“I realized that I was explaining the 180 BPM as the point where the body has it most elasticity/springiness … but then I realized, in reality each foot placement (and therefore opportunity for elasticity to occur) is only happening 90 SPM.. So that leads me to the thought is the 180 BPM a coaching cue or a scientific fact?”

We asked our expert Lee Saxby why a specific rhythm of 180 (or 90 per leg) steps per minute is important. Here’s what biomechanics expert said:

“Cadence/rhythm is a ‘coaching cue’ not a scientific fact. Observation of elite runners (Jack Daniels ‘running formula’) and habitual barefoot runners (Dan Lieberman, harvard) shows that they have a cadence/rhythm of 170-185 (85-92 each leg) and this is used as a benchmark or coaching template. The science is based on the SSC (stretch shortening cycle)of the musculotendinous unit/ plyometric theory and the ability to use elastic recoil rather than excessive muscle action. This essentially means a ground contact time of under 150ms is desirable which for coaching purposes translates to about 180bpm.

So, you are absolutely correct that jumping drills should be performed at 90ish.”

Learn more about posture, rhythm and relaxation and the skill of barefoot running, it’s all in the free eBook.

Author: Jamie Page

Whether you are a beginner and want to learn the skill of barefoot movement, or if you are a health professional who is looking to train clients, the Training Clinic covers everything to help barefoot runner of all levels.

Lee Saxby

We have teamed up with “the world’s best barefoot running coach”
Lee Saxby to create the definitive barefoot running resource.

Learn how to run barefoot

With our step-by-step guide to walking and running barefoot.

Learn how

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#checkyourtechnique with the VIVOBAREFOOT Barefoot Running Coach app. Designed to help runners of all levels perfect their running form to rediscover the joy of movement and to prevent injury. Available for iPad and iPhone.

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Download the free complete guide to barefoot running

Proprioception: Making sense of barefoot running by Lee Saxby.

Back in the summer (June 2012) I was asked to speak about the biomechanics of barefoot running at the Barefoot Connections Conference at the Natural History Museum.

Here’s Professor Daniel Lieberman asking why and how the human body looks and functions the way it does. Lieberman goes into evolutionary biology and explores the origin of bipedal walking, the biology and evolution of endurance running, and the evolution of the human head.

1. Record yourself running with our Barefoot Running Coach app.
2. Upload your before and after videos to YouTube
3. Post a Link on the Training Clinic Facebook Wall, Tweet us or Email the Training Clinic with the hashtag #checkyourtechnique
4. Get Feedback from Lee Saxby and our VIVOBAREFOOT Certified Coaches

Get started right away, download our app

The course, which will be delivered across Premier’s UK venues, has been developed by world-renowned running expert Lee Saxby, bringing twenty years of barefoot coaching experience and biomechanics knowledge to the programme. The workshop will give fitness professionals the opportunity to learn barefoot running techniques that can then be communicated to clients and consumers.

VIVOBAREFOOT became a pioneer of the barefoot movement in 2003 by launching the first minimalist shoe with a patented, ultra-thin puncture resistant sole that offered maximum sensory feedback and maximum protection. With 200,000 nerve endings, 33 major muscles, 28 bones and 19 ligaments, the human foot is a biomechanical masterpiece which drives 70% of the brains information for movement. Since its launch in 2011, the VIVOBAREFOOT Training Clinic has converted thousands to barefoot running and has trained coaches, athletes and barefoot enthusiasts all over the world. The VIVOBAREFOOT Training Clinic ultimately exists to spread the skill of barefoot movement, proprioception and injury-free running.

Ben le Vesconte, Director at VIVOBAREFOOT Training Clinic, commented: “We aim to take the UK’s awareness of skillful running to a whole new level, and who better to help us raise understanding than leading health and fitness training provider Premier? We’ve teamed Lee’s exclusively designed workshop with Premier’s outstanding commitment to high-quality education to give Personal Trainer’s across the land the ability to share the enjoyment and health benefits of skillful barefoot running and VIVOBAREFOOT shoes.”

Kesh Patel, Research and Development Manager at Premier Training International, commented: “Over the last decade, barefoot running has proven that it offers fantastic health and fitness benefits in terms of posture and technique. For this reason we felt that it should be reflected in our course provision, and this new CPD programme will give fitness professionals the opportunity to not only learn something new, but to learn it from the very best. We’re absolutely thrilled to have somebody with the international pedigree and reputation of Lee Saxby working with us on this, and we are really excited to launch the course in March 2013.”

The first scheduled course will take place at Premier’s London Academy on 23rd March 2013.
For more information about Premier Training International, and the courses available at venues across the country in 2013, can be found at premierglobal.co.uk.

Here’s our barefoot running expert Lee Saxby talking to George Anderson from Intelligent Running.

George and Lee discuss the details of barefoot running, including human anatomy, biomechanics, evolutionary science and more…Lee goes into detail about transitioning to barefoot running whether you are an existing runner or a beginner.

It’s a great insight into Lee Saxby’s position on barefoot and the important role that appropriate and functional (VIVOBAREFOOT) footwear in modern society, with an in-depth conversation about the evolution of human footwear.

Lee looks at the human body as a whole and goes back to the basics of physics, biomechanics, and natural history. His unbiased and unfiltered speeches on human evolution are mind blowing. He challenges your perception of reality and debunks myths related to fitness and health. The course was only 5 days, but I felt as if I had learned years worth of information. I would highly recommend this course to anyone- not just runners or coaches.

Jaclyn Reifschneider, PT, DPT
DPT University of Delaware ’11
B.S. University of Virginia ’09

Daniel Nascimento
NSG LLC

The diagnosis was a torn left hamstring. After seeing a physiotherapist for many months, then an osteopath I was referred for Yoga. Almost eighteen months after sustaining the injury, pain in the hamstring still prevented me from running. The Yoga teacher referred me to Lee Saxby since there was no adequate explanation for the pain.

On the first appointment with Lee, he asked me walk up and down the gym for less than a minute, then put me on the treadmill for 2 – 3 minutes. After this short period he had made a comprehensive diagnosis of problems in my walking and running and assured me that if I were to work consistently over a period, he could help me get my 65 year-old body back to running 10 km in under one hour. This I achieved 18 months later.
I was forced to stop running two years later because of pain in my heel, which also prevented me from long distance walking. My personal trainer did all he could but was frustrated that we could not solve the problem; I had acupuncture on a number of occasions, that helped but did not solve the problem. At this juncture I returned to Lee. He listened carefully to my story and then watched me walk. He made a diagnosis within 5 minutes of the session and then spent the next 75 minutes assisting me and explaining how to iron out the problems that had developed. Six weeks later I was back walking and running.
The acuity of Lee Saxby to observe the acts of both walking and running is so highly tuned that he is able to detect those small errors of posture that makes the difference between injury-free running and recurrent injury. Lee Saxby is unique because he is able to combine his impressive observational ability with his understanding of how the movements of the human body have developed and function in different activities such as sitting, walking or running.
I hope I do not have to go back to him with a problem, but I feel secure knowing that he is there, should I need him!