EP. 20 ANDY BRANT - STABILITY, SHOES, & OUR FEET

Stability is one of the most important, overlooked variables that significantly influences how much you can get out of any exercise. When I take a look at peoples shoes at the gym, oftentimes they’re overly cushioned, do not provide stability at the sides, or do not have a flat sole.

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I don’t know who had the idea that squatting, or doing any movement on *basically* PILLOWS would be a a good idea.

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We have 104 different mechanoreceptors on the bottom of the feet. They respond to different stimuli such as texture, deep pressure, skin stretch and vibration. ⁣Roughly 80% of the receptors on the bottom of the feet are sensitive to vibration. This is actually how we detect impact forces coming in to our bodies!

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Guess what shoes and socks do? They block this powerful information from coming into the body via the nervous system making the information delayed or inaccurate.

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In order to improve balance and stability, we want to stimulate these small nerves in the skin on the bottom of the feet. Having a minimal shoe that enhances your natural foot function (not replace it) will allow this information to travel to the brain quicker and place you in a more stable position.

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In this episode of anabolic radio I had the pleasure of chatting to Andy Bryant who has been a practicing podiatrist for 10+ we dive into the nitty gritty details of feet, shoes, walking mechanics and much more! Tune into the episode for the full discussion.

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