe socks can also help keep the stank factor down. Ultimately, I just wanted to give you a quick heads up of what’s to come.

In Part 3, we’ll look at the many styles of the FiveFingers, along with some other Minimalist Shoes that have recently hit the market to give you a better idea of what may best suit your needs and desires.

Derrick Price MS, CPT, PES, CES has been active on many levels in the fitness industry for over 8 years. He holds a MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion with an emphasis on injury prevention and performance enhancement from the California University of Pennsylvania where he has also spent time as an Adjunct Faculty member teaching courses in Exercise Program Design. Aside from personal training 20 hours a week, Derrick also is a Master Trainer for ViPR and PowerPlate. He began his educational career as a Master Instructor for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and has since moved on to become a Faculty Member for the Personal Training Academy Global. To inquire about personal training, Derrick can be reached at dprice@functionfirst.com.

References

https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednews/images/article/pdfs/ACEVibramStudy.pdf

Vibram’s Fivefingers

By Derrick Price MS, CPT, PES, CES

They’re ugly, funky and a bit pricey. And yet they’re ever increasing in popularity, especially in the health and fitness community. Personal trainers, doctors, massage therapists, chiropractors, and now, even your kids may be sporting them. So the obvious question for all of us: Should I trade in my traditional sneaks for a pair of these hideous contraptions?

To answer this question, we must first pose another: What is the purpose of wearing a shoe? We all have different reasons – style, support, protection, and comfort. Those are just a few reasons that come to mind. I’m no expert in fashion, so let’s explore support, protection, and comfort.

Support

FiveFingers fall under a new category of shoe type called the Minimalist shoe – with the idea that they are as close to walking around barefoot without actually being barefoot. In other words, they provide as minimal support for your foot compared to your traditional athletic shoe. This can be good and/or bad.

The Good

Consider this – the foot has 33 joints, a plethora of muscles and connective tissue, and not to mention enough sensitive receptors that it rivals the tongue in its ability to feel the most minute details. What this means is our feet are designed to move dynamically over ever-changing surfaces. This unique structure is designed to create, slow down, and transfer the high-impact forces of walking, running, jumping, climbing, stepping, and squatting in all different directions. Now imagine what happens to our feet when we wear shoes and socks that squish our toes together and minimize foot movement? Not only do we lose the ability to create, slow down and transfer multi-directional forces through all 33 joints in the foot, we also lose the ability to feel the earth underneath us. This can have a huge impact on, both, our static posture and locomotion; which may lead to acute and chronic pain in other areas of the body such as ankle sprains, knee pain, low back stiffness and even shoulder/neck discomfort. Wearing a minimalist shoe like the Fivefingers may allow your body to re-capture the mobility that the feet are designed to have – resulting in improved posture and movement.

The Bad

No support for a foot that has lost the ability to move dynamically or never had the ability to begin with (e.g., structural abnormality) may have its fair share of negative consequences. It’s like asking a person who has driven an automatic their entire life to switch to manual. It may feel like you’re learning how to walk all over again .That’s where the “itis” may come out from hiding, e.g., plantarfascitis, tendonitis, bursitis. It’s a lot to ask the body to move without the support it has been accustomed to for decades; which is why, if you decide to give the Fivefingers a test run, understand it’s slow learning curve for, both, the mind and body.

In Part 2, we’ll explore how the Fivefingers differ in both protection and comfort. In Part 3, I’ll give you my recommendations on trying out a minimalist shoe. Until then, feel free to continue mocking those weirdos who think these finger shoes are cool.

Derrick Price MS, CPT, PES, CES has been active on many levels in the fitness industry for over 8 years. He holds a MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion with an emphasis on injury prevention and performance enhancement from the California University of Pennsylvania where he has also spent time as an Adjunct Faculty member teaching courses in Exercise Program Design. Aside from personal training 20 hours a week, Derrick also is a Master Trainer for ViPR and PowerPlate. He began his educational career as a Master Instructor for the National Academy of Sports Medicine and has since moved on to become a Faculty Member for the Personal Training Academy Global.