Last Friday I posted a video on Instagram @IronBodyByArtemis of me deadlifting double kettlebells and I wrote a little bit about why I train barefoot and the benefits of barefoot training… (below is a summary of my post)… and today I posted a video on IGTV which elaborated on the benefits of barefoot training and how you should start if you have never trained barefoot before. Above is the video replay of the IGTV post on YouTube.

For those of you who fear dropping a weight on your bare foot, know that there is no shoe, (maybe a steel toe boot but even that is questionable), out there that can protect you from dropping a kettlebell, no matter the weight, on your foot. e.g. I once stubbed my toe on a 35lbs kettlebell with a shoe on and it hurt like a motherf&#@er and my big toe nail turned black and blue and fell clean off.

Thus, barefoot or shoes, TRAINING RULE #1 is SAFETY FIRST!

Safety is a part of training. If you are mindful and safe, then you are likely to reduce the risk of injury and avoid dropping weights on your feet.

I train barefoot because we have sensory receptors on the bottom of our feet that help us to grip the ground. This in turn allows us to have a more stable base and helps the muscles in our feet, ankles, and calves to react reflexively for better stabilization and triggers a chain reaction from our toes to our heads that allows us to feel more grounded and stable through our lifts.

When the weather is colder and I need to keep my tootsies warm I turn to Pedestal Footwear first or Feiyue Shoes if I need more coverage.

Learn more about barefoot training & hardstyle training techniques at my StrongFirst Kettlebell Course on September 23, 2018 in Las Vegas at Life Time Athletic – Summerlin as well as all of the kettlebell basics listed below: