Transition into FiveFingers

After years of being underused in shoes, your feet and lower legs will be working hard. The Plantar fascia, calf and achilles are the main areas getting the extra workout while wearing your new FiveFingers.

The double effects of a lower heal position and increased loading through the calf mean that your body will need to adjust.

You must be the judge of how fast a transition is comfortable and safe for your body. With this in mind, This information is offered and intended as a general guide, we suggest the following, for some it will take less time, for others it will be more challenging. Remember you feet are the messengers, listen to them.

Week 1

Wear them around the house for a couple of days to start with and then on short walks down to the local park or a quick trip to the dairy for some milk will all help you acclimatise to your Fives. Think of it as being similar to spending the day barefoot.

(Start with periods of wear less than 30 minutes is recommended to start for those who always wear shoes)

Week 2

Start to increase the amount of time you wear them each day

Start wearing them to the gym - avoid using them on the treadmill or for high impact classes this week.

Give your feet some TLC in the evenings, try the following to massage & relax the foot, remember you’ve been giving your feet a good workout!

• Rake & Rub, with your fingers spread rake the sole from your ankle to toes, repeat then gently rub feet to warm them up for a deeper massage.

• Thumb Walk, walk your thumbs across the sole of your foot starting at your big toe and ending at your heal to help release tightness in muscles

• Kneading, make a fist and knead the heavily treaded ball of your foot to relieve tension built up along the first few kms walked in your fives.

• Toe Rotation, thread your fingers through your toes and gently pull up on each toe, twisting softly.

  1. •Arch Roll, rock your foot over a golf ball back and forth to bring your arch back to it’s natural relaxed form, a tennis ball or water bottle can be used for a softer, less focused massage.


Week 3

• Continue as above

• Begin using your 5’s for short runs on grass (1-2km), build distance up to 7-8km before trying harder surfaces

• When running on grass keep strides short, feet under hips and land on the balls of your feet. Keep your ankles soft and responsive

  1. •Listen to your feet and progress accordingly, enjoying the feeling of nature underfoot, the feeling of Vibram FiveFingers.


Enjoy!