Vibram 5 Fingers

[TITAN14]

I saw a few threads on this forum that mentioned these shoes.

I have a pair of the Black KSOs.

First off since they are black not many people notice them unless they are really observant. This will obviously not be the case if you get the bright red ones. I get a few looks but socially you can't go wrong with these in my experience. I have met a few girls wearing them and they go over really well especially with the Hiking/Rock Climbing crowd. I have been approached twice by black guys who live in my apartment building asking about my "crazy ass" shoes. They wanted to get a pair because they were unique and unusual and felt that no one they knew would have anything like them. If you are really social these are great conversation starters.

I wear them as much as possible and for that I get stiff/sore feet in the mornings when I first set my feet on the ground. I attribute this to a lifetime of wearing shoes and not getting a proper workout for my foot muscles. I expect this problem to go away over time as my feet get used to proper use again. In truth you can't get better than going barefoot but these are a close second. Going barefoot prevents problems like athletes foot and allows proper posture and body mechanics. But since we are all more or less expected to wear shoes these are going to be as good as it gets for a lot of people. I spent the summer trying to toughen up my feet but I just spend too much time in the office with shoes on to achieve this. You can learn more about the benefits of going barefoot at barefooters.org and barefoot living web sites. My balance has improved substantially and I can actually tell that my feet are stronger. Wearing 5 fingers shoes will make you much more sure footed.

So if you want or need to have some sort of shoe on but you want to have all the benefits of being barefoot these are for you. I wear these fore every single workout and I won't be going back to shoes with thick soles any time soon. Your sense of the ground is so much better with these on (or barefoot). Achieving correct weight distribution on your feet is very easy therefore you will get better posture, form and control in your lifts.

[mjh]

I saw a few threads on this forum that mentioned these shoes.

and which threads would they be, Mr Spammy?

[Daniel]

If I had to guess, it would probably be this one: nike-free-7-0-t9186.html

[honesty]

Have to say though, would really like to get a pair of fivefingers, but they're 80 quid over here...

[Young Athlete]

I saw a few threads on this forum that mentioned these shoes.

and which threads would they be, Mr Spammy?

They are mentioned in more then one thread, i think he was just trying to help us out. It's not like he was linking to the site and just saying buy these.

Yeah the Vibrams look interesting my get a pair when my feet are for sure done growing. They are pretty expensive so I don't want to grow out of a pari

[mjh]

I may be wrong (again). The post screams of astroturf to me.

[helm]

even though I also find those shoes interesting, I have to support mjh.

why would someone put so much effort into writing a long, positive text about a product he/she is not related to or paid to do so?
would you do that? the average user doesn't. if people leave a comment, either positive or negative, they leave a short comment. sometimes someone does take the time to list the pros and cons, which creates a longer text. but if you find a comment that only praises a product, or only contains negative aspects, you should think twice who might have posted it. that kind of marketing is not very uncommon, and it often reaches its goals, staying undetected.
I'm currently working on my master thesis, which also includes a part about online text comments/ consumer reviews on products and their influence on potential buyer's decision. and apparently these comments influence you and your decisions more than you would think...

if you want to know more, take a look at word of mouth marketing, viral marketing and all that jazz.

[TITAN14]

Rampant speculation.

I was trying to help and by my standards that is not a long post at all. I really love lifting and I love the 5 Fingers Shoes so I wanted to share my experience with them. I guess I was naive to think that I would be received openly since I have zero credibility on this forum. Anyway I can understand the caution. Nothing is safe any more.

[helm]

you're right, the point that made your post look suspicious was that it was your first post ever. so there's no credibility at all, especially since this happens quite often recently - a new forum member shows up and recommends some product - and in most cases it's spam.

so thanks TITAN14 for coming back and explaining. and welcome to the forum!
are you following the stronglifts routine? why not keep a log here to share your stats & progress, even if you're doing another program?

[bigwhat62]

I saw a few threads on this forum that mentioned these shoes.

and which threads would they be, Mr Spammy?

haha!

[mjh]

so thanks TITAN14 for coming back and explaining. and welcome to the forum!
are you following the stronglifts routine? why not keep a log here to share your stats & progress, even if you're doing another program?

seconded. I hope you won't let my suspicious welcome put you off the forums.

[jdkent]

I just got a pair of Vibrams. I've run maybe 20 miles on them. I wore them to the gym yesterday and did squats. I really like the feel of actually having my heel to the ground. I definitely think there's something to the whole "barefoot" experience. You definitely have to work your way in gradually. My feet have been pretty sore from running. From what I've read, your feet toughen up over 2-3 months.

[Shoebox]

Just wanted to chime in with my two cents here.

I picked a pair of these up last week after looking at them for a while, and on the recommendation of a friend who's been training for a marathon in them.

I really really like them thus far, sore feet, bit painful at first, but they feel stronger. Don't try to run more than a couple miles in them at first, my friend made this mistake and apparently it kills your calves.

I'll post here again after a couple months and see what my progress with them is like.