Barefoot

[Cayenne]

Hi,

I want to try erging barefoot. Brief trials have been comfortable except for the lower back of the leg. (The bottom of the vertical portion of the leg, not the foot.) The is where the leg rest on the foot plate.

For those of you who are comfortable barefoot and have needed to work around the discomfort I described, what did you do ?

TIA

Eddie

[PaulH]

I've never rowed barefoot, but did row shoeless (i.e. just socks) for quite a while. I wrapped a spare pair of socks round the bottom of the plastic foot slings, which worked well enough. Others have done the same and then wrapped the result in tape as a permanent fix. If you're feeling really adventurous you could go for the Swing Sling (http://www.ps-sport.net/ - look for the link on the left).

Cheers, Paul

[johnlvs2run]

I have done all of my 40 million plus meters rowing barefoot.

On the modelB, I sanded the wood edge, and glued on a hard piece of rubber that curved over the edge.

On the modelC, I simply sanded the sharp plastic edges with a piece of emery paper or sand paper.
This was quick and easy to do.

I did the same on the modelD, then later sliced 2 strips of rubber tubing, and pushed them over the hard plastic straps.
They tended to stay there on their own. But just sanding the edges without using the rubber worked quite well too.

[Montanaandy]

I have been rowing barefoot for years and can't imagine going back to wearing shoes when rowing. The footrests on my Model C are the old flat ones and I have not had any trouble. I have tried rowing barefoot on the newer Model D & E with the "ribbed" footrests when traveling and found that very uncomfortable. I also row strapless. Montanaandy

[johnlvs2run]

I have tried rowing barefoot on the newer Model D & E with the "ribbed" footrests when traveling and found that very uncomfortable. I also row strapless. Montanaandy

I covered the foot plates with 4" wide non-slip adhesive strips.

[ranger]

I stopped wearing shoes on the erg a couple of years ago.

This last year, I got rid of the shoes in my 1x.

If you want to be fast in rowing...

Lost the blubber.

Then lose the rubber.

Shoes blunt your contact with the footplate.

ranger

[jrhahn]

I don't row barefoot that often, but when i've had to the most comfortable thing for me to do was just to wear a pair of thick socks, anything else I feel gets in the way. Since I have slightly smaller feet as well i like to make sure the foot rests are moved all the way up to the top (hole number 6 I think). This makes sure i get the most power possible.

[708uvr]

I have rowed barefoot and enjoy the fact that your feet don't overheat while rowing, but I am now a big fan of Crocs while rowing. They're airy and, for me, provide the right amount of sponginess.

[pmacaula]

...I got rid of the shoes in my 1x...Shoes blunt your contact with the footplate.

Rich - am curious about rowing w/o shoes in a 1x. Do you mean you row in old-style footstretchers (wood footplate; hard plastic heel cup; laced cover for top of footplate) or something else ?
Did you retrofit your Fluid to have these instead of the normally supplied rowing shoes ?
I like rowing feet-out from time to time, but find footstretchers less effective than properly set up rowing shoes.

Back to the main topic - I agree with others - erging barefoot is good (fewer stinky shoes/socks too), though taking the rough edges off the heel cup and footbed is key.

Cheers. Patrick.

[c2jonw]

I row the erg socks only most of the time- one less thing to dry out after a workout. I seriously doubt there is any significant power loss from rowing in any sort of running shoe. Note that there is a newer style flex foot (4+ years old now) that has softer edges in the heel cup and is made of a softer material. It is also a little narrower where it interfaces with the adjustment plate, allowing for a few degrees of movement of the heel (some people do not like this feature). C2JonW

[wjschmidt2]

Just started rowing barefoot last week, and it feels great! I am using the wrapping a sock around the plastic straps for now technique until I find a good rubber tube to wrap around the straps.

Bill

[johnlvs2run]

Bill,
I used a thick piece of rubber drainpipe from home depot. A piece of old garden hose should work just as well.
Another option is gorilla tape, which is really good stuff. I use it on the inside backs of my running shoes.

there is a newer style flex ... allowing for a few degrees of movement of the heel (some people do not like this feature). C2JonW

Most of that movement is from the flexfeet lifting up off the base. I screwed or bolted down the flex feet,
various different ways since I changed the base a few times, and this got rid of most of the flex in the heels.

[wjschmidt2]

Here is what I am using for the plastic straps: ladies heel cushions taped to the strap with first aid tape. Seems to be working so far.

Bill

[JensenX]

I don't understand everyone's need for anti-abrasion material. If you keep your heels down, as you should in rowing, there should be no discomfort at all on the model D. If something is rubbing, then you're moving your feet too much. Barefoot rowing is a good way to train you to stop moving your feet. Just remember that if you row barefoot you need to move the slide up a slot or two to compensate for the thickness of your shoe because without your shoe your foot will be lower. I place the straps just below the little toe. I can row for as long as I please with no foot discomfort. Focus on keeping your foot as motionless as possible.

[Marben]

Use Fivefingers. They are great for rowing.