Best Barefoot Shoes for Running or Walking (2026)

You’ve probably been wearing cushioned shoes most of your life. Don’t expect to throw them on and be able to cover the same distance – whether walking or running – in barefoot shoes. To some extent, you have to learn how to run and walk. It will take conscious effort on your part, and it can be very difficult. Not only are you learning, you are learning too Unlearning Some established habits. The key is to go slow. Very, very, ridiculously slow.

How you handle barefoot shoes depends on what you want to do. I happened to start running, which worked out well because king To consider it slow (it sucked). If you are currently an ultra-marathon runner and would like to try barefoot shoes, you will find it difficult to restrain yourself. If you’re somewhere between those two poles, it’ll still be hard not to overdo it. Focus on the discipline you normally use for distance no Do the distance.

If you don’t know where to start, visit Graham Tuttle’s YouTube channel, especially foot strengthening exercises. This will help you develop foot and ankle strength that you lack if you’re coming from years of cushioned shoes, and it will also help reduce muscle soreness when you start running barefoot. Tuttle also offers some paid software meant to give you more personalized guidance (I haven’t tried any of these). Another YouTube channel I’ve found helpful is MovNat, which isn’t specifically for barefooters but has a lot of good barefoot advice sprinkled throughout its content. And if you haven’t read Christopher McDougall, both Born to run and Natural heroes These are fun reads related to barefoot people. actually, Born to run This act has arguably done more to popularize barefoot running than anything else since the advent of the cushioned shoe in the early 1970s.

It’s also worth noting that barefoot shoes are not a zero-sum game. For over a year I wore barefoot running shoes, regular shoes for other errands, and sandals the rest of the time. It’s not all or nothing. If you go for a run barefoot and then put on your favorite Converse shoes right after, that’s okay. It is also important to know that every person is different. It took me six months to fully transition to barefoot shoes. But that’s just me. It may take two months or two years. Go at your own pace, and don’t worry about other people’s experiences.