Check It Out: The Barefoot Running Book

It's been a while since Jason Robillard was kind enough to send me a review copy of "The Barefoot Running Book: A Practical Guide to the Art & Science of Barefoot & Minimalist Shoe Running" -- an excellent primer on running unshod.* My review, however, has been delayed -- and not because it took me a long time to get through the slim, 61-page volume. The truth: I'd wanted to try out Jason's running program before writing about it, but with CrossFit dominating my exercise time of late, I've not been doing much running (outside of my WODs). I'm feeling slightly guilty about writing about something I've not managed to put into practice lately. But my feelings of guilt over procrastination finally prevailed over my feelings of guilt over not doing more barefoot running, so at long last, here's my review.

In a nutshell: Regardless of whether you're a lapsed, current or prospective runner, you'll find a lot of useful information about barefoot running crammed into Jason's book. And if you're serious about running without footwear, Jason's book may just be the best single resource on how to transition from a tentative barefoot walker to an expert barefoot runner.

In case you're not familiar with Jason Robillard, he's a Michigan-based teacher, author and ultramarathoner (who somehow also finds the time to run the Barefoot Running University website, a motherlode of resources on footwear-free running). Here's how he describes his running workouts:

I routinely train on a variety of terrain, including asphalt roads, concrete sidewalks, sandy beaches, woodchip trails, dirt trails, and a few other varied surfaces. I train in a variety of conditions, ranging from the heat of summer to the bitter cold of winter. So far, I've been able to run in snow as long as the temperature stays above 20 degrees. My training mileage peaks around 100 miles per week about a month before major goal races. Almost all of this training is done barefoot.

In his book, Jason covers virtually anything one could ever ask about barefoot running (including which minimalist shoes to buy, and how to handle everything from blisters and bad weather to cross-training and hecklers). The book is organized according to a 12-week, four-stage training progression: "Pre-Running," "Starting to Run Barefoot," "Intermediate Barefoot Running," and "Advanced Barefoot Running." In each chapter, Jason gradually adds layers of technical skills and training concepts in bite-sized chunks, and before you know it, you've added fartleks and hill training to your shoe-free runs.

And unlike a lot of barefoot gurus who may come across to some as crazy-eyed, bearded hippie cultists, Jason is anything but. His everyman persona is reassuring even to those who find the concept of running without shoes faddish and bizarre. Plus, Jason's writing style is entertainingly wry and engaging: Instead of a dry instruction manual, "The Barefoot Running Book" reads like a casual (but super-informative) dinner conversation, sprinkled with lines like "[t]here is as much research supporting the use of modern running shoes as there is supporting the existence of unicorns, Sasquatch and funny Pauly Shore movies."

Jason lays out a structured training plan for those who are curious and intrepid enough to venture out without shoes, but instead of focusing solely on different activities to master, he takes frequent breaks to educate readers about concepts to keep in mind while running barefoot. (My favorite: "Run Like a Ninja.")

Finally, it's kind of awesome that Jason gives a shout-out to his local CrossFit affiliate in the final pages of his book, and shares a number of CrossFit moves that add variety and intensity to his training. (With the exception of Olympic lifting, I try to do just about all of my CrossFit workouts in Vibram FiveFingers or barefoot, and I definitely recommend giving it a shot.)

If you're mesmerized by Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run" and contemplating going barefoot on your training runs, I can't think of a better starting point than "The Barefoot Running Book."

*Full disclosure: Yes, I got a free review copy of the book from Jason, but trust me: My review is unbiased. When it comes to criticism, I'm not known to hold back, but I would have given "The Barefoot Running Book" a thumbs-up even if I'd just happened across it on Amazon.)

Stop Playing on My Emotions, Tony

A few days ago, Yacine posted in the Comments section about a blog post by self-proclaimed "Medical Exercise Specialist" J.R. Smith entitled "BEWARE OF TONY HORTON AND P90X." Ominous!

Smith is probably right to advise folks to beware of Tony. After all, it's altogether possible that douchiness is infectious.

But otherwise, I disagree with just about everything he says about P90X. I'm not exactly shy about criticizing P90X, and I've said that I don't think P90X quite matches the hype of its infomercials -- but I also don't believe that the program is a nightmarishly dangerous, sleep-sucking, sickness inducing program. P90X doesn't get everyone ripped, but it's helped thousands of people significantly improve their overall fitness. And although it's obviously important to make sure our bodies have enough time to rest and recover to avoid overtraining, there's nothing in P90X that runs counter to this. Smith's out-of-left-field claim that overtraining is a foregone conclusion because P90X involves "doing the exact same exercise, the exact same intensity day after day" doesn't ring true to anyone who's seen the variety of moves in each of the 12 different P90X workout routines.

My advice to Smith: Try it before you knock it.

Still, I have to give props to Smith for the best bit of bizarrely redundant and nonsensical P90X-related writing I've ever come across:

"So now I have identified Tony as doing the following:
1. Decieving [sic] you
2. Lying to you
3. Misleading you
4. Possibly injuring you
5. Playing on your emotions"

I'm not sure if this is sheer genius or utter lunacy.

How About Some Snake Oil?

M and I stumbled upon the infomercial for the Ab Circle Pro the other night and had a good laugh. Although the commercial itself is slickly produced -- it even features CGI! -- its claims are ridiculously overstated. "Lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks GUARANTEED!" in "just 3 minutes a day!" the announcer shouts.

Really? All I have to do is move my knees from side to side for a grand total of less than 45 minutes over a two-week span and I'll shed ten pounds? 

Yes -- or so the infomercial would have you believe. After all, the Ab Circle Pro uses "Circle Force Technology" to "burn fat faster than a treadmill!" And how do we know this? Because the infomercial deploys thermal fucking imaging to demonstrate that a guy on the Ab Circle Pro glows orangey-red, while a guy on a treadmill only emits a dim, green hue. That's how, motherfuckers!

Regardless of well-reasoned, critical reviews (and good old fashioned common sense), people are evidently shelling out big bucks for this contraption.
And the Ab Circle Pro isn't the only offender. There are tons of fitness infomercials promising effortless, miraculous results ("Melt the pounds off in just 10 minutes a day -- without breaking a sweat!"). According to this site -- which offers reviews of numerous fitness products sold via infomercial -- most of this stuff is utter crap.

(The site does indicate that P90X is one of the better products offered by direct marketers, along with ChaLEAN Extreme -- but it's because these programs don't promise effortless, overnight changes in body composition and fitness level. Unless you're willing to throw yourselves into your workouts with intensity and commitment, you won't see the results shown on the infomercials.)

God, I can't wait until the site reviews Shake Weights.

P90X Review: Round 1 Wrap-Up

Now that I've completed a full round of P90X, I feel qualified (albeit just barely) to offer up some observations to those of you who haven't tried it yet.

Tony's a Total Douchebag, But P90X Works.

Granted, Tony Horton is an acquired taste. Douchebags are, after all, not known for their deliciousness. Nonetheless, he deserves a lot of credit for developing an incredibly effective home fitness program.

In just three months, I've gone from totally jelly-like to almost not jelly-like at all. My eating habits have dramatically improved, and I'm sleeping more and better (albeit mostly because I'm now exhausted from waking up at an ungodly hour to exercise). I'm able to crank out more pull-ups and push-ups than ever before. Pre-P90X, balance and flexibility were utterly foreign concepts to me, but now, I can rest my forehead on my knees while performing seated straight-leg hamstring stretches, and I can maintain moderately difficult yoga poses without toppling over. Physically, I'm in the best shape of my life (up to this point, anyway).

More after the jump...