Vivobarefoot or Altra Running Shoes? This Will Make Your Decision Easy… My Review Of Both!
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- Опубліковано 8 лип 2024
- In today's video I follow on from a previous video explaining my experience barefoot running in Vivobarefoot shoes, now my experience running in Altra Escalante Pro Racers!
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This confirmed exactly what I had in mind, thank you!
I've run in minimal shoes for the last 6 years, and the last few years exclusively vivos. I recently did my first ultra marathon, 145 miles/233km and entirely in vivos. My body held up very well but my feet were AGONY. Even two weeks later my heel still has a bit of trauma.
It was along a canal so the underfoot conditions were pretty brutal but I wanted to prove it could be done because I really believe in the concept behind barefoot running. Plus I hadn't trained in any alternatives.
I thought next time I definitely need some cushioning, but I didn't want to lose the wide toe box and zero drop. I planned to train in vivos but do some training and race hopefully in something similar but with that added protection. This video affirmed exactly that.
You said at the start of the video you're not a running expert but you should give yourself more credit, you've clearly done the research and know the concepts and science behind the shoes. I think you're certainly qualified to give advice on this subject. Excellent video, thanks again!
Thanks so much dude, really appreciate that! Means a lot!
I have vivos but i would never run in them. I run in luna sandals or xeros. i don't think any of the barefoot shoes are actually suitable for running. vivos is good for aesthetics and makes a good gym shoe. if you want to run or walk take a look at xero z trail sandals/xero hfs shoe/luna venado. When i say run i am talking about running faster than 7:30 minute miles. just from what i've seen , theres no serious runners who are running in vivos.
@@Dtvangogh and no prof runners run in barefoot at all :D
@@matteoenricocattaneosome of the top runners in the world from Africa trained barefoot , same with football players ;)
@@LewisFordham hi mate did Altra upgrade their quality?
Thank you Lewis. This video helped me make my decision on getting a recent pair of zero-drop shoes I'd been holding off on. I have a few pairs of barefoot shoes and thanks to this video I decided to get a slightly more cushioned zero-drop shoe for easy days / casual wear and maybe even days where I push the pace a bit. Thanks for being informative and at the same time transparent with the review.
Great comparison. I lived in the tropics most of my life (barefoot or nearly so) moved to the states, bought "normal" shoes, screwed up my feet! My transition to zero drop and/or barefoot was a no-brainer. My hamstrings went back to normal, posture felt instantly better, felt normal. Just moved to Pennslyvania a few weeks ago. HOLY COW it's cold here. Went to a REALLY GOOD shoe store in Carlisle to get fitted. Salesperson totallly listened to where I was coming from and got me Altras. Although it's bizarre to me to feel like I have a dozen marshmallows under my feet, at least I'm not pitched forward as I would be with "regular" shoes. And since it is cold here, those marshmallows are keeping me warm.
I think I'm going to -- just for normal walking around shoes -- get some barefoot shoes with room and some sheepskin insoles for warmth. I'm 58, a tropical person, and it's foreign not to feel the ground beneath me normally.
As an aside, pretty sure it's related to barefoot, staying with folks who almost daily say, I didn't hear you, didn't know you were there. They don't hear me walking. I think when we walk normally barefooted, we don't make a lot of noise. It's never come up before, but I notice that all those around me kind of "stomp" compared to me.
Vivos have quite warm barefoot shoes, and barefoot insoles. They also have like winter boots I think
they stomp becuz they land with their heels due to wearing shoes all their life. normal cadence starts with the front balls of the feet landing and the arch absorbing shock
Same. I’ve got a little forest behind my place and go out there barefoot on the path once and a while. The squirrels and bunnies don’t here me coming. Only notice me when I’m visible.
Thanks for the video. Awesome. This answers number of questions I had. Been running in vivos last few years, and curious on escalantes. -Keep up the great work. Cheers.
Thanks for making this video. Super useful. I've been running in Vivos for a couple of years but had a bit of toe pain recently (probably from overdoing it) so this helped me decide on getting some Escalante Racers for those longer runs and when I feel like a bit more cushioning. Like you said, I think it's still great to use barefoot shoes to keep a good technique as the more padding you add the easier it is to heel strike without noticing
Appreciate the comparison Lewis, personally found this extremely beneficial! I've been running in the vivo geo racers for a year + and have loved the adaption to minimalist running but I've found them wanting on my 50km + runs to some degree. Enter the altras, which seem to be the perfect replacement shoe.
Good review mate . I have the vivobarefoot and the escalante racer was going to be my next purchase , this video has helped confirm it.
Cheers 🤙
Steve
Brisbane Australia
Great video. New sub. I've just started transitioning to more natural running form and minimalist shoes. But my last shoe was the giant Hoka Bondi 7, which encourages heel striking and felt speedier than the Brooks I wore before, but that was before I learned about good foot and running form. I settled on Escalante's to start the transition because it's hard to find any Vivo or Xero with medium stack height to help me transition. I was sure I'd only use the Altra for 3-6 months but now I'm glad to hear that they are useful to you even though you're well adjusted to minimal stack height.
Good on you mate- very helpful information, thanks!
Great review, mate! Thanks!
Good advice. I do both padded and barefoot in alternate days.
Thanks for this review!!
This is funny ! Came across this video in my feed, and I use exactly both same shoes, as triathlete also. Hereby my thoughts on those two great products. I hope this could help some of you out there looking for barefoot style but performance running shoes.
My strike : more front foot but supination, so all my shoes wear out on the front outer parts.
Sizing : I took 46 in Vivo, 47 in Altra and that's prefect for me. Both feel the same to me.
Durability : I wear them out quite quickly due to a special strike, Vivos are worn around 700km, Altra I'd expect almost the same but I'm not there yet. My Vivos that are worn look amost new except were my strike lands. Since I'm 85kg and I strike on a very specific part of the sole, I expect those numbers could be higher for other runners.
Altra usage : Mainly for interval training sessions and PB attempts. I also use the Altra with elastic laces for triathlons : with fatigue, my strike is not as clean as a normal 10km/21.1km run. I'd rather have the cushioning of the Altra shoes in case my trike isn't perfect due to speed, 42.2km would also be done with the Altra shoes in case fatigue affects my strike too much. I need that extra layer of cushioning to cancel errors.
Vivobarefoot usage : Mainly endurance runs, or runs with more controlled speed but not all out efforts. 10km and 21.1km attempts are also OK, although again, with my special strike I tend to get injuries on the external, midfoot area on 21.1km attempts. I tried intervals with the Vivos, it works, but you have to really be careful not to brake with your heel once your rest time starts. You will ruin your heels ! Instead, tiny steps until normal speed is reached. Since I got the Altras, I don't use the Vivos anymore for hard intervals. I feel so good in the Vivos that when they're worn in the front due to my strike, I fill up the hole with GearAid Freesole and I wear them for everyday use.
Caution : To get from a regular running shoe to Vivo shoes for endurance runs, it took me around 2000km. Avoid injuries ! Don't do endurance runs without cushioning like on Vivobarefoot shoes if you didn't gave your body the right amount of time to adapt.
i have the escalante racer, they're great if you're trying to run without pain.. fixed my form
Great video and thanks!!!!
Thank you so much! Glad you found it useful!
These happen to be my 2 favorite shoes!! I wear the primus trails off road and escalante racers on road, and I skip the insole on both haha. Thabks for the vid
You’re in the same boat as me then haha, although I don’t skip the insole! Thanks dude
Great video!! Finally someone that understands
Thank you so much!! 😁
Great info.
Thanks so much!!
This is a very interesting camparison. I'm using a similar combination: Altra Escalante Racer + Luna Sandals Venado.
Most of the forrest trails near my house have gravel with pointy rocks. I cannot handle to run there with the Lunas. That's why I have the Altras.
Hahaha yeah I can imagine gravel with point rocks being pretty painful in some barefoot shoes. But as you say Altra’s are definitely a good solution, I haven’t yet tried a pair of their trails shoes but I do want to give them a go!
Wow we are spirit twins haha. I go between Luna Venados and Escalantes also as my entire running shoe rotation (except sometimes I run in VFFs)
Great summary. God made our feet to work beautifully just the way they are. With that said, there was no concrete or asphalt in the Garden of Eden so the extra bit of cushion from the Altra's helps. I run in both Vivo's and Altra's and use them as you have described. My observations are identical.
One thing I will say is that if you buy the trail style runners from Vivo like the Primus Trail's (I have the SG sole on mine), the extra tread depth acts as extra cushioning and can be a hybrid between the Vivo Primus Lite and the Altra Escalante.
Great video. I have a lot of vivos, but do have a pair altra superiors for 23km plus trails. But, given this video i will give the escalantes a go. Thanks champ.
Ahh awesome! Thanks so much dude, glad you found it helpful! Escalantes are definitely a winner for me haha
This is exactly the video I was looking for! No affiliation BS! Instead a well thought out comparison!!
I have exactly the problem you mentioned. My feet in barefoot shoes tend to get really hot and fatigue after 20k+. So I was looking for cushioned shoes with a wide toe box and zero drop. I think the Altras will do a great job on solving this problem. Thanks for this great video man!
No worries dude, glad you found it useful!
Yeah, I hurt myself moving onto the vivobarefoot. Too much too soon on them but other than that I have no regrets, I love them.
Also worth talking about the guarantee with vivobarefoot, like 100 days full money back or swap no matter how much you've used them in that time. It's what sold them to me the first time.
I love the Escalante racer, I find it feels very natural. I want to supplement running in those with Xero shoes. I think using shoes that are more natural with zero drop and not a ton of cushioning is the way to go. Thanks for the comparison!
I Just ordered my Escalante racers. I currently run in Xero HFS wich I love
The Escalantes will probably feel very comfortable compared to the Xeros. I had the same thoughts that they would compliment each other really good.
@@GTE_Channel wats the dif between xero hfs and vivo barefoot?
@@io-rj6sk i have no experience with Vivo. All I can say I love the escalante racers (and the normal escalante as well) and I love the HFS for my most minimalist experience
@@GTE_Channel nice im gonna buy sum 2moro, im excited to try em out. hopefully it will cure my knee pain :D
if u were to do a marathon would u choose the xeros or altras ?
@@io-rj6sk I think you should only use the Xeros for marathon if you have done lots and lots of miles in them to strengthen all your muscles. I've done half marathons with the Escalante racers without issues after about a year training on these types of shoes.
Dont know what your experience is with these zero drop shoes, as in the beginning the could make your calves feel very soar even after a few miles. Took me about a month to fully transition.
I love Altra and Vivo they're just ridiculously expensive in my region.
Thanks I’m running a five fingers right now and just every once in a while on an easier day or recovery type day I think on those ultra racers could probably work appreciate it
since your in the uk next time you wear out your vivo's check there reapair refresh offerings you can have them resole them and restich them up on revivo
I love my Merrel Vapor Glove 5's! Cheap way to get into barefoot..
I’ve never tried Merrel’s… might have to give them a a shot as well!
Can't find those things anywhere though. I had the VG3 I think and they were great
The merrels build quality is way lower than vivo. I still have my first pair from 5 years ago. I started on vapor gloves they lasted less than a year before they started ripping. Got some vivos on ebay will never go back
Use primus lite casual all day and run in escalante 2.5 and LP5 off road. Both great brands. Quality of Vivo is far better.
So how long did it take you to get used to the Vivo's, Six weeks, six months or longer?
Good comparison Lewis! I actually bought the escalante’s as my first zero drop shoe during the transition period to barefoot shoes. I’m my case, doing it this was was a bad idea because I was not changing my gate, continued heel striking which caused shin splints. I got the primus lites shortly after (about 2 years ago) & the primus FG. My gait is a LOT better (Recording some videos to check along the way) and pain free. Love running again personally I wouldn’t go back to a padded shoe.
Thanks so much Will! Yeah that’s exactly what happened to me when I got my first pair of Vivo’s, completely changed how I run. Glad to hear they’ve helped you as well!
Do you think the escalantes would be fine as a transition to barefoot running if you already have a fore/midfoot strike? I just bought some escalantes for that exact purpose
Good info, but FYI the word you want is "gait", not "gate".
I wonder if the vivo ones would work well for table tennis indoors on a soft table tennis floor.
It would not make any sense to me for a new runner to get the soft shoe and start out running with bad form and then have to spend the time and energy to fix their bad form. Why not just start out with the shoe that will encourage/allow you to start off with good form and keep your muscles and arches intact. I get that a person who has run on soft shoes and needs to develop the muscles and arches needs to go slow and slowly build up how many miles they can do 'barefoot', but beginners can't do enough miles anyway. Also, I think you will find that if you start doing some major distances(50+ miles), you will start getting sore knees and ankles, if you stay in the soft shoes. You won't be able to keep your form without that ouch factor to keep you on your best behaviour(not toes, but mid foot).
All this happened to me. I went from Hoka to Xero shoes. Went from hating running to having fun.
Idk, I think it would be too much of a shock for new people and turn them away.
@@anthonyfletcher8053 Maybe on the hard road, but in the trails, barefoot shoes are a joy.
im going to start with altras mainly cuz i sprint on pavement , ill see if i later try on full barefoot shoes
Great vid mate. I wear barefoot shoes all the time and looking to get cycling shoes for the bike soon. What do you wear on the bike? Cant bear the thought of squeezing my feet into those narrow cyxle shoes
I don’t have Vivo’s, but I have had vibrams, Merrel Vapor gloves and currently have Zero sandals. I also have Altra Escalantes and Superiors. I like the absolute minimal shoes for short-medium training runs to create good habits in terms of form and cadence. In long runs and races, I like the Altras because a little padding frees my brain up to pay more attention to just running rather than planning where my foot is going to land in every step. I live outside of city limits, so my “road” runs are a mix of asphalt road, concrete sidewalks and gravel shoulders. If I were running on more consistent surfaces, I might see it differently.
Another brand to check out if you like Zero drop/wide toe box shoes with a little padding is Toppo. They don’t last as long as Altras, but they are less expensive, so that takes some of the sting out of more frequent replacements.
Bought the Escalente 2.5 ran 2.5 km in them, got a cramp in them around 2 km mark. They are nice boots, but my feet is searching neurodynamic feedback. After to years of vivos, I can't go back. But on the other hand, i got cramps in calves after running in my normal trainers years ago, a hour later after the run, when i squeezed them.
Before I got Vivos I was tracking Merrell Waterpro Maipo 2 for a year, but their heels are too cushy, they killed me because neuro feedback disbalance, the frontshoes was minimal and the heel moderate stack hight but really cushy - or you felt the ground the front foot but your heel was getting nothing. And the Eslalente gave me the feeling of nothing and my calves where stabilising against nothing and gave me cramps. So I sat over a hour after me first run and cleaned them, so that noboby whould suspect i ran in them and returned them to the store.
So l love the design of the Altras, but can't run in them. Have fun in yours, everybody has different neurofeedback needs for their running shoes 😀
Im altra all the way!
Thanks man, a good one, but I'd actually suggest the opposite logic, if you're beginner, definitely get barefoot shoes because they'll help you learn the form, what you have to focus is the dosage, where body feedback is the most important (never through pain) Plus focus on mobility and strengthening. Especially for beginners with bad form and imbalances, a lot of padding covers up those and gives illusion of better performance and longer runs only to result in injuries.
Hey thanks this really echoes whats been going on in my mind as I learn about this stuff, as a brand new runner! Tryna start off with maximum longevity in mind 😉
@@gnatdagnat if you're looking for longevity and at doing things right. Look up people like Lee Saxby or kneesovertoes guy. If we want to become runners in our adult life and we haven't done it before we're adapted to be anything but. Strength, mobility and balance in crucial structural joints and ligaments required for running are artrophied. And barefoot shoes are the best thing but also not a cure it all magic. Peace. Have fun
If the toes part was flat on the altras I would definitely buy them
When you walk(not run) in Altra, do you heel strike or no?
Vivo Primus are a pretty shoe, I like them for everyday / casual wear but for running and for lifting I’ll take Xero HFS, I find them to be more comfortable and a better fit
Do you not recommend these for someone who slightly pronates while running?
Please… what model / color are these!?!?! (Altra shoes)
I love how contradicting barefoot shoes are better for your health but hurt like hell.
Depends on the surface. Not natural to run long distance on concrete or pavement.
I love barefoot shoes. But running on concrete in them messed my feet up hard. I run in altras, and do most else in barefoots
Are these shoes the best for running triathlons?
I'd like both shoes please? But not in my budget, so today was another 21.1k *barefoot* run (concrete & asphalt) and it turned into a PB :-)
Great video. Where are you from? Love your English!
I’m from Essex in England, most people hate the accent from Essex, especially if you live here haha! Glad someone likes it
@@LewisFordham
Hello, Lewis! Thanks for replying :)
Yes, it is a very beautiful accent actually! I lived for two years close to Victoria Park, in Mile End, and I have very good memories of it. Overall, I enjoyed London pretty much. Was a great experience to live in there as there are many beautiful parks, it is full of life, etc.
I was wondering, if would like to practice some Spanish, reach out to me! Sometimes I do weekly Skypes with people from the UK so as to not forget my English in exchange of Spanish, and we keep it flexible, so if you can't make it one day it's absolutely fine.
Anyways, have a good day, and great video!
Cheers
Vivo really just need to start doing half sizes how hard is it really? 9 to snug 10 to big maybe make a 9.5
I’ve been running for about 5 months now using vivobarefoot and INOV8 BARE-XF 210 V3. I’ve done a marathon and loads of half’s using them. I like them but I find on my longer runs my feet start to hurt after hitting the pavement for so long. I don’t want traditional running shoes with loads of padding but I want shoes with just a little more padding than barefoot. The ultras look like a good middle ground. I’ll give them a go 👍🏻 does anyone else recommend any other shoes like this?
How were the altras ? Which ones did u get ?
Escalantes are definitely a good middle ground!
@GriffRunning I bought a pair a few months ago and I like them alot.
So is the heel striking bad actually? Is that what he’s saying? I just don’t understand why
I first got into this journey with the Xero HFS, and they gave me horrible PF. The lack of arch support made them feel like dogshit. Was really disappointed because they fit really well and I wanted to like them, but I couldn’t do it.
I DID get a pair of Escalante Racers, and if you’re wanting to go fast and get that nice response, they’re excellent and well constructed. My feet are kinda sore from using them yesterday, so I think for my daily runner, I’m gonna switch to either Escalante 2.5s, or a toss up between Torin 5 and Rivera. I can’t decide.
A shoe without arch support can’t cause fasciitis, it’s caused primarily by the runners movement pattern, and relative strength & elasticity of the foot. Runners’ injuries are self inflicted.
@@cannibalmanimal2336 exactly, it’s just a lack of strength probably, you don’t walk into a gym and try and bench 100kg with no training, then blame gloves for the damage to your body
@@TirnanHealy modern shoes have made pudding feet common. People can’t efficiently move their body weight through space, so it slowly destroys soft tissue. If you run barefoot on smooth ground and get bad joints then who’s to blame? The ground? Gravity? Where does it stop before people realize they’ve the cause of their problems? Some are landing (crashing) w 9X body weight, that’s why they can’t run a 5K without pain. That’s approx 5000 repetitive missteps, injury’s expected. Shoes aren’t pills. How do you reduce impact? Pose Method
Please strengthen your feet muscles and stretch your calf muscles all the way to the hip with the zero drop shoes. I got plantar fasciitis from "overrunning" with zero drop sandals on the road and alternating with maximum cushion running shoes. When I got my Xero shoes, I started off with Dr. Scholl insoles for PF and gradually got to no inserts with Xero shoes. I also started strengthening my feet muscles with heel raises and slow heel-to-ground or below the stairs. Good luck!
As an update to my comment, I’ve come to a conclusion: running shoes are unnatural, but so is flat ground and your feet weren’t made for it.
I’ve been running in Hoka for about 6 or 7 years but now I have plantar fasciitis can’t run - a friend recommended I switch to zero drop shoes - it helped him heal , just got some altra riviera today and a new treadmill to start slowly
Any tips please
1. Massage or golf ball under your sole (esp the arch)
2. Stretch your calf muscles.
3. Sleep on the floor without a pillow to try to get your muscles to realign.
Good luck! The process of healing from PF may take months but just keep going.
My barefoot/minimalist shoes don't result in PF pain anymore after 6 months of use. I switched from Hokas to Xeros.
Rivers’s aren’t bad at all but they have one of the narrowest toe boxes of all Altras which isn’t ideal for running shoes. Still much better than the conventional Nike/Adidas.
For a long time now the escalante racer has been out of stock on my country. Finally they returned... in an objectively ugly color way :'(. Still got them for the exact reason you explained. My only running shoe right now are the vivo primus lite 2s.
How long is your longest foot in cm?
I bought a pair of Altra Torin 7 and both shoes did break up un the upper, just by walking
did you skip, the skip to time stamps?
But are you still landing on youre forefoot with the altra?
V-Runs or bust
One of the big reasons I'm hesistant to buy padded shoes like the altra is that when the padding starts wearing out (in my case usually under the arch) it will lead to bad knee trouble. I tried that with the old NB minimus which I loved, but ye once that lttile bit foam got compressed they were done.
Also I disagree on your advice of transitioning from padded to more barefoot style. You will carry all the bad habits from the padding over to the barefoot shoes and fuck yourself up. I advice to just start out with actual barefoot running on a hard smooth surface to get the response you need but seriously start out with only doing 100 meters and then slowly, slowly building up. Also going in barefoot shoes for your normal day will help a bunch.
@@erlingpanduro5973 I brought a pair of escalante racers . I run for health I’m not a pro racer the most I’ve ever ran is 15km which I was really proud of lol. Then I went abroad for a year, so I told myself I couldn’t run, it was crazy hot and well sand everywhere nothing but sand . In retrospect I could have ran at the crack of dawn, that was the only tolerable time, but running alone in that country didn’t seem like a smart idea. I couldn’t persuade my husband to run so early with me so I had to pause the running .
Now I’m getting back into running and sadly i’m located in the hilly part of my city .I’m struggling with the constant hills , but I’m hoping I will improve over a few weeks .
I started walking in the racers only 1/2 mile and I could feel the pain on my calves the next day . So I’m thinking I should run less than half a mile to test them rather than attempting 5km . I have snapped something in my calf 2 times before so I’m conscious of taking running slowly in general . I naturally strike with the mid to forefoot when running so I hope I can eventually fully use these shoes .
The whole reason I brought them was to reduce the likelihood of injuries . It seems no matter what advice i follow I eventually get injured from running after a few months . Some of these posts are making me think I made a
bad purchase I hope they’re wrong
@@luluah1198 That sucks! Only advice I can give really is to take it really (really) slow, running in hills is definitely much tougher on calves and achilles. Also I think you can run well in most shoes as long as they fit, just be aware that padded shoes have an expiration date. Also self massage your calves if they get really tight.
@@erlingpanduro5973 it seems not precisely grounded in reality to suggest that anybody that runs in anything other than Vivobarefoot are going "fuck themselves up" as you put it. I think it's fine to have a preference but it's important to acknowledge other data sets that oppose and challenge your own point of view. There are people out there who put thousands of miles a year in all kinds of shoes. Are all barefoot runners injury free? Certainly not. Are all "regular" running shoe runners injured all the time? Also certainly not. It's not so black and white. There's more that goes into your health, fitness, and resilience than whether or not you wear a Vivobarefoot shoe.
@@legswillmove You want me to argue against a strawman? I didn't say that anybody that runs in anything other than Vivobarefoot are going to "fuck themselves up".
I just simply disagreed that gradually transitioning from a padded shoe to a more barefoot style shoe is a great idea, and suggest that a reset and relearning of running style is preferable.
Or you can keep running in padded shoes and just be aware of the pitfalls that come with that, like weak foot strength and that you gotta swap them out ever so often when the foam deflates.
Get both 😂
Does this shoe provide ample toe bend flexibility?
It does for me, they’re surprisingly flexible!
Basically, what I'm hearing, not excuses in any way, but ... if you're not a Tarahumara from Chihuaha Mexico... Barefoot/minimalists shoes r not for u... they are not for the faint of heart; faint of feet for this matter. 😆
I used to run barefoots until i took a sharp rock to the heel.
mara-FON
lol
Running on concrete / sidewalks with zero cushion doesn't work for me. If you think about it, it's not really a "natural" surface for humans.
10:19 bitch lasagna?
11:05 "Extra boost"??? "pull back on your performance" ughh no dude! wrong. You seem to have no idea.
Thanks for opinion dude, but this is just what I’ve experienced and what is happening for me! Might be different for others which I why I said I’m no expert and am not making recommendations for anyone!