Barefoot versus shod : a comparison of running economy

PURPOSE: To examine differences in physiological variables between barefoot (BF) and\ud shod (SH) treadmill running in inexperienced BF runners.\ud METHODS: Twelve participants (24.8 ?? 0.9 years; 6 males, 6 females) engaged in 6 -\ud minute running bouts (BF and SH) at 6 mph and 1% grade (randomly assigned).\ud RESULTS: A 2 x 2 repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant main effects of\ud condition on VO2, VE, RER, SL, and SR. This was such that VO2, VE, and RER were\ud lower during BF compared to SH (34.5??1.0 vs. 36.1??0.9 ml/kg/min, 55.3??4.0 vs.\ud 58.8??4.2 liters/min and 0.92??0.1 vs. 0.94??0.02, respectively). Additionally, SL was\ud lower (0.89??0.02 vs. 0.97??0.01 m) and SR was greater (181.0??3.6 vs. 166.4??2.7\ud strides/min) during BF. Overall, the VO2 of running was 4.2% lower during BF.\ud CONCLUSION: This data suggests that barefoot running is more economical than shod\ud running in inexperienced BF runners. Additionally, BF results in shorter strides and\ud greater stride frequency