How to Walk (In Response to Bob and Brad) @BobandBrad In-Depth

by the end of this video you'll be walking in a new way hello foot soldiers this is grown in healthy the show where we explore self-improvement through movement now the science of the human gait cycle seems to be set in stone from an understanding based on stone aged man but how could a pronounced heel strike be used in the paleolithic era most of the earth at that time and up to the industrial age was undeveloped undulating levels and many hazards from a variety of rocks branches barbed foliage and even insects not to mention noise predators would be a major factor so no one was walking through the jungle or the forest sticking their heel out even the rocks and pebbles found on well-worn trails in our modern local parks would be treacherous to walk heel first on with that fairy tale out of the way let us focus on modern man the faults of modern man and current day walking efficiency the first indication of inefficiency is the distribution of load through the gait cycle human's primary method of movement is walking and we have developed musculature that balances the workload of this activity throughout the body this means that all the components of the legs primarily should be in use throughout the gait cycle for maximum efficiency and to distribute the work of walking to all the components for propulsion and to minimize overuse we use the upper body through arm swing and torso twist to counterbalance and the vertical alignment of the torso and and the pelvis to determine the speed what we have currently is a heel to toe stride that has created numerous imbalances and dysfunction you know we're plagued by tight deactivated muscles such as the psoas the glutes hip flexors vmo and even the tibialis anterior that limit our mobility in many other positions like picking up a bag or squatting to get a fallen item now these non-optimized muscles are ruining our joint mobility making us stiff and robotic now most of our mobility issues will be solved by walking correctly considering we're being told to walk 10 000 steps in a day that is a lot of time to practice the wrong or the right way now this is the gait cycle proposed by scientists they propose that the back leg is lifted by the calf muscle to elevate the front foot off of the ground to allow the opposite foot to swing forward when the front heel strikes the ground we then roll from heel to toe like a rocking chair using momentum to carry us forward now in this method we are missing many contributing muscles one there's no recruitment of the gluteus maximus our largest muscle to propulse with two there's no significant use of the hip flexors and the psoas to lift the leg throughout the gait cycle and there is absolutely no use of ankle dorsiflexion atrophying the tibialis muscles the act of subtly dragging the rear foot forward is only replicable on a modern level and smooth surface like a concrete sidewalk with no undulations in nature this method will trip you up every time by striking the heel we are momentarily stopping our forward momentum and we have seen and experienced the reactive plantar flex slap of the forefoot on the ground further decelerating the propulsion forward by wearing a high-heeled shoe this forefoot slap is uncontrollable and leads to detrimental instability of the achilles tendon now when we look at anatomy instead of presupposing what if we look towards our anatomy as a guide let's take a look at the athletic stance now the athletic stance this is the starting position of all athletic action this is the foundation of movement you will slightly bend your knees and drive your hips back while keeping your chest upright all while centering your gravity over your midfoot by bending the ankles however due to lifestyle factors many people today have a weak core and a weak posterior chain which makes performing this movement very difficult no this video is not about walking in a complete athletic stance this would be extreme and culturally non-normative but i want you to keep in mind that this level of fluidity and balance of the athletic stance is how you should feel to a lesser extent when walking step one let's start by slightly hinging the hip bending the knee and balance this with a slight bend of the ankles now the three arches of the foot did you know that foot has three arches now how is it possible to heel to toe roll if there's a gap between the heel and the forefoot now that is not a roll that is a slap and skin fat muscles and tendons belie the bone structure of the foot giving a false impression of the mechanics the design of modern shoes are the only factor in what creates a roll from heel to toe the active foot slap is momentarily breaking not only is this foot slap the factor in achilles pain and injury if heel strike were an efficient process you would remain in ankle dorsiflexion throughout the stride to keep that momentum but because it is abnormal to the way that we are built it causes our forefoot to slap creating a slackening in the achilles at a point of high load which is deleterious to the foot and ankle structure shoe manufacturers have tried to remy this fault by placing more cushion on the heel creating higher ingress and egress angles to form the shoe in a design to mitigate this faulty gait pattern that we've developed foot balance if you have slacklined or walked a tightrope or even witnessed a professional doing so you've seen the athletic stance in play absolutely no professional would risk their well-being or hinder their performance by walking with a fully extended knee or by landing on their heels now this is an extreme maneuver but the fundamentals still remain true you have the best ability of remaining balanced throughout the body with the joints in a mild flexion step two land balanced you've often heard of the tripod points of the foot the mtp joint which is the ball of the big toe the small toe and the calcaneus which is the heel but i disagree the points of stability are the whole first ray from the mtp joint to the big toe the lateral edge of the foot from the small toe to the tuberosity of the fifth metatarsal bone and then the heel the forefoot midfoot is designed to spread under load creating a natural shock absorption the heel is not landing contact should be made on the first ray and the outer edge in a half protractor shape and that is where you will impact and propel impact propel the achilles is not a shock absorber and will be disrupted by the jarring combination of heel strike and forefoot slap let's take a look at reflexes reflexes are extremely important to our well-being they are an instinctive part of our design that allows us to safeguard our body before we are even consciously aware it keeps us out of harm's way whether it is a hot iron that we reflexively recoil out from touching or a stone or pin on the ground that we immediately withdraw our feet from the withdrawal reflex the withdrawal reflex is a result of obnoxious stimulation pain caused by stepping on a nail causes the leg to flex thus relieving pressure on the foot note that you are just about to step on that foot this means that the extensor muscles were being activated it is important not to inhibit this to allow for proper reflex for the crossed extensor reflex we see in which the contralateral limb compensates for loss of support when the ipsilateral limb withdraws from painful stimulus in a withdrawal reflex an example of this is when a person steps on a nail the leg that is stepping on the nail pulls away while the other leg takes the weight of the whole body different nerve fibers cross from stimulated side of the body to the contralateral side of the spinal cord there they synapse with interneurons which in turn excite or inhibit alpha motor neurons to the muscles of the contralateral limb at the same time signals travel up the spinal cord and cause the contraction of the contralateral muscles of the hip and abdomen to shift to shift the body's center of gravity to the extended leg to a large extent the coordination of all these muscles and maintenance of equilibrium is mediated by the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex knowing this how would you walk on your forefoot or on your heels which method would allow the reflex to engage to minimize damage or to risk hazards to remind you of the physiological significance you know survival value of the reflex of the reflexes just described it's worth remembering that most things in biology can best be understood in the light of evolution the reflexes just described have evolved to keep us alive in circumstances of threat and also to allow us to run after prey step 3 engage soaz and hip flexors to raise the knee and flexion of the hamstring to transition the leg forward the land with the midfoot slash forefoot which looks like a half protractor below the hips and in slight dorsiflexion to allow for shock absorption initiated by the extension of the glutes using the angle of your midline to determine the speed and not the stride length the windlass mechanism the windlass mechanism aka movement of the medial longitudinal arch is essential for shock absorption and dissipation of forces throughout the foot it explains how the foot can act as both a rigid lever and an adaptable shock absorber during the stance phase of gait once you begin to extend the big toe the medial arch is heightened and it increases its rigidity allowing you to pre-load the first ray creating propulsion from the rebound of the pre-loaded medial arch step four point the big toe in the direction of your goal use the forefoot use the forward momentum to engage the windless mechanism locking the ankle and then engage the glutes to move forward through the extension of the knee we have seen the most advanced bipedal robotics developed using the same pattern minus the toe contribution engineers are using limited resources in adaptability in comparison to human beings and therefore must design the most efficient movement into their machines and that is why there is similarity between the method outlined in this video and their designs to recap step one let's start by slightly hinging the hip bending the knee and balance this with a slight bend of the ankles step two landing contacts should be made on the first ray and the outer edge in a half protractor shape step three engage your psoas and hip flexors to raise the knee and flexion of the hamstrings to transition the leg forward then land with the midfoot forefoot below the hips and in a slight dorsiflex manner initiated by the extension of the glutes using the angle of your midline to determine the speed and not the stride length step four point the big toes in the direction of your goal use the forward momentum to engage the windlass mechanism locking the ankle then engaging the glutes to move forward through the extension of the knee so get out there and start walking this has been grown in healthy a show where we explore self-improvement through movement you

Channel: Grown and Healthy

Views: 856,217

Keywords: Grown and Healthy, How to walk, how to walk barefoot, how to walk in minimal shoes, pronated feet, gait efficiency, heel strike, forefoot, forefoot walking, low arches feet, walking barefoot, pain free walking, gait cycle, psoas, glutes, tibialis, minimal shoes, athletic stance, how to walk with flat feet, how to walk properly, knee pain, ankle pain, midfoot strike, flat feet pain, walking properly, how to walk correctly, how do you walk wearing barefoot shoes

Id: bGST6h3yhJE

Length: 14min 0sec (840 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 13 2020