Should You Lift Barefoot for Better Gains? A Physical Therapist Weighs In
If you're a regular gym goer, spotting a few of your fellow peers lifting barefoot is likely no new sight. But for those who love shopping for new gym shoes, it still may leave you wondering: Should I lift barefoot? The answer is more complicated than a simple yes or no, but lifting barefoot can be highly beneficial for foot strength, stability, and heavier lifts.
"As a physical therapist, I encourage barefoot activity for the majority of healthy individuals, provided they approach it intelligently," says Troy Hurst, PT, DPT, and medical writer for Flow Feet Orthopedic Shoes. "I view the feet as the foundation of human movement. If the foundation is weak, placing a heavy load on top of it will inevitably lead to structural compensations elsewhere."
If you've been considering barefoot lifting and whether it’s right for you, read on for everything you need to know, including benefits, risks, and how to safely get started.
Benefits of Barefoot Training
Enhances Foot Strength and Stability
Barefoot lifting improves both foot strength and overall foot and ankle stability. This is largely due to improved proprioception and the increased demand placed on the intrinsic foot muscles, which normally rely on shoe support for stability and rigidity. The bottom of the foot is packed with mechanoreceptors, which are sensory nerve endings that communicate with your brain about pressure, balance, and ground contact.
"When you wear shoes, especially those with thick, cushioned foam midsoles, you dampen this sensory feedback," Hurst explains. "Lifting barefoot allows your nervous system to fully perceive weight shifts and balance changes, leading to faster and more efficient muscle recruitment."
Optimizes Force Transfer for Heavier Lifts
When you perform heavy exercises like deadlifts or squats in standard athletic shoes, the squishy foam compresses under the load. Meaning, some of the force you're generating to lift the weight is lost to compressing the shoe. By removing the compressible layer and standing directly on a hard surface, the full force you generate is transferred straight into the floor, often translating to more powerful lifts.
Allows for a Wider Base of Support
Lifting barefoot allows you to utilize the natural anatomy of the foot. Without the confinement of a narrow toe box, your toes can splay out against the floor, creating a wider base of support.
"When your feet are forced to actively grip the floor with your toes and root the tripod of your foot—the heel, first metatarsal head, and fifth metatarsal head—you create a rigid, highly stable platform that prevents unwanted energy leaks during a heavy lift," Hurst adds.
How to Progress to Barefoot Lifting
Since most of us have spent our entire lives wearing cushioned shoes, our feet and ankles have adapted to constant support. Accordingly, if someone goes from wearing highly structured motion-control shoes for years to immediately hitting maximal deadlift volume completely barefoot, they are setting themselves up for an injury.
"I advise my patients to integrate it very gradually, perhaps starting by taking their shoes off just for their warmup sets or for one specific exercise per session, allowing the tissues time to adapt to the new mechanical demands," he explains. "I cannot reiterate enough that the transition to barefoot lifting absolutely must be very gradual. It should happen over the course of several months, not days or weeks."
Who Shouldn't Lift Barefoot?
Despite the benefits, barefoot lifting may not be appropriate for certain populations, including those dealing with existing orthopedic issues. For example, if you’re in the middle of a painful flare-up of plantar fasciitis, dealing with a severe bunion that causes pain upon toe splay, or managing an acute Achilles or posterior tibialis tendinopathy, removing the support of a shoe too soon can worsen symptoms rather than help.
The same goes for individuals with certain acute or preexisting chronic conditions affecting the feet and ankles, which may include musculoskeletal and neurological conditions. It's imperative to consult your physician and physical therapist for personalized recommendations.
Best Lifts to Do Barefoot
The lifts that benefit most from a barefoot approach are closed-chain lower-body exercises and single-leg moves, including the following:
- Deadlifts
- Squats
- Bulgarian Split Squats
- Single-leg RDLs
- Reverse Lunges
Cons of Barefoot Lifting
Potential Injury Risk
"The most immediate obvious risk, and the one most people worry about, is the threat of dropping a heavy weight on an unprotected foot," Hurst says. "While this is a valid concern, the reality is that the mesh and foam of a standard running shoe offer almost zero protection against a heavy weight anyway."
Overuse
The biggest risk is progressing too quickly. Removing a shoe that provides arch support and heel elevation significantly increases demand on the Achilles tendon, calves, and intrinsic foot muscles. If these tissues aren’t adapted to the load, jumping straight into high volume or intensity can contribute to issues like Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and even metatarsal stress injuries.
Hygiene Concerns
"Walking around barefoot in a high-traffic commercial gym exposes you to fungal infections like athlete's foot or plantar warts, which is why barefoot lifting is often best reserved for home gyms or utilizing minimalist 'barefoot' style shoes in public spaces," Hurst says.
Related: New to Lifting? Coaches Say These Are the Best Weightlifting Shoes for Beginners
source https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/should-you-lift-barefoot-physical-therapist
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