#Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton Speaks at #Runner’s Mark Store

Plan to attend the ‘Fun Play Shop’ #Barefoot #Running event featuring the one and only #Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton from Huntington Beach, CA, USA. Please note details below:

• Date/Time –    Monday July 1st /  4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
• Location – Runner’s Mark store at 53 Lakeshore Rd. E , Mississauga, ON
• Cost – FREE for everyone – all ages welcome!
• Content – barefoot running step by step
  – how to move forward without breaking your feet EVEN in minimalist shoes

Ken Bob is a pioneer of the MODERN barefoot running movement. He has been running barefoot since 1998, written a book called Barefoot Running Step by Step and has taught many how to run safely barefoot.

He will be joined by coach Jeff Stapleton from Port Credit – president of Team Over The Top and one of Canada’s premier barefoot running coaches. He also developed the Squat-Scoot technique of mid-foot running.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event featuring two of North America’s best barefoot running protagonists!

Coach Jeff
@NaturalRunningC

Sumo Squat Circuit to Support #Barefoot #Running Transition

One of the most effective exercises I use in my Team Over The Top and private training sessions to ‘lock in’ the core, strengthen the feet and improve the overall bracing capacity of the body is the Sumo Squat.

It is done barefoot on virtually any surface at any time in any place. One of its beauties is its flexibility with no requirement for special equipment or props.

Is it difficult? In a word..YES. It’s one of the MOST difficult exercises to do well and repeatedly BUT the MOST effective that I have incorporated at generating positive ‘bracing versus gravity’ progress. Doing so directly improves one’s ability to run barefoot lighter, safer and longer with more speed and power.

The Sumo Squat is done as follows:

• squat low to the ground with feet facing FORWARD
• position elbows against the inside of the knees
• press hands together in praying position
• whilst activating the WHOLE Core, push out with the elbows against the knees and in with the knees against the elbows
• keep the hips low and the upper body on a 45 degree angle with knees bent to 115 degrees
• keep the head and neck RELAXED

You are now in the ‘start’ position. I start my people off by holding the position for 30 seconds. When they can do that without quitting, I build them up to 3 x 60 seconds. After that, I incorporate a circuit, a sample of which follows:

• side-stepping to the right then back to the left
• circling to the right then back to the left
• stepping forward then backward
• hopping on the spot

I start with 30 seconds per exercise done without recovery. Nobody ever completes the circuit the first time through. With consistent, perfect practice, the team get to 60 seconds of each exercise x 1 circuit twice per week before progressing to the next, more challenging circuit (see future blogs).

By working diligently at doing the circuit perfectly, my runners, over time, become stronger, lighter on their feet, more balanced and faster with less fatigue whilst running barefoot. The best aspect of all is…NO AVOIDABLE RUNNING INJURIES. They transition much better and faster…even if they go with some sort of running footwear.

Try to build this into your weekly training. It will save you hours of gym time IF you do it as outlined above.

coach Jeff

For personal one-on-one and group training or customized training plans contact Coach Jeff at coach@naturalrunning.ca

Team Over The Top Youth Runners Dominate MADD Race!

Sunday, June 9 marked the 1st annual Mothers Against Drunk Driving Strides For Change 5 km walk/run race in beautiful Port Credit, Ontario, Canada. As the co-Race Director, coach Jeff set this as the clinic-ending goal race for his 9 to 18 year old Youth runners.

Training for 10 weeks, the kids were more than ready for the event. Most had worked up to at least 7 kms of strong, fast-paced running. They had combined this with hill & track workouts along with core, balance and power drills that would have humbled many older, more experienced runners. They also made great strides in learning coach Jeff’s Squat/Scoot technique of mid-foot running – without ANY injuries! Finally, they evolved in solid barefoot runners on cinder track, asphalt and concrete roads and grass infields.

Thus, by race day, 3 ran barefoot and the other 5 ran in a form of minimalist footwear. The barefooters had no problems over the varied terrain course – the only mishap was a small blood blister on the outside of Christopher’s foot.

Results were as follows:

• Jack Terry (age 15) – 22:10 in Nike Frees
• Christopher Carter (age 15) – 22:30 – BAREFOOT
• Olivia (age 11) – 21:07 in New Balance Minimus 3rd female overall
• Emma (age 11) – 23:13 in Vibram FiveFingers
• Megan (age 18 and Emma’s sister who was kind enough to stay with Emma) – same time of 23:11 – BAREFOOT
• Braden Olive (age 11) – 24:12 in Nike Frees
• Ajay Adomeit (age 9 – youngest in the field!) – 25:25 – BAREFOOT
• Jasmine Adomeit (age 14) – in 28:27 (her personal record!) in Nike Frees

The other 6 members of the clinic were unable to race BUT I know they would have raced well. At least 2 of them would have also raced BAREFOOT. For all the nay-sayers and so-called research scientists who say running barefoot does NOT decrease the risk of injury and does NOT lead to faster running than when shod, shame on you! The above results are just a small sample of the success of Team Over The Top-trained barefoot or minimalist runners – some as young as 9 and as old as 65.

Let the media and so-called ‘experts’ come out and observe coach Jeff and his runners in action. Then, pass judgment. Until then, stop making me sick to my stomach!!

coach Jeff

Muscular #Endurance Circuit to Improve #Barefoot #Running Balance

Two of the major areas of breakdown for my barefoot running clients in Team Over The Top are in

1. muscle fatigue
2. loss of balance.

Failure in one or both of these leads to avoidable injury over time.
To combat these, I developed the following circuit (it’s one of many that I use in my clinics and 1-0n-1 training):

• 1-legged 1/2 clean and jerk
• Forward lunge & torso rotation (keep arms at chest level against the chest)
• 1-legged forward lean with rowing arm action
• 1-legged 1/2 squat
• Side-to-side lunge with arms touching floor beyond foot
• 1-legged alternate forward arm raise – straight ahead followed by 45 degree angle lift

These are done in sequence with no rest holding 5 to 15 lb. dumbbells in each hand (depending on your level of muscular fitness) for 60 seconds each. You may not be able to do a full 60 seconds of each exercise. Thus, work within your range and add time until you can do a full 60 seconds of each exercise consecutively. Gradually work up to 2 to 3 sets of the circuit. It may take you 4 to 8 weeks to achieve this – be patient!! Do the routine post-run or on off-days 2 to 3 times per week. Of course, make sure you do these BAREFOOT! Increase the pace of your repetitions as you get stronger.

The 1-legged work improves your balance and synergistic muscle support for running barefoot. The weights and repetitions combined with no rest between exercises build your muscle fatigue tolerance.

This results in less risk of:

1. technical breakdowns whilst barefoot running (enabling you to resist the downward pull of gravity better)
2. avoidable injury.

Build this into your off-road training routine and get closer to realizing the beauty of injury-free barefoot running!!

Coach Jeff

For one-on-one and group training or customized training plans contact Coach Jeff at coach@naturalrunning.ca

#Barefoot #Running Power Circuit to Improve Foot Strength-Endurance

Don’t forget to register for the MADD 5k this Sunday, June 9  in Port Credit, Mississauga.

Developing foot strength-endurance is one of the keys to running safely and powerfully barefoot. My runners do drills to improve this weekly in our training sessions. Keys to their success are as follows:

• Each rep of each exercise must be done technically correct
• Each exercise must be practiced deeply over weeks, months and years
• Each exercise must be done with no rest between them. There is only a 1 minute rest between sets
• Each exercise must be done with total mental focus and physical effort – what I call”A-level training”
• Each exercise must be done for 30 to 60 secs

I have developed many such circuits for my Team Over The Top runners, one of which is the following:

1. 1-legged power jumps bringing knee to chest – take off and land on the same leg. Repeat on the other foot

2.  2-legged 3/4 Squat jumps with knees to chest – land where you take off

3.  1-legged forward and backward hop squats. Repeat on other leg

4. 5-count 1-legged Burpees. Repeat on other leg

5.  stationary forward scissor lunge jumps

Work up to 60 secs. per exercise x 3 circuits once per week. You will notice a vast improvement in your ability to push harder and go faster barefoot with no risk of foot or calf cramping nor inflammation injuries.

coach Jeff

Don’t forget to register for the MADD 5 km road race & breakfast on Sunday, June 9 at J.C. Saddington Park in Port Credit, Ontario, Canada.