Running Economy and Kinematic Differences Among Running with the Foot Shod, with the Foot Bare, and with the Bare Foot Equated for Weight

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in VO2 for running at 3.3 m/s in three different conditions: shod, barefoot, and barefoot with the weight of the shoe added to the dorsum of the foot. The 24 male subjects were also recorded on video for subsequent kinematic analyses to determine differences between subjects. The measured kinematic variables consisted of stride length, minimum velocity of a point on the knee during stance, maximum plantar flexion following toe off, plantar flexion angle at heel strike, maximum knee flexion during stance, maximum hip flexion during stance, and maximum forward trunk lean. With the exception of the minimum velocity of a point on the knee during stance, significant mean differences were found for each parameter (p .05). VO2 was found to be significantly lower for running in barefeet as compared to running in shoes or in barefeet with weight (p