Reddit reviews Merrell Trail Glove Barefoot Running Shoe - Men's

I like to bring my minimalist trail runners (http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Trail-Glove-Barefoot-Running/dp/B005N4IUL4). The are light and pack super small and can be used for short-medium length hikes. I like that they are designed to be comfortable without socks and have a sandal type feel that is nice after a long ride.

I prefer barefoot style shoes, so I currently own Merrell Trail Gloves, New Balance Minumus MT10, and just ordered some VivoBarefoot Neo Trails to try out.

Related note, I've had Merrell Trailgloves for a few years and they're the best made athletic shoe I've ever owned. My last pair of New Balances fell apart within three months, and never have I had a pair look good after a year. My trailgloves look new, absolutely no separation of glue or stitching issues. I'm almost through the tread though and will definitely buy another pair.

I love city walking / urban hiking in the New Balance Minimus Zero, and have even run a half-marathon in them. However I find them not actually enough cushion for all wilderness trails; on real rocky ground, I dislike how much sharp things hurt. They're also not that durable, in the upper; they can rip, and they don't last. However, if you're actually someone who's gone REAL barefoot outdoors, and enjoy it, they'll probably work for you.

My favorite hiking barefoot shoe right now is the Merrell Trail Glove. It is certainly heavier by a few ounces, but it's still much lighter than basically any other shoe, comfortable as heck, and much more durable. It's 0mm drop, but with 4mm cushion. http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Mens-Barefoot-Trail-Glove/dp/B005N4IUL4

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N4IUL4/

Just bought a pair of their Barefoot Trail Gloves (women's) and fell in love. They are so comfortable! They aren't ugly like the Five Fingers, and have support, unlike my Vivobarefoot sneakers. They also have a mesh upper, which might be handy in the humid climate of Indonesia. My boyfriend also bought a pair and he has found it has helped his posture and back pain. They definitely seem to be high-quality, and I've so far experienced good customer service from Merrell.

http://www.amazon.com/Merrell-Mens-Barefoot-Trail-Glove/dp/B005N4IUL4

If you haven't worn minimalist shoes/don't go barefoot often, it's possible you might need a transition period to strengthen the different muscles, but it's definitely worth it.

Here are some videos:

Haile running

natural running tutorial

You can analyze their forms here, look how efficient and smooth they are:

Frank shorter

Abebe Bikila

You see how frank seems to be leaning forward and his legs move almost like a wheel, rhythmically? He isn't running across the ground, he's falling and catching himself with each step. Running is continuous falling. He isn't leaning forward or craning his back either, with proper form your body ends up in that lean and your legs end up at a certain natural cadence. If you aren't fighting your body then running faster comes easily. Actual running can be enjoyable and easy, not painful. Much of the pain comes from improper/inefficient running technique. It's the difference between going with the grain and against it. Efficient running is going with the grain.

I remember when I first took off these awful shoes that I had that were really hurting me back in the day (they weren't even the correct size and they were puma sneakers) and I ran barefoot and went way faster. My heart would beat and my breath would have trouble keeping up with how fast I was going but my legs had no problem with it. I also noticed my cadence increased and I went much faster. This was in like tenth grade, before I did cross country my junior year. I was just getting into running.

When you run with proper form, you don't need to try to move your legs faster, they end up moving faster on their own. You get around a 180 cadence (maybe slightly less or more). It doesn't have to be exact but it ends up being around that. Many people go slower, like 130 steps per minute, it's because they're running inefficiently. Look at all elite runners and they have a similar cadence and stride. Interestingly enough the world record holder for the 5000m and 10000m had a cadence of around 190 and it was around 215 for his final kick at the olympics. His stride remained the same.

When you run correctly it feels effortless, like you're gliding across the ground, flying almost. That first time you really get it right it feels amazing, when i've taken off shoes I felt like a weight had lifted off me (it had) and it was like my feet weren't there. When you don't have issues picking up your feet then you go faster and when you don't have an arch preventing your feet from naturally carrying you forward than you go faster.

If you look at most runners who are fast and even sprinters like Usain Bolt who dominate, you'll notice that their legs come up behind to their butts. This happens more with faster races than longer races like marathons, but it's a pattern. This is because these runners have good hip mobility and hip extension. Having a posterior pelvic tilt or weak glutes and a weak back can lead to an inability to have that same range of motion. The legs coming up behind you to your butt is a sign of efficient form and it means your legs are moving like slingshots and you aren't wasting energy to go as fast as you're going, you're being efficient. You'll notice in Kenenisa Bekele's world record 5000m run his legs come up right behind his butt. His hip extension and hip mobility is on point. If your hip flexors are weak and your hip extensors are short and you have weak glutes or pelvic tilt issues then you will not be able to do that. Of course running properly can strengthen all those muscles.

I would recommend running in dirt or grass and seeing what it feels like, you can even wear socks. I've gone running in socks before. When you run properly it will feel like it hurts more than usual. It's like if you sit with good posture and it hurts more than slouching. Slouching is still worse for you. You will eventually get used to it, but don't run inefficiently because it hurts less at first. It will be better for you in the long run. (get it? long run? ayyy)

If you don't stretch after biking you will have to stretch after running or injury is a risk. DO NOT stretch before, only stretch afterwards. There are dynamic stretches or warm ups you can do before running but just starting to run is a warm up itself. No static stretching, one exception which you may need to make is stretching your quads by bending at your knee and bringing your foot behind you to your butt. Like this. That's the one stretch that's okay to do before running.

I have used an exercise bike in the past when I was just starting to exercise. I don't like riding regular bikes because I'm not that good at it and I have trouble crossing streets. I don't like the thin road bikes because they require slouching and a bit of pelvis tucking and that bothers me, it may be different for you. I just think running is better overall for your body while biking works less muscles, but they both are cardio and cardio is good for you.

This is the exact model of shoes that worked really well for me during track season in xc. I set most of my PRs in this shoe and I had the best luck with them. I got injured later because I purchased a shoe with a terrible arch that rolled my ankles outward, but these shoes are great. They are neutral running shoes, they may have more on the bottom than your average minimalist shoe or sock, but they are neutral and good for practicing good form, although you may have trouble landing on your toes at first if you use these types of shoes. Of course going exactly on your toes isn't ideal, it may be good to get the transition going and prevent you from heel striking if you currently do, but you should be landing on your forefoot. That means slightly in front of the middle area of your foot, definitely not the heel though.

Just remember looking for neutral shoes with little heel rise or arch is the best way to go. Flat, neutral shoes, no rise. Not shoes for under or overpronation, neutral works great, it's closer to being barefoot than shoes with huge arches or angles. When it comes to form these shoes may be better, depending on how much you run the one I linked may get worn out quickly, but surface and how hard you pound the pavement as well as how often matters. If the shoes gets torn apart you obviously don't want to keep using it, rather get a new one. I think I used mine 3 or more months, but I couldn't afford newer ones, I would have replaced them earlier. Let's say if you're running 60 miles a weeks than 2-3 months should be good.

If you are going to get minimalist shoes instead of those ones then avoid the five finger shoes! They spread your toes apart and that will hurt your running and make you run weakly and may even cause injury. Having your toes apart in socks or barefoot is fine because they are apart anyway, but having them apart in those shoes will prevent you from "kicking" off the ground or having any power in your run, when I used those five finger gimmicks I ended up doing a weird walk/waddle run because I couldn't push off my toes, and trying would probably hurt them. They were forced apart. If going for minimalist shoes, go for ones that keep your toes together, like this or the ones in the suggestions.

FYI my normal shoe size and my spike size was 10 but my running shoe size was 9.5. A good shoe will still screw you over if it doesn't fit you properly, so be sure to get a proper fit.

Merrell Trail Glove Barefoot Running Shoe - Men's Merrell http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005N4IUL4/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_ZQ3gtb1C28S5G

I specifically have the mostly black with yellow accents, in wide.