Slat Belt Barefoot Walking, Running, and Sprinting: Skillrun Treadmill Workout Summary
[WARNING/UPDATE: After I published this video I was doing another barefoot workout and stubbed a big toe, similar to when I stubbed it in this video at about the 1:53 mark, but much harder this time. It didn't hurt much at first, but a few hours later it was hurting a lot and my wife took me to the hospital. It isn't broken, but I have a serious sprain, and it will probably be days before I can exercise again. I will definitely add this to the script I'm writing for a Treadmill Safety video. Also, Mnk Balls pointed out in the comments that the Skillrun user manual says NOT to use this treadmill barefoot.] This is a short summary of a 25-minute barefoot treadmill workout, with brisk walking at 3.5 mph, moderate running at 5 mph, a 12 mph sprint, and more walking at 3.5 mph, all on a 3% incline, on my slat-belt Skillrun treadmill. (The full version is here: • Full Skillrun Treadmill Workout: Slat Belt... ) I tried running barefoot on my regular old belt & deck treadmills before, and I didn't like it. The surface felt too gritty, which it was, maybe to help reduce slipping. But a slat belt is very different. The top of each slat is smooth, not gritty, but it's not slippery at all, even when I've had a lot of sweat fall on it. There's a gap between each slat, which was very noticeable at first, but after just a few minutes, I decided the gap wasn't a problem, and shortly after that, I forgot all about it, at least until I started to sprint, and sprinting actually seemed easier than usual. Overall, I was surprised at how good it felt to walk, run, and sprint barefoot on a slat belt treadmill. There are a lot of articles about the benefits from walking or running barefoot, but I didn't find many specifically about sprinting barefoot. I think there are at least three benefits of sprinting barefoot: First, you have less overall weight. My regular workout shoes weigh 2 lbs. That's not a lot, but less weight is generally better. Second, more important that the fact that you have less overall weight is that the weight you've lost is on your body parts that are moving the greatest distance with each stride, which I think should mean you use less energy for same performance, or get better performance for the same energy. Third, like running barefoot, I suspect sprinting barefoot tends to improve your foot strike in a way that provides more efficient propulsion, which should also mean you use less energy for same performance, or get better performance for the same energy. What's my reaction after this workout? Well, I have peripheral neuropathy from decades of undiagnosed hypothyroidism, and my feet usually have a burning sensation, so the feelings in my feet might not be typical, but I've tried to take that into account as I evaluate the effect of this 25 minute barefoot treadmill workout on my feet. Two hours after this workout, the bottom of my feet were very slightly sore, but no more so than when I was a kid at the end of the school year and started playing barefoot in my back yard for the summer. It seemed to have no impact on the constant burning sensation in my feet. One day after this workout, the soreness was gone, and I was eager to try another barefoot workout. If you get the chance, I recommend you try it. Thanks for watching, and whether you do it with shoes or barefoot, keep walking, running, or sprinting! ****************************************** UPCOMING VIDEO TOPICS How to Sprint on Treadmills Technogym Skillrun Treadmill Features Treadmill Training for Track Meets How to Time Yourself on a Track for For Less Than $200 for a Virtual Track Meet How Fast Can You Run? Treadmill Motivation Speed-Pace-Incline Charts Home vs. Gym Treadmills My attempts to break my own top sprinting speed record ****************************************** OTHER LINKS Treadmill Sprinter on Masters' Rankings: https://mastersrankings.com/athlete-p... ===Treadmill Sprinter Swag=== This is my very old Cafepress shop. I earn about $1 for each item sold. They have shirts, hats, mugs, and many more items. iRun: https://www.cafepress.com/elfink/5735889 ===The Best Treadmill Ever Made=== Technogym Skillrun Unity 7000: https://www.technogym.com/us/skillrun... ===Affiliates=== TubeBuddy: https://www.Tubebuddy.com/TreadmillSp... TubeBuddy provides a set of tools that makes it easier to manage a YouTube channel and optimize it to get more viewers. They offer free accounts in addition to paid accounts, and they have very informative tutorial videos. ****************************** CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:03 Barefoot Walking 0:35 Slat Belt 1:06 Barefoot Running 1:53 Stubbed Toe 2:06 Barefoot Sprinting 3:17 Barefoot Walking 3:37 Barefoot Bench Dips 4:15 Behind the Scenes
