Int J Sports Med 2011; 32(6): 401-406
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1265203
Training & Testing

© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Oxygen Cost of Running Barefoot vs. Running Shod

N. J. Hanson1 , K. Berg1 , P. Deka1 , J. R. Meendering2 , C. Ryan3
  • 1Health, Physical Education and Recreation, University of Nebraska at Omaha, United States
  • 2Health, Physical Education and Recreation, South Dakota State University, Brookings, United States
  • 3Psychology, University of Nebraska Omaha, United States
Further Information

Publication History

accepted after revision August 24, 2010

Publication Date:
06 April 2011 (online)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the oxygen cost of running barefoot vs. running shod on the treadmill as well as overground. 10 healthy recreational runners, 5 male and 5 female, whose mean age was 23.8±3.39 volunteered to participate in the study. Subjects participated in 4 experimental conditions: 1) barefoot on treadmill, 2) shod on treadmill, 3) barefoot overground, and 4) shod overground. For each condition, subjects ran for 6 min at 70% vVO2max pace while VO2, heart rate (HR), and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed. A 2 × 2 (shoe condition x surface) repeated measures ANOVA revealed that running with shoes showed significantly higher VO2 values on both the treadmill and the overground track (p<0.05). HR and RPE were significantly higher in the shod condition as well (p<0.02 and p<0.01, respectively). For the overground and treadmill conditions, recorded VO2 while running shod was 5.7% and 2.0% higher than running barefoot. It was concluded that at 70% of vVO2max pace, barefoot running is more economical than running shod, both overground and on a treadmill.

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Correspondence

Nicholas J. HansonMS 

University of Nebraska at

Omaha

Health, Physical Education &

Recreation

Dodge Street 6001

68182–0216 Omaha

United States

Phone: + 1/402/554 2670

Fax: + 1/402/554 3693

Email: njhanson@gmail.com