Hamstrings vs Hip Flexors
This is going to be quick and easy. Will barefoot running make you a better runner? No, it will not. Yes, it will change your mechanics, but that doesnt mean all for the better. Barefooting is a tool and should be used as that. Period. Your feet are not conditioned whether you like it or not (caveman or not) to be barefoot all the time. 40,000 years of evolution says so, paleo man. That does not mean you need motion control shoes.
The video below is of Usain Bolt and all those he raced against when he broke the world record (on one occasion). I want you to notice how quickly his foot comes off the ground (this is the hamstrings in action), and then as his foot comes back towards mother earth and almost how it stalls or just floats to the ground underneath him. You will see very little if zero knee lift after the foot has been pulled the full distance to under his hips. This is an indication that the hamstrings are the primary mover. As his foot drops you will notice that it is in a postion in which a lot of people have interpreted hip flexion, and its easy to see that, BUT because the foot and leg are in a recovery place, gravity is pulling down and the hip flexor does not need to be active. A lot of coaches will say you want to drive towards the ground, yet this is not occurring as the speed it takes the foot to get down is not in sync with the speed it is pulled, this is why its blurry as he pulls his foot from the ground.
Now we have a video of Haile Gebrselassie running by himself, then against Paul Tergat. In both of these clips the only changes are the speed of the pull and how high the foot travels as a result of the faster more agressive pull. Then we have a clip of Dr. Romanov running on ice. Again, same technique. So far we have 3 different speeds… Sprint, fast, and someone on ice. Hamstrings being used as the primary mover in all.
Next week have a slew of runners going by at the Boston Marathon. The peeps in the big shoes obviously have an entire other set of issues, including the cushioned heel strike. They all actually have some similar issues. In the middle we have a barefoot runner. I want you to notice where the pull of the foot stops moving vertically towards the hip. You will then notice that the knee pulls forward. This is the hip flexors making up for where the hamstring stops. You will also notice that as the foot drops from the pulled position that the leg winds up in a position that looks – oh so familiar – with many of the hip flexor drills that many coaches, and “writers” are putting out. You need to understand that gravity’s role is constant and you are not actually accelerating to the ground (try jumping rope with that concept! Actually dont.), your foot and leg are falling into position. If you do activate the hip flexors though, you may fall into reaching for the ground as well as the chain reaction of engaging the hip flexors the whipping the leg forward with knee extension is a common issue we see . At this point you are now activating the quadriceps early and they are active when you land, which if you’d like to wear silly knee straps, and develop “knee cancer” by all means keep doing. Stop reaching for earth, she will pull you towards her at a rate you do not need to change.
So, where does barefoot running go wrong? It’s not that it goes wrong, it’s that we have not developed our feet no matter how long you go barefoot for. It is believed that shoes existed 40,000 years ago, not 1000, or even 5000… 40G’s, dude! This means the foot has changed to the point of “desensitizing” itself. Its why you eat Paleo. 10,000 years ago we ate a certain way. Now, here is where it gets tricky. Im not saying to put on some cushioned out shoe of any sorts. Quite the contrary!
Barefoot is a much better option than this!
Fact is you should walk barefoot and even do some running barefoot if your feet allow for it. It strengthens the feet and can help change your perception of what it is you are doing. Having some form of zero differentialed shoe, or slightly lifted heel is fine. Its when getting accustomed to highly cushioned shoes, a heel lift, or putting your foot in a glove or moving mechanically different because you are barefoot that changes this.
Wearing a glove on your foot only restricts the movement of the toes, and has a permanent restrictive arch in the foot bed, and that is UN-NATURAL. Just as bad as adding a heel… We live in a concrete jungle, and although some of you may be living the dream, in your back yard, hunting squirrel, cooking on an open fire, in your bare feet, tweeting from your IPhone (I am), I still bet you cant change 40G’s of time. If you actually use barefoot as training and learn to run with proper technique you might find you get better results. Of course puncture wounds, cold feet, twisted mechanics, wicked tight hip flexors and restricted toe movement are all awesome too.
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18 Comments
Good post!
So what kind of shoe construction do you recommend?
Something in between minimalistic and heel cushioned? zero or a little heel lift?
Isn´t the zero option better, so full range of motion can take place in the foot?
Thanks
/Mac
Zero is ideal. A slight heel raise 5-3mm won’t change much.
Dude, love this post!!!! I can’t tell you how many people I see going from a motion control shoe t Vibrams overnight, without changing how they run and then getting injured, almost immediately. The word needs to keep being spread.
Alright Zero it is,
But how about the sole then…should it be slightly cushioned overall? Like an racing flat? (otherwise it would be an minimalistic/barefoot shoe thats not recommended)
I have been using Merrell Trailgloves for some months now, running around 5k asphalt sessions and ended up with some weird pain in my foot….
So now I must find a suitable shoe to use with the pose method. It would be really great to have your suggesions on it.
Thanks alot for the replys!
/Mac, Sweden
Fck mate, my knees are hurting after watching that Boston vid!
This piece will upset a few barefoot people and the Vibram crowd. So unlike you
Thank you for the warning about accelerating the downward motion. I was experiencing some of the knee problems that you mentioned.
Do you have any suggestions to improve my heel lift? When I run, it reaches about ninety degrees, nowhere near that which I see with faster runners.
Thanks again
BMac
I agree whole-heartedly in your argument for the hamstring dominance of good running. As a health care provider that has to deal with a lot of hip//pelvis/low back pain (I’m a DC) I think its frequently understated as the importance of the glute activity needed in runners to keep their hips active and stable when reaching foot strike in any run. You can have the best hammies in the world, but unless the gmax/med are kickin to help create a strong hip, there’s going to be a faulty hip pattern, overusing adductors, quads, and flexors. I guess my questions are:
How much do you think the g. max is being used in elite runners (all the bests have GREAT hip extension along with foot lift, and I would definitely try and form an argument of its activity) along with the hammy?
And
Do you think we should start doing more single-leg (static or dynamic) strengthening as it would most certainly be more sport specific for an endurance athlete and would have no negative effects on gains?
Sorry for all the questiions, you’re one of my Xfit idols and these are issues I come upon in my own training with all the rehab influences I muddle through daily.
Actually think great runners use their ass the way it should be used, same with walking! Your butt should be on as your foot passes underneath you.
The BEST exercise for this… is Glute Ham Raises, done correctly! If you can’t stabilize spine you aren’t firing correctly, if you can’t activate glutes to stabilize hip you won’t properly engage the hamstrings. Easiest way to know if you’re firing right for running.
Thanks for describing “activating the quadriceps early” and getting knee pain from this. Have noticed IT band and knee insertion pain recently. I think this is the cause.
I think I will have to give running on ice a go this winter!
Great post.
Great post. the visuals help connect/review what I have been working on this entire year – my form (aka hamstring activation).
This year has been challenging as I recover from a broken right leg (tib/fib fracture). And one of the best things I have done in my training/recovery is to walk barefoot on grass at least once a week for a half-hour. It’s an amazing sensation and very therapeutic. It’s what helped me stay strong and finish my first Marathon in October – the Portland Marathon.
Yesterday, I walked barefoot for the first time since having surgery two weeks ago to remove the plates & screws from my right leg. It felt so good to wiggle my toes and flex my metatarsals/phalanges.
Whenever I talk with someone about my training program, I recommend they take their shoes off and go outside to play in the grass.
Currently, I am working on getting my hips to open up fully with butt tight. My new motto “When in doubt, squeeze your ass.” Glute Ham Raises (done correctly) are awesome!!!
Wow…barefoot running is bad because one dude at the Boston Marathon has bad form, and because in our recent history we invented shoes. Compelling…
I suppose I’ve heard more lame critiques of barefoot running though. I just usually expect a bit more logic from you bro.
Who said it was bad? In fact I said its a great tool. Pulling hundreds of videos up of barefoot runners and runners using shoes is easy… YouTube. Looks like you read something, took it personally, and without hesitation or anything compelling to argue against and just responded.
I’m not trying to be a tool or know-it-all, but we’ve had Australian Aborigines here for possibly 60,000 years, and I have only come across shoes for them once, used by their witch-doctor type person for hunting down criminal offenders; but other than that they didn’t use any kind of sandals, etc (generally). I would interpret the need for shoes to simply be that of stopping your feet from being torn apart, however I can prove from experience that they’re not necessarily required for this either if the soles of your feet are tough enough (walk around all day everyday in central Australia with no shoes on for several years, they’ll toughen up eventually).
If the technique is correct and your feet are tough enough, do you really need shoes? Again, I’m not picking a fight
Not a tool at all Charles. Im not saying you cant go barefoot, nor am I saying dont do what you love doing. What i am saying is its better to learn (technique) and implement barefoot as a tool vs just running that way. You will slow down and have to take a more cautious approach to what you are doing when the foot is exposed period. If the technique is correct you can do well. Shoes will allow you to do it better… Case in point. Go watch the TV Show Dual Survival. One guy Cody Lunden has been barefoot for 25 years, the other guy Dave (I believe) is an ex-Mil Spec Ops guy who wears shoes. These two show you how to survive for a couple days in different environments. There is maybe 2-3 episodes where Cody’s bare feet are not slowing them down or becoming an incredible issue bc they can not hold up.
Are there any drills you recommend to practice using the hamstrings correctly?
Also, what’s the best way to diagnose your running form — I mean once I’m looking at a video of myself running from the side, what are the most important things to look for, both correct and incorrect?
Hey, where I am living, there is A LOT of commercials on these MTB shoes – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrg8W8wwgZg What are your thoughts about them?
really? the list is long and distinguished as to why they are wrong, and if you dont understand why… Look at them. its a convex sole.
I’m trying to wrap my head around how shoes like FiveFingers have “a permanent restrictive arch in the foot bed”.. Can you elaborate on that? I haven’t noticed any restriction in movement (other than toes) in the last two years I’ve been wearing them. Compared to the month I went completely barefoot (including public transit and work), the main differences I find are them being sweaty and them making sharp things feel less sharp.
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