The concept of working out without wearing shoes or any other covering for the feet might seem a bit odd at the least for the average gym-goer, but according to Lacee Lazoff, who is the kettlebell specialist & trainer at Performix House, which is a high-end New York City gym, shoes are just protective pads for the feet & can eliminate feeling & mask the different receivers which a human being has in their feet which send signals to muscles.
With the removal of padding, the feet make direct contact with the ground, which makes it easier to feel the muscles doing their job.
There are three main reasons why one should consider start attending the gym sessions barefoot. They are an increased sense of situational awareness, increased capacity to exert force & increased muscle use.
When wearing a shoe & lifting, it will be like trying to lift a weight on an unstable surface. While this may be useful when practicing balancing, but in other situations, it may not be very useful. In that case, exercising barefoot can be very useful.
On top of that, going barefoot can keep the legs & the posture in the best shape by providing more strength to the muscles in the lower legs.
When there is a question of whether the entire concept of working out barefoot is safe or not, the short answer to that will be yes, as long as the person does not make silly mistakes such as dropping weights on their feet.
As with all exercises, starting slowly & steadily is key to avoiding injuries. Soon after going barefoot, lifting the usual weights should be avoided. Start with smaller weights, gradually going up to the regular weights. Weight should be increased slowly as the feet adjust to the feeling of touching the ground with nothing in between. Exercising with barefoot might be associated with its usual soreness of the feet, but the results will be outstanding.
