Probably a good plan.

I might try them. I'm too old to care what people say about my shoes...

you're running on streets with them?

I haven't taken mine on pavement yet. I started on grass, then moved to a rubber-type track. When I bought them, the store manager advised me to take two weeks to break them in by walking around. After that, add in a few grass sprints after a run in normal shoes. Not that I doubted the manager's credibility, but after a little conversation I found out that he's a retired QP. That being said, I took his advice very seriously.

I'm to the point now where I've run 800's in them, and I'm gradually increasing the distance and weening myself off my normal shoes. Morning PT is definitely not the time to break out the ninja shoes, so I'll be keeping my normal shoes for awhile still.

The biggest thing I've noticed with these is that I feel a lot more stable when doing major lifts. That's not to say that the design is unique - I'm sure lifting barefoot or in Chuck Taylor's will yield a similar result.

Sir,

I do run on the streets but mostly at the H.S track near my house. The thing I've noticed with running on the street is the heel striking because the lack of shock absoring material if you heel strike by mistake it hurts and while not unbearable it may slow u down for a few strides. But in saying that it will condention you to run on your toes and lean foward witch I have found produces a good habbit when transitioning to regular shoes, boots etc...

Cbo1187,

At first glance I can understand how you might think that lifting in chuck's or other flat shoes might be similar but they are very different. If you lay a chuck down you see its very flat if u sit it next to a five finger you will notice the great arch support witch makes the five finger not flat at all it has its own arc in the shoe it mimics you foot (if your not flat footed). It cradels your foot,
also the straping system makes it bend around your foot without cutting of circulation like when you just tie your shoe laces to tight. The toes being out allows you to apply pressure to your individual toe's and that can mae the differenct between making the lift or not at least that is what I have found. The five finger also has one of the most stable and absorbing soles I have found the vibram sole. The same sole bates choose for there sole on the 9" desert boot witch I also have and love working out in. Just the sole give's me confedance when doing crossfit, running, rucking etc...

Just my .02

Thanks.

Anevolution, you need to fix your profile. "Yes" is not a location.

I dont run in them but I wear them when I am lifting (power-lifting.) They provide a better base for me and assist me in keeping my heels pressed into the ground/floor during squats, deadlifts...

They are pretty good for around the house too, not that I have had much time to be around the house in them...

Crip

That's a nice avatar you got there Doc. What's the words say?

They look like they would probably be ok on grass...

"ODERINT DUM METUANT" Let them hate, as long as they fear.

Crip

I like it.

Probably not new to most, but new to me.

With the exception of high intensity training (EDT), when I do cardio I didn't like doing strength exercise and vice versa. So now I'm combining ruck with calishtenics such as push-ups while still wearing the ruck. I do 4 to 7 miles, 45lbs ruck march/trot at 12:30 to 14:19 pace. If I take water sips every 3 miles, I'll do 20 push-ups, if every 2 miles, 30 pushups. Hence, making the options bad and worse.

On a side note, finally took my first APFT for record, went beyond max for PU (93), SU (84), although by SF standard (chest touching ground, slow-controlled movement), that 93 probably drops to 77 or 70. Sit-ups are solid though, as I went beyond perpendicular and had my inner elbows touch the knees each time. The running OTOH...14:52. The good Colonel who was almost twice my age did it in almost 2 minutes faster! Learned my lesson. Rucking (trot/run) does not translate to running well. Without the ruck, the first 0.7 mile I felt like flying, but not so with the other 1.3 mile. I was told to stop after maxing PU and SU, and to conserve the energy for the run, but all I could hear in my mind was "do the best you can. :)"

Told to stop? What a sad, self-limiting philosophy.

I've been running in the pool to further ingrain the POSE running technique. Shift center of gravity forward, keep arms above the head (if arms move in the water too, the training of the feet is hindered), then "fall" forward and keep pulling the feet forward-up. It's easy on the knees and joints too, but the muscles get worked from the water resistance.

Additionally, I found out the bottom of your feet develop hot spots rather fast after 500yards or so of back n forth in the pool. Well, dry it up, put some isopropyl alcohol and voila! Building calluses and toughening the feet!

I started doing it by accident after observing someone doing the same and recalling the pool physical training given to injured cross country athletes when I was life-guarding. BTW, in regards to swimming, I highly recommend learning Combat Side Stroke for anyone wanting to swim further. Even a weak swimmer like me who couldn't last beyond 300 yds doing freestyle could do 500 yards in 10:30 w/o getting smoked.

I'm just doing the 30 day workout in WM's book.
:lifter

SORB Training
 

Has anyone tried the "new" workouts on the SORB page? There are a lot more instructional videos than before and a comprehensive manual.

http://www.bragg.army.mil/sorb/Sorb_Videos.html

http://www.bragg.army.mil/sorb/text/...0Draft%203.pdf

http://groups.google.com/group/thetacticalathlete

Does anyone have experience with the kind of foot care recommended here? I haven't heard anything about reducing callouses and making the skin soft. He didn't provide any reason why this is better than toughening up the foot.

On a side note, I have heard from a couple different QPs that tincture of benzoine is not allowed at SFAS. If that is true, why would they recommend that in the videos?

Actually, a few months ago (before I came across this) I found similar information and decided to try it.

Almost two decades of built-up calluses from walking around barefoot all my life came off in a few ginormous hunks a year or so ago after a particularly long hike. If anyone has ever developed a blister under about a dozen layers of hardened skin, it was similar to that, leaving my feet as tender as a newborn baby's bottom. I was thoroughly upset, as that hard-earned layer of protection had pretty much kept my feet blister free the majority of my life. Now that my feet are more susceptible to damage, I've tried to find ways to either quickly rebuild that toughness or mitigate the damage to my soft soles.

Using an apricot-seed exfoliant on the bottoms of my feet every few weeks, using moisturizer immediately after, along with the standard footcare while hiking, have helped keep my feet mostly out of trouble while they don't have the same callous armor from before. YMMV, but IMHO it's not a bad method to try.