Should We All Be Doing Barefoot Workouts?

Kick off your shoes and try barefoot workouts.

A great pair of fitness footwear is essential when going for a run, to the gym, or your favorite boutique fitness studio. However, if you're exercising in the privacy of your own home, do you really need to wear shoes? In this guide, we go over everything you need to know about barefoot workouts.

Find out if you can skip shoes while exercising below.

Is it okay to work out barefoot?

The need for shoes while exercising is entirely dependent on the workout. It is not necessary to wear shoes while training. Another factor that influences whether or not you need footwear is the surface of your workout area. Shock-absorbing floors, such as a spring dance floor, grass, sand, and the like, are all safer to walk barefoot on than a concrete surface. Another consideration is whether or not you require ankle or arch support. Wearing sneakers with adequate support should be a priority if you have a history of ankle injuries or suffer from foot conditions.

What are the benefits of working out without shoes?

Barefoot exercises and stretches performed during yoga, Pilates, barre, Zumba, and dance classes can improve and strengthen the muscles in your feet and ankles. The nerves on the bottom of your feet are susceptible, but when you wear shoes, those receptors are deprived of sensory stimulation, potentially weakening the muscles in your feet.

Barefoot exercises and stretches help to strengthen your feet and ankle muscles, increasing their flexibility, dexterity, and reactivity. These barefoot activities also help to improve ligament stability in the ankles and feet. Barefoot walking improves balance, proprioception, and body awareness by giving you more control over the position of your foot as it strikes the ground. This leads to better mechanics and alignment in your knees, hips, and core, which can help prevent or alleviate low back and other joint pain.

What exercises can you do without shoes?

Shoes are not required for low-impact workouts such as strength training, Pilates, barre, kettlebells, weights, squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, and yoga. Running and other higher impact workouts, on the other hand, require footwear — unless you have previously practiced barefoot training with some sort of impact to deal with the demands of those protocols.

Several workouts do not require the use of shoes. Although there are some at-home workouts where shoes are required, there are several workouts that don’t! It is best to consult a fitness professional if you are unsure whether you should do barefoot workouts. To learn more about different exercises, check out the MOBILESTYLES blog. We release new content about exercise, fashion, beauty, and more every week!