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The lat pulldown and the pull-up are staples across many training programs — sometimes even coexisting within the same workout. Both exercises train the “vertical pulling” movement pattern and can be highly effective for targeting your back muscles, which is why some lifters regard them as nearly interchangeable. Despite how visually similar the movements may seem, they can actually offer pretty significant and distinct benefits.

Whether you should focus on pulldowns or pull-ups can depend on a few factors, including your experience and your goals. From technique, programming, and step-by-step execution, here is everything you need to know about these foundational back-building exercises.

Lat Pulldown and Pull-Up

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise  Similarities
• Technique Differences
• How to Do the Lat Pulldown
• How to Do the Pull-Up
• When to Program the Best Pulling Movement for Your Goal

Exercise Differences

Recognising the differences between the lat pulldown and the pull-up can put you on the fast track for better results. Some key differences involve the equipment used, or lack thereof. Some relatively subtle, but significant, differences in programming can also be found.

Human Body vs. Machine

The major visual difference between the lat pulldown and pull-up is the fact that one is a bodyweight exercise and the other requires a full cable station. This brings with it two major considerations.

The lat pulldown uses a specialized cable stack pulley system to anchor your body in place while you move an adjustable weight stack, whereas the pull-up simply requires a fixed overhead bar that can support your body weight.

This can affect the relative ease of implementing each exercise into your program based upon availability of equipment, as well as your own capabilities — body weight pull-ups may be too challenging for beginners, while pulldowns can accommodate lifters of any experience or strength level.

As a calisthenics exercise, the pull-up places a greater stabilization challenge on your entire body, from your back and shoulders through your core to your lower body. The stable machine and fixed anchor points provided by the pads on a lat pulldown machine make it tremendously easier to take a seat and get to work. The machine itself provides stabilization, so you can focus targeting your back muscles.

Loading

One of the largest differences between the lat pulldown and pull-up is the range of resistance you can use. The lat pulldown is a highly adjustable machine that simply requires you to add more plates or lower the pin on the weight stack further and further — sometimes exceeding a comparable pull-up load.

The lat pulldown is more scalable than a pull-up — the resistance can be quickly and easily reduced to allow relatively weaker lifters to perform the exercise. Aside from getting creative using resistance bands to assist a pull-up or having access to a dedicated assisted pull-up machine, it can be quite challenging to overcome the baseline level (your body weight) needed to perform a pull-up. This is especially true if you want to perform multiple repetitions per set.

Sets and Repetitions

Similar to the differences in loading, the lat pulldown and pull-up are often paired with distinct set and repetition schemes. For many people, the pull-up is an upper body strength movement that lives in a lower repetition range. Whereas, the lat pulldown typically exists as an effective muscle-building tool that thrives with more moderate repetitions.

You’ll often see pull-ups performed for two to three sets of anywhere from one to 10 repetitions. While the pulldown could be performed with much heavier weights for low-rep sets, it’s nearly impossible to maintain strict form with such programming due to poor leverage. Having your lower body and core locked into position becomes a limiting factor.

In contrast, a lat pulldown is typically done for two to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions. Reaching that type of volume with pull-ups is typically reserved for experienced lifters of a significant strength level, either performed with added weight or with body weight alone.

Exercise Similarities

While there can be several key differences, the lat pulldown and pull-up do share some significant overlaps to consider, as well. They will hit many of the same primary muscle groups, both require some degree of overhead mobility, and the exercises share many basic variations.

Muscles Worked

The lat pulldown and pull-up primarily target your latissimus dorsi — a large swath of muscle located on either lateral side of your back. While the latissimus dorsi (lats) are the prime mover, both exercises will also heavily involve your upper back, biceps, and varying degrees of core musculature to stay in an efficient pulling position.

Mobility Requirements

The vertical pulling pattern used in both exercises requires you to be able to successfully, comfortably, and safely get your arms fully extended overhead. While that may sound simple enough, shoulder mobility and joint health is a very important component of avoiding training-related aches or pains in the long-term.

If you can achieve the overhead position effectively, both the lat pulldown and pull-up can be effective at maintaining your overhead mobility, especially when you focus on working through a full range of motion in the stretched (overhead) position.

Grip Variations

When it’s time to introduce exercise variety, the lat pulldown and pull-up can both allow narrow or wide hand positions, which can alter the muscle emphasis from your lats to your upper back or even your biceps. (1)

Both exercises can also be performed using unique grip orientations, from neutral-grip to overhand or even freely rotating (using individual handles or straps to allow your wrists to rotate during each repetition). Like grip width, changing the orientation of your hands and forearms is an effective way of altering muscle recruitment by making slight adjustments. (2)

Technique Differences

The lat pulldown and pull-up have some definitive technique differences. Because one is a calisthenics exercise and the other is performed while seated on a machine, your overall body position will affect exercise technique.

Hollow Body

The hollow body is a full-body bracing technique that helps to create a rigid body posture. The high level of total body tension it creates allows you to better control your movement through space. This technique is especially important during the pull-up, where you will be freely moving without any anchor points aside from your grip.

In order to successfully perform a pull-up, establishing a strong hollow body technique is essential to maintain stability. The lat pulldown, on the other hand, provides this stability on your behalf by offering leg pads to hold you in place.

Torso Angle

Your torso angle during each repetition is a major difference between the pull-up and lat pulldown. Because your lower body is secured under the knee pads, the lat pulldown allows you to manipulate your torso angle to target subtly different muscles. A greater degree of backward lean could emphasize more of your upper back, whereas a more vertical torso angle puts your upper back into a less advantageous position and emphasizes lat activation.

On the other hand, fairly consistent technique and upper body position is required for a proper pull-up. From a dead-hang position (gripping the bar with your arms fully straightened), you must set your shoulder blades by first “shrugging” yourself up. In doing so, you will be able to better leverage your latissimus dorsi to complete the rep and actually pull you up.

When you get this technical cue right, you will have a slightly backward-leaning torso angle while performing each repetition, but nowhere near the freedom of motion provided by the lat pulldown machine.

Lower Body Position

Your lower body positioning will certainly be a notable difference in each exercise. Similar to the stability requirements during the hollow body technique in the pull-up, your leg position will be affected by the need to stay rigid. Fully lock your legs out, leaving them either hanging straight down or angled slightly ahead of your body. You cannot achieve a strong, stable hollow body position with bent legs.

With a lat pulldown, you will be in a completely seated position with your feet flat on the ground driving your knees up against the pad. While some lifters disregard the knee pad and let their heels leave the ground during pulldowns, this poor form doesn’t add any benefit and only reduces your stability and upper body pulling power.

How to Do the Lat Pulldown

Sit on the lat pulldown machine and adjust the knee pads to snuggly anchor your legs in place with your feet flat on the ground. Stand back up and grab the lat pulldown bar evenly, about shoulder-width apart, with an overhand grip.

Brace your full body and sit down, securing your legs under the knee pads. Squeeze the bar tight, brace your core, drive your legs into the knee pads by performing a static calf raise.

Lean back slightly and pull the bar toward your chest. Focus on feeling your back squeeze in the bottom position before straightening your arms to return to the starting position.

Form Tip: Be diligent to avoid momentum. Secure your body in the machine and brace hard – only move the bar by squeezing your back and pulling with your arms. Do not excessively sway your torso backwards. 

Benefits of the Lat Pulldown

• The lat pulldown has a high degree of stability, making it a more effective way to focus on the back muscles.
• The pulldown machine offers highly scalable loading, making it easy to perform for lifters of all experience levels.
• Multiple handle attachments allow many variations for different benefits.
• It’s relatively safe to take this exercise close to muscle failure.

Lat Pulldown Variations

The majority of effective lat pulldown variations will capitalize on different handle attachments to slightly change your technique and alter muscle recruitment.

Close-Grip Pulldown

Close-grip pulldowns draw your hands slightly closer together than the standard, shoulder-width grip. This increases the amount of leverage your lats have and slightly increases the range of motion — both of which can lead to a stronger training stimulus.

The close-grip pulldown can make the exercise more effective when you’re just learning general technique by delivering a strong training stimulus without needing heavy weight.

Wide-Grip Pulldown

Wide-grip lat pulldowns place your hands slightly farther apart than the standard issue grip placement. This will put your lats at a greater disadvantage, making some of the supporting musculature in your upper back, shoulders, and arms contribute more. This will also reduce the load you’ll be able to lift.

This is a great exercise to fill gaps in your physique or in your strength development. By strengthening relatively weaker links, wide-grip pulldowns can also prolong the amount of time you can make progress before adding weight.

Dead-Hang Pulldown

The dead-hang style of lat pulldown will have you fully “relax” your shoulder blades and assume a completely upright torso between each repetition. Your teres minor (a small shoulder muscle) will get some added work helping to stabilize your shoulder for each repetition.

This is a great way to gain, and maintain, shoulder stability. The increased muscle recruitment will also help upper back development.

Single-Arm Pulldown

The single-arm lat pulldown turn the exercise into a unilateral (single-sided) version. This forces each side of your body to work independently of the other, which will greatly help to accommodate any body size or shape while addressing any natural asymmetries.

The single-arm pulldown is also a tremendously effective way to add more progression time to your lat pulldown exercise by essentially doubling the amount of load each side will have access to.

How To Do The Pull-Up

Perform the pull-up by grabbing a straight bar that is high enough for your legs to dangle freely without touching the ground. Use a small box or (safely) jump to grab the bar with an overhand grip approximately shoulder-width apart.

Perform a hollow body technique by flexing your core, depressing your shoulder blades, engaging your glutes, and locking your quads.

Engage your lats and flex your arms to pull your chest toward the bar. Once you have reached the highest point that you can pull yourself to, slowly lower back to the starting position using control. Maintain your brace and perform for your target repetitions.

Form Tip: Be diligent about maintaining hollow body tension and eliminating any lower body sway. Performing a pull-up gets exponentially more difficult when you have to counter any unneeded movement. Stay braced and aim to start each repetition from a motionless position. Swinging your hips and legs may help you perform more reps, but it reduces muscular stress on your back.

Benefits of the Pull-Up

• The pull-up requires little-to-no equipment.
• Bodyweight exercises can improve coordination and proprioception (body awareness) which can carryover to general athleticism.
• Scalable to suit either strength or hypertrophy goals when appropriate programming and loading is used.

Pull-Up Variations

Pull-ups can be modified to attack a few different goals. Similar to pull-ups, changing your grip position can deliver some unique benefits.

Wide-Grip Pull-up

Wide-grip pull-ups place your upper back (teres minor) on blast. A wider grip will make it harder on your lats, but also put a bigger emphasis on your ability to maintain the right shoulder positioning for each repetition.

When you’re looking to train nearly your entire upper body, while also seriously roasting your shoulder stability, use the wide-grip pull-up.

Neutral-Grip Pull-up

On the opposite side of things, a neutral-grip pull-up places you in a much more inherently stable position. The relatively closer grip and neutral (palms facing in) hand placement will make it easier to harness your back muscles to pull you up, but also take some of the shoulder stability challenge away.

When you’re looking to go for moderate or higher reps, or build a foundation of strength and muscle, neutral-grip pull-ups are a great option.

Towel Pull-up

Towel pull-ups are a huge boost to your grip strength. This low-tech modification, draping a simple (but sturdy) towel over a bar, will seriously challenge your ability to simply hang on.

If you’re in the market for a stronger grip and bigger arms — and if you can already perform more than a handful of pull-ups — challenge yourself with towel pull-ups.

When to Program the Best Pulling Movement for Your Goal

There are several instances where either the lat pulldown or pull-up might be the better option. Your specific goals and training experience are unique factors to consider.

Beginner

When you’re a beginner, you’ll be looking to build a base of muscle and strength before eventually launching into a more structured and challenging program. With that in mind, you may struggle with pull-ups because they can be very unforgiving.

While there are ways to make pull-ups more accessible for beginner lifters, such as using resistance bands for assistance, oftentimes a pull-up is a bit of a tall order. Instead, spending some time building a super-strong lat pulldown can be a relatively lower barrier to entry. Once you’ve accomplished this, either option is freely available and effective.

Muscle Gain

Both the lat pulldown and pull-up can be very effective muscle-building tools, but there are some subtle differences that likely edge the lat pulldown ahead. The lat pulldown is a more stable training tool. This means that there will be less “moving parts” in your way while you chase highly stimulating sets that accumulate volume needed to build your back. (3)

The lat pulldown also allows for a slow, controlled, and incremental increase in loading which once again provides a boost to long-term muscle growth. The pull-up is great in its own right, but it’s hard to beat the lat pulldown for pure muscle gain.

Strength Gain

Gaining strength can be accomplished with both the lat pulldown and pull-up. However, the lat pulldown can more easily be loaded and trained for strength-focused results. With that in mind, it’s going to offer you more lat-specific strength.

On the other hand, the pull-up, as a bodyweight exercise, is more of a full-body exercise. In this instance, the pull-up will help build greater full-body strength. If you want better overall strength potential, emphasizing the pull-up will likely be the better option.

Limited Equipment

When you don’t have access to a gym, the choice is a simpler one. The lat pulldown literally requires a machine, which likely is only accessible through a commercial or home gym equivalent.

While a pull-up bar may seem mandatory for doing pull-ups, it is not actually required. A pull-up can, technically, be performed anywhere you have access to a strong, stable anchor point to safely grab. The pull-up wins when you have limited equipment. 

Advanced Athlete

If you’re an advanced athlete in nearly any sport, it’s a toss up. Once you’ve developed a strong base of muscle, strength, and coordination, both the pull-up and lat pulldown can be tailored to your needs.

Both can be loaded and progressed, both have unique variations to prolong your progress, and both are relatively easy to master after a short amount of focused time. Depending on your goals or needs, either the pull-up or lat pulldown (or even both) can be effectively programmed for athletic goals.

Prioritize Your Pulls

The lat pulldown and pull-up are both iconic staples of weight training. The exercises have unique benefits, times of superiority, and some clear drawbacks. Depending on your training age, goals, and available equipment, one option may jump out as the obvious choice. Review the information and make the best decision for your goals. Prioritize your pulls for some big gains and, one day, both classic movements may find their way into your program.

References

1. Andersen, V., Fimland, M. S., Wiik, E., Skoglund, A., & Saeterbakken, A. H. (2014). Effects of grip width on muscle strength and activation in the lat pull-down. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 28(4), 1135–1142. https://doi.org/10.1097/JSC.0000000000000232
2. Signorile, J. F., Zink, A. J., & Szwed, S. P. (2002). A comparative electromyographical investigation of muscle utilization patterns using various hand positions during the lat pull-down. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 16(4), 539–546.
3. Schoenfeld, B. J., Contreras, B., Krieger, J., Grgic, J., Delcastillo, K., Belliard, R., & Alto, A. (2019). Resistance Training Volume Enhances Muscle Hypertrophy but Not Strength in Trained Men. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001764

Featured Image: Tom Wang / Shutterstock

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Kristján Jón Haraldsson is the champion of the 2023 Strongest Man in Iceland (SMI) contest. The athlete came out victorious in the strength competition that took place in Hafnarfjördur, Iceland on June 3, 2023. It’s a repeat performance for Haraldsson, who successfully defended his SMI title from 2022. According to his personal page on Strongman Archives, Haraldsson can now boast two victories in five appearances (2022-2023) at the annual SMI. The athlete previously finished as the runner-up in 2021, in third place in 2019, and in eighth place in 2018.

Joining Haraldsson on the 2023 SMI podium were Vilius Jokužys (second place) and Pálmi Gudfinnsson (third place). This is Jokužys’s second consecutive runner-up placing to Haraldsson in the SMI competition. To date, the athlete has yet to score a victory in his strongman career, per Strongman Archives, but has only competed in his native Iceland. Meanwhile, this SMI result is the first time Gudfinsson has finished on a podium in a budding career featuring just three competitive appearances.

The 2023 SMI featured eight events, which are as follows: Max Dumbbell, Bag Over Bar, Front Hold, Max Deadlift, Arm-Over-Arm Pull, Mooring Bitt Carry, Block Press, and a Farmer’s Carry and Yoke Medley. Here are the final standings of the 2023 SMI, which had 10 competitors on hand vying for victory:

2023 Strongest Man in Iceland | Final Standings

1. Kristján Jón Haraldsson — 72.5 points
2. Vilius Jokužys — 67.5 points
3. Pálmi Gudfinnsson — 54 points
4. Gudmundur Adalsteinsson — 51.5 points
5. Stefán Karel Torfason — 43 points
6. Aron Geir Gudmundsson — 37.5 points
7. Birgir Gudnason — 36.5 points
8. Alexander Andersen — 30 points
9. Fannar Katrínarson — 27.5 points 
10. Ólafur Haukur Tómasson — 17 points

To help his case and repeat as SMI champion, Haraldsson won five of the eight events and was a runner-up in two others in a consistently dominant display. Here’s an overview of Haraldsson’s complete performance:

Kristján Jón Haraldsson | 2023 Strongest Man in Iceland Performance

• Max Dumbbell — 110 kilograms (242.5 pounds) | Tied for first place
• Bag Over Bar — Six in 19.51 seconds | Second place
• Front Hold — 37.31 seconds | Sixth place
• Max Deadlift — 400 kilograms (881.8 pounds) | First place
• Arm-Over-Arm Pull — 41.95 seconds | First place
• Mooring Bitt Carry — 40 meters | First place
• Block Press — Four in 67.31 seconds | First place
• Farmer’s Carry & Yoke Medley — 38.15 seconds | Second place

The 2023 SMI is Haraldsson’s fourth victory in his last six contests dating back to the 2022 SMI. The strongman made his World’s Strongest Man (WSM) debut during the 2023 iteration, where he finished in fifth place in Group 2. Haraldsson entered the sport’s tentpole event as an alternate after Cheick “Iron Biby” Sanou withdrew on the first day of the contest.

Haraldsson’s continued prowess in his native country might quickly be making him the next Icelandic superstar strongman. That’s because the athlete is also the defending Iceland’s Strongest Man (2022). Provided Haraldsson continues his recent meteoric pace, he would be following in the footsteps of respective Iceland icons in 2018 WSM champion Hafthor Björnsson and four-time WSM victor (1991, 1994-1996) Magnús Ver Magnússon.

There’s a long way to go before Haraldsson can match the rap sheet of two of the greatest strongmen ever. Some of his initial momentum is, however, a positive step in the right direction toward that kind of illustrious legacy.

Featured image: @palmigudfinnsson on Instagram

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http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Research of the Week

People’s basal metabolic rates have plummeted mostly due to seed oils.

Taurine deficiency may drive aging.

Iberian and Levantine migrants taught North Africans how to farm.

The more safety gear a cyclist wears, the more drivers dehumanize them.

Metformin reduces the risk of long COVID. I imagine other methods of improving glucose metabolism would work, too.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Primal Health Coach Radio: Reena Vokoun

Primal Kitchen Podcast: Getting to the Heart of Your Stress with Dr. Dave Rabin

Media, Schmedia

How are they still wondering?

Tex-Ethiopian BBQ.

Interesting Blog Posts

Good overview of the effects of air pollution..

Evidence for the American Heart Association diet is almost non-existent.

Social Notes

On planks.

Everything Else

Are more studies always better?

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

The real divide between North and South Europe?: Processed food.

Interesting podcast: A look into the mind of Peter Singer, who thinks we should prevent predators from killing prey animals in the wild.

View from the other side: Letter from one of the “experts” pushing for a global meat-free diet.

View from our side: Reply to previous letter.

Excellent news: Whole milk may return to school lunches.

Question I’m Asking

Got any summer plans?

Recipe Corner

• Tropical coconut pops.
• Ambrosia salad, paleo style.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Jun 3 – Jun 9)

• Consequences of a Sedentary Lifestyle—Big consequences..
• How and Why to Start Rucking—Get moving.

Comment of the Week

“In response to your Sunday with Sisson article about research. I address that very issue in my book, The Health Contiuum, a realisticea approach to improving your health. I have been working on the book for about 40 years, but hope to finally finish it this year. When I read your article, I thought, that is exactly what I wrote in a section I completed around 1995. It was a bit validating to have someone I respect and admire communicating the same message. Now I just need to get it done. Thanks for all you to help lead a better, healthier life. John Jesse.“

-Finish that book!

The post New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 225 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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These days, Dorian Yates happily spends most of his time in a deserved retirement in Brazil. However, there was a time when the six-time Mr. Olympia champion (1992-1997) constructed one of the greatest runs in bodybuilding history. As the 61-year-old continues to coast into the sunset, he’s been sharing more and more training tidbits that helped a one-time superstar become a living legend.

On June 7, 2023, Yates took to his Instagram page to break down a rather simple but effective ab workout from his Olympia heyday. Yates maintained that he was once inspired by the physique of the legendary Bruce Lee, who, in Yates’ opinion, had “great abs.”

When boiled down, Yates’ prime ab routine probably doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Even from a glance, it appears pretty standard and accessible for athletes of any skill level. All one really needs to perform Yates’ ab workout is a focused commitment to their training.

It is as follows:

Dorian Yates | “Simple” Ab Workout

• Bodyweight crunch — Two sets to failure
• Bodyweight reverse crunch — Two sets to failure

Yates made sure to clarify that each rep was done with a “hard contraction” and a big exhalation of air at the peak contraction to maximize the potential benefits. Yates wrote that in the early parts of his career, he placed more of a premium on weight-training with his abs. That, in turn, led to a “blocky” look that he didn’t appreciate, and he transitioned to contraction-focused work utilizing just his body weight as a result.

In the end, Yates leaned on what he believed were natural gifts, proper nutrition, and low body fat that let him give his abs the requisite attention without going too far.

“In my opinion, it wasn’t really that important to train my abs as they were always visible due to my low body fat year-round,” Yates wrote. “And my genetics did play a part here in helping me stay lean. Everyone has abs. It’s just a case of revealing them by lowering your body fat.”

In what can be a rigid and demanding sport like bodybuilding, there can be a natural tendency to believe that every segment of preparation needs to be complex. As Yates proves with a look at how he chiseled his abs, some workouts can be very simple and help an athlete achieve their goals anyway.

Featured image: @thedorianyates on Instagram

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The 2023 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Bench Press Championships saw a number of hallowed records fall. One of them now belongs to 50-year-old Dutch powerlifter lelja Strik, who helped rewrite the record books during the upper body, single-lift strength contest that took place on May 20-28, 2023, in Sun City, South Africa.

By the competition’s end, Strik recorded a 132.5-kilogram (292.1-pound) raw bench press on her best attempt. The figure is a raw Masters 2 (ages 50 to 59) World Record in Strik’s 84-kilogram division, where the athlete came in first place thanks to her top lift. Strik utilized wrist wraps during her record milestone but otherwise completed the bench press completely raw.

Strik, who is a frequent and successful single-lift bench press specialist at competitions, broke the record in commanding fashion. The previous mark of 123 kilograms (271.1 pounds) was set by Tammy Walker at the 2019 NAPF North American Regional Bench Press Championships. In her recent performance, Strik broke the record on her very first bench press attempt (125 kilograms/275.5 pounds), inched the record higher with her next attempt (127.5 kilograms/281.1 pounds), and finished the day with her decisive lift.

Per her personal page on Open Powerlifting, Strik is a seasoned powerlifter, beginning her sanctioned career over two decades ago at the 2001 Nederlandse Powerlifting Bond (NPB) Dutch Powerlifting Championships. In the time since, Strik has recorded an astonishing 100 separate victories in single-lift or full-power meets, both raw and equipped in some capacity. There’s prolific and then there’s seemingly competing and thriving in every opportunity thrown one’s way. Strik appears to fit more of the latter description as an athlete.

Here’s an overview of Strik’s all-time raw competition bests:

lelja Strik | All-Time Raw Competition Bests

• Squat — 209.9 kilograms (462.9 pounds)
• Bench Press — 144.9 kilograms (319.6 pounds)
• Deadlift — 209.9 kilograms (462.9 pounds)
• Total — 556.9 kilograms (1,227.9 pounds)

Strik’s competitive resume is mostly Dutch-oriented, but the athlete can count various European and International World raw and equipped titles throughout her extensive resume.

While impossible to confirm outright, Strik could be reasonably viewed as one of the most productive powerlifters in the history of strength sports. That makes her latest accomplishment yet another impressive notch in the athlete’s lifting belt.

Featured image: @theipf on Instagram

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Squats are probably the first exercise a person ever performs — simply standing up from the ground. This is likely why squats are often dubbed as the king of exercises. Indeed, they are one of the best, if not the best exercises to develop lower body size, strength, and power while making you a universally stronger athlete with a core of steel. 

When lifters talk about squats, they’re generally referring to the barbell back squat, even though there are many different ways to perform “a squat.” But there are even two primary types of back squats — the low-bar squat and the high-bar squat. In the high-bar squat, the barbell is resting on your upper traps, while the low-bar position nestles the bar across your posterior deltoids or even lower in some extreme cases.

Even though the two exercises might look similar from a distance, they have their own benefits and one or the other might better suit your specific goals. To figure out which squat setup is best for you, let’s compare them.

Low-Bar Squat and High-Bar Squat

• Exercise Differences
• Exercise Similarities
• How to Do the Low-Bar Squat
• How to Do the High-Bar Squat
• How to Program the Best Squat for You

Exercise Differences

At first glance, there are only a few inches of difference in bar placement. Surely that can’t make a dramatic difference, can it? It can. Here’s how each squat best serves a different purpose.

Strength Potential

Setting the barbell in a lower position decreases the moment arm between the bar and your hips. As such, you can use heavier loads with the low-bar squat. The lever is shorter, which means the same amount of force generated by your hips and back muscles, you can move more weight.

Your core is also more compact and resilient, and your upper back is stronger in a low-bar position. You face less risk of bending forward or having your upper back collapse with the low-bar squat.

This is why this variation is favored by powerlifters and most strength athletes. Some of them even put the barbell as low on their back as it can be without sliding down — to decrease the moment arm as much as possible, improve their leverage, and lift as much weight as possible. If you’re concerned with lifting as much weight as possible, then you should probably make the low-bar squat your primary choice. (1)

Muscle Recruitment

One consequence of having the barbell lower is that you have to adopt a more forward-leaning torso position. This increases your hip angle and, the greater it is, the more you’ll recruit your hip muscles: glutes, lower back, and hamstrings.

On the other hand, with the high-bar squat, you can maintain a more upright posture, but it increases knee flexion. You’ll put more stress on your quadriceps and it will be easier to feel them working. You also target the abs more because they’re more strongly recruited in an upright position.

This makes the low-bar squat more of a “posterior chain”-dominant movement (emphasizing your glutes, lower back, and hamstrings) while the high-bar squat also recruits your “anterior chain” (emphasizing your quadriceps and abdominals).

This is why the high-bar squat is the more common choice for bodybuilders and physique-focused lifters.The exercise suits those interested in building more muscular legs, particularly the relatively larger quadriceps.

Go with the high-bar squat if you want to emphasize your quads, but use low-bar squats if you’re more concerned with targeting your glutes and hamstrings.

Technique and Mobility

It can be difficult to find your ”groove” and adapt to low-bar squatting. You have to find your own ideal torso angle, decide an optimal barbell position, determine how much to sit back, etc. And this is emphasized because mobility requirements in your shoulders and hips will dictate the limits of your form.

Indeed, the barbell position in a low-bar squat requires a good deal of shoulder mobility to hold the bar in position, as well as external rotation and wrist stability. Low-bar squats are notorious for putting a relatively high degree of stress on your wrists and shoulders. This is why some powerlifters wear wrist wraps when squatting, or avoid the low-bar squat to save shoulder strain for their bench press.

If you have no mobility issues or old injuries nagging you, you’re good to go. But if you’re a battered gym veteran, or if your shoulders and elbows are tender, stick to the high-bar squat — at least until the pain and issues are gone and you have developed adequate mobility to squat pain-free.

Exercise Similarities

With both exercises being squats, they do share many similarities and overlapping benefits.

Bilateral Development

Both types of squats are multi-joint leg exercises that involve hip, knee, and ankle joints to work many muscle groups including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and even your back and core. (2) Squats will mainly grow your legs, but they can actually contribute to making your whole body bigger and stronger. (3)

Because these squats work both lower body limbs at the same time, you’re more stable, and can generate more strength, lift more weight, and potentially stimulate more hypertrophy. They also help save time since you don’t have to switch legs with every set you perform.

Posterior Loading

Compared to other squats variations, both the low-bar and the high-bar squat are back squats, meaning that the loading is focused on your posterior chain because the bar is resting on your upper back muscles. This isn’t the case, for instance, with the Zercher squat or front squat which load the front half of your body and emphasize your anterior chain.

As such, both the low-bar squat and high-bar squat have the potential to load relatively heavy weight and they are effective for building strength. Compared to front-loaded squat movements, your torso is less upright and you undergo more hip flexion and less knee flexion.

The back-focused bar position, whether it’s low-bar or high-bar, implies more recruitment in the posterior chain — hamstring, glutes, and lower back — and less recruitment in the anterior chain — quadriceps and abs. (4) If you’re interested in developing your posterior chain and lifting plenty of weight, then one of these back squat variations are your go-to.

How to Do the Low-Bar Squat

With the low-bar squat, the barbell is not placed on the traps. Get under a barbell and position it even lower, on your posterior deltoid (the rear of your shoulders) above the top of your armpits. Squeeze your shoulder blades as much as possible to create a “shelf” needed to hold the barbell in place. Bend forward slightly at the waist to prevent the bar from moving around or possibly falling.

Once the barbell is secure, step back and adopt a shoulder-width (or slightly wider) stance. Bend at your hips and knees until your thighs break parallel with the floor. Aim to keep the barbell over your midfoot at all times. This keeps you in a powerful position of leverage.. Push back up until your legs are straight.

Form tip: To help create the cushion of arm, shoulder, and upper back muscles necessary to hold the barbell in position, bring your hands slightly closer. This will help you squeeze your shoulder blades even more. It might prove uncomfortable at first, so make sure to properly warm-up your shoulders and back before low-bar squatting.

Benefits of the Low-Bar Squat

• The low-bar squat puts you in a position to lift the most weight of any squat variation. This is the one you want to prioritize if you want to compete in strength sports like powerlifting or strongman/strongwoman contests, or if you’re simply interested in lifting really heavy weights for fun.
• Low-bar squats deliver more posterior chain recruitment. Your glutes, hamstrings, and lower back will be activated more than with other squat variations.

Low-Bar Squat Variations

If you want to give your shoulders a break, or want to attack the squat from another angle, here are some variations you might want to try.

Safety Bar Squat

If you have access to a safety bar, it can be an excellent piece of gym equipment. Its main purpose is to make the exercise less stressful on your shoulders, elbows, and neck. In summary, it’s a very accessible squat for people who have joint mobility issues. You can mimic the low-bar squat torso angle and general technique, while sitting back farther and bending forward with less trouble.

The safety bar squat also has the benefits of overloading your traps, upper back, and abs. (5) If the low-bar squat irritates your shoulders or if you want to improve your upper back strength, give this variation a go. 

Box Squat

Technically, you could do box squats with a high-bar position, but the overall mechanics and purpose of box squats are better suited with the low-bar position. For this variation, you use a box or a bench, sit back, and squat down. Pause for a second on the bench or box, then contract your glutes and hamstrings to explode upwards. Don’t allow yourself to crash down uncontrolled onto the box.

This movement is a favorite among powerlifters because it’s a great way to teach proper squatting mechanics and consistent depth. The box squat also recruits your posterior chain more efficiently and teaches you to improve explosive power out of the bottom position.

How to Do the High-Bar Squat

Position yourself in front of a barbell in a rack, then duck under and position the bar to sit in the “shelf” of your upper back and traps. Do not rest the bar on your neck or cervical spine. When you have a somewhat comfortable position, grip the bar tightly and unrack it.

Take one step back, then another small step to adjust your position. Your feet should be around shoulder-width, but your exact stance will vary slightly depending on your individual morphology. If you have longer legs, you may be more comfortable with a slightly wider stance.

Take a deep breath and brace your core. Bend your knees and hips simultaneously until the crease of your hips is lower than your knees. Stand up with the weight, exhaling as you pass the midpoint of the repetition.

Form tip: Make sure that your big toes, little toes, and heels are always in contact with the ground. It will help you engage your glutes and should prevent bending forward during the ascent.

Benefits of the High Bar Squat

• This is one of the best exercises to develop muscle throughout your lower body, especially your quadriceps. The powerful stimulus of this total-body exercise is an incredible trigger for overall size and strength.
• High-bar squats are a relatively simple and beginner-friendly barbell squatting variation.
• This movement will put relatively low stress on your joints, particularly sparing your hips from excessive strain.

High-Bar Squat Variations

If you want to take things to the next level and go beyond the traditional high-bar squat, try these variations. Each has its own benefits and could be a better suit for your training goal once you master the initial exercise. 

Smith Machine Squat

The Smith machine has the advantage of being more stable since the bar is on a guided rail. As such, this variation will require less stability and coordination, and you can push yourself harder with reduced risk of injury (from dropping the bar of fatiguing your core and upper body). This is a useful variation if you want to turn up the intensity and approach or reach muscular failure.

It also allows you to focus on the mind-muscle connection and really feel your legs working. This is an ideal exercise if you prioritize hypertrophy or overall safety above strength and heavy weights.

Front Squat

With the high-bar squat, you’re standing quite upright, but the front squat takes things to the next level by demanding super-strict form — if you bend forward, the bar will roll away. This is a useful exercise for teaching good general squat mechanics. The front squat also prevents the lifter from bending too far forward, which would turn the squat into a lower-back focused good morning exercise.

The front-loaded position of the front squat will also emphasize your quadriceps and core even more than other squat variations. It’s a prime choice to boost your Olympic lifts and has direct carryover to the clean & jerk. However, a proper front squat requires a degree of thoracic (upper back), shoulder, and wrist mobility, so it may not be an immediate option for all lifters without doing some mobility work. Choose the front squat if you want to grow your quadriceps as much as possible, improve your core strength, or support your Olympic lifts.

How to Program the Best Squat For You

Both of these lifts are bilateral multi-joint exercises, recruiting a ton of muscles. As such, they can be an effective fit in many training programs for a variety of purposes.

Building Strength

To get as strong as possible, your best bet is to use three to five sets of one to five repetitions with a heavy weight. Both variations are suited for this kind of programming. Which one you employ will depend on your goals. If you’re a powerlifter or a strongman/strongwoman, stick to the low-bar squat, as it is the one with which you lift the most overall weight.

If you’re an Olympic weightlifter or a CrossFitter, the high-bar squat will be your variation of choice, as it has more carryover to the Olympic lifts and the movements you’ll find in competition. If you’re a general gym-goer, pick the variation that feels most natural.

Growing Muscle

For maximal muscle growth, use a classic repetition scheme of three to four sets of eight to 12 repetitions. The lower rep range will deliver a moderately heavy stress on the body, while the longer duration sets create a burning sensation for muscle growth.

If your goal is to build muscle, either squat setup could be useful, but most experienced bodybuilders and physique-focused lifters stick with the high-bar squat. Why? They’re not concerned with putting the biggest weights on the bar, but with getting the biggest muscles.

The high-bar squat will target your quadriceps, which are among the biggest muscles on the human body. High-bar squats also put relatively less stress on your shoulders and elbows, which sometimes take a beating from various presses, extensions, and assorted upper body training.

Explosive Power

If you’re an athlete trying to run faster or jump higher, it’s a good idea to add some explosive, power-based squats to your training regimen. Five to 10 sets of two to five reps, using a moderately heavy weight that you can still accelerate, will be your best bet. Stick to the high-bar squat. The general technique and muscle recruitment will have the most carryover to improving jumping and running.

Don’t End Up With Diddly Squat

Squats are dubbed the king of exercises for a reason. Don’t miss out on back squats. Use the bar position best suited to your body and goals, whether you want to build an impressive set of wheels, lift a pile of weight, become a better athlete, or boost your overall fitness.

References

1. Glassbrook, Daniel J.1; Brown, Scott R.1; Helms, Eric R.1; Duncan, Scott1; Storey, Adam G.1,2. The High-Bar and Low-Bar Back-Squats: A Biomechanical Analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 33():p S1-S18, July 2019. | DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001836
2. Ribeiro, Alex S. PhD1,2; Santos, Erick D. MSc1,2; Nunes, João Pedro MSc2; Nascimento, Matheus A. PhD2,3; Graça, Ágatha MSc3; Bezerra, Ewertton S. PhD4; Mayhew, Jerry L. PhD5. A Brief Review on the Effects of the Squat Exercise on Lower-Limb Muscle Hypertrophy. Strength and Conditioning Journal 45(1):p 58-66, February 2023. | DOI: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000709
3. Myer GD, Kushner AM, Brent JL, Schoenfeld BJ, Hugentobler J, Lloyd RS, Vermeil A, Chu DA, Harbin J, McGill SM. The back squat: A proposed assessment of functional deficits and technical factors that limit performance. Strength Cond J. 2014 Dec 1;36(6):4-27. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000103. PMID: 25506270; PMCID: PMC4262933.
4. Yavuz HU, Erdağ D, Amca AM, Aritan S. Kinematic and EMG activities during front and back squat variations in maximum loads. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(10):1058-66. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2014.984240. Epub 2015 Jan 29. PMID: 25630691.
5. Hecker KA, Carlson LA, Lawrence MA. Effects of the Safety Squat Bar on Trunk and Lower-Body Mechanics During a Back Squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2019 Jul;33 Suppl 1:S45-S51. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002912. PMID: 30363042.

Featured Image: Dusan Petkovic / Shutterstock

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Before the year 2023 ends, four-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion (2019-2022) Chris Bumstead has a different ambitious goal he plans to tackle at the same time as his championship defense. The bodybuilding titan has a private gym in the making — one that will likely match the intensive demands of his workouts and training as one of the sport’s biggest stars.

On June 6, 2023, Bumstead posted a video to his YouTube channel where the athlete revealed he would be building a personal gym for himself. The reveal came as part of an overall Q&A where Bumstead also alluded to changes in his diet and his continued public openness about his anxiety.

One of the main tidbits of Bumstead’s Q&A featured the bodybuilder walking through a space he aims to have completed 18 to 20 weeks out from the 2023 Mr. Olympia, a timeline which he admits is fast approaching. The space is approximately 3,000 square feet — not as large as some commercial gyms, Bumstead acknowledges, but suitable for his own customized needs.

“This is the future home of the 2023, 2024, and beyond Olympia Prep series,” Bumstead explained. “The ‘Bum Lifting Club,’ if you will. My private little gym. Something everybody dreams of when you start working out, having your own gym. But even more so, having a private gym.” 

Beyond a reasonable ambition of wanting to have his own gym as one of bodybuilding’s faces, Bumstead offered up a simple rationale for the construction plans. Sometimes, he just wants more space to himself when it’s time to do things like pump his biceps.

It doesn’t appear it’ll only be exclusive to him, either.

“… During the day, it’ll be just me here if I want to train. Later at night, other people can come,” Bumstead clarified. “Being at Revive [Bumstead’s regular gym in Florida], a lot of people come to visit, a lot of people come from my work, and all this [expletive], and sometimes it’s hard to be there and be in the right mindset. It’s not my music playing, it’s this, that, whatever. It’s just being able to control the environment in here. So every day I just come in and I can set my own tone for the workouts. I think it’s something that’s really going to help me excel this year, into this prep.” 

When it comes to diet, Bumstead said he’s started to scale back. While he usually eats six meals a day, at this point in his nutritional schedule, the athlete is dialing himself back.

“I’ve touched briefly on it [nutrition] in my last video, but I used to always consistently push myself to eat six meals a day or at least five meals and a shake,” Bumstead started. “And now it’s reduced down to four meals and a shake. So I have breakfast, two meals at work, and then a shake, and then one meal before bed.”

This diet change seems to be more of a permanent shift than anything related to a progressive step in Bumstead’s 2023 Olympia planning, too.

“Because I’m still trying to get the same amount of protein content, like 260 grams of protein, I’ve just increased the amount of chicken, fish, or whatever I put in my meals.” Bumstead said. “Honestly, my digestion has been so much better. And not only that. A huge key to sleeping is not having a full belly when you go to bed … So I’m eating now an hour and a half, almost two hours, before I go to sleep.”

Beyond his goals on stage and in the gym, Bumstead has maintained a significant and honest temperament about his struggles with anxiety. Even as he prepares to vie for a fifth consecutive Classic Physique Olympia title later this year, Bumstead explained that his anxiety gives him a constant test he’s learning to deal with.

It’s another worthwhile perspective from a public face at the top of his field.

“I’m still [expletive] battling it,” Bumstead said. “Learning how to relax when it [anxiety] comes. Accept that it’s there and not be too hard on myself. Just understand that it’s part of life. Whatever I’m doing, there’s probably a reason it’s making me anxious, because it’s important to me or whatever. So, not beating myself up. And also, something that took me a long time to learn and still learning, is communicating about it …. If someone can be there and listen and show you love, empathy, compassion, you feel better again.” 

Featured image: @cbum on Instagram

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On June 6, 2023, Samantha Eugenie shared an Instagram video of herself capturing a 122.5-kilogram (270-pound) raw bench press during a training session. According to the caption of the 20-year-old powerlifter’s post, the strength mark is a personal record (PR). Eugenie utilized just wrist wraps to help her with the achievement, which would qualify as raw in an official powerlifting competition.

Per Eugenie’s personal page on Open Powerlifting, if this training lift occurred in a sanctioned competition, it would’ve eclipsed Eugenie’s all-time raw competition best of 109.9 kilograms (242.5 pounds) by 12.4 kilograms (27.5 pounds). Eugenie scored that mark at her most recent meet in early April — the 2023 Fédération Française de Force (FFForce) Championnats de France Juniors de Force de Athletique in a first-place performance for the 69-kilogram weight class. The contest was just the second appearance for Eugenie in the 69-kilogram division.

Remarkable milestones like this are nothing new for Eugenie, based on her standards. In fact, a 110-kilogram (242.5-pound) easy raw bench press double shared over her Instagram profile roughly only a week earlier might have teased Eugenie’s latest upper body breakthrough.

Since becoming a competitive powerlifter in October 2018, Eugenie has seemingly only grown in strength and appropriate reputation. To date, as a Sub-Juniors, Juniors, and occasional Open athlete, Eugenie has won nine of 12 career contests. The most notable result of her career might be a 63-kilogram title at the 2022 International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Junior Classic Powerlifting Championships. Eugenie has won three of her last four competitions, including the previously mentioned 2023 FFForce Championnats de France Juniors de Force.

On an official records basis, Eugenie holds the IPF Junior World Record raw deadlift of 216 kilograms (476.2 pounds) in the 63-kilogram class. The athlete captured that record number at the 2023 IPF World Juniors.

Here’s an overview of Eugenie’s all-time competition bests as they stand before the next phase of her competitive outlook unfolds:

Samantha Eugenie | All-Time Raw Competition Bests

• Squat — 184.9 kilograms (407.8 pounds)
• Bench Press — 109.9 kilograms (242.5 pounds)
• Deadlift — 220.5 kilograms (486.1 pounds)
• Total — 515.4 kilograms (1,136.4 pounds)

At the time of this article’s publication, it is unclear where and when Eugenie will take her strength talents next. All that seems apparent is that the athlete is ready to smash some of her established precedents very soon.

Eugenie has seemingly only begun her career and already become a household name. With that kind of distinction, the stratosphere appears to be the limit for this young phenom.

Featured image: @coeurlymonster on Instagram

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As the 212 Olympia champion in 2021 and the 2022 Mr. Olympia runner-up, Derek Lunsford doesn’t necessarily need endorsements from anyone on the outside looking in. He’s a bona fide modern superstar and seems destined for a prolific bodybuilding career. That said, if there were a person to talk Lunsford’s talents up, there probably isn’t a better pick than eight-time Mr. Olympia champion (1998-2005) Ronnie Coleman.

On June 5, 2023, Coleman posted a video to his YouTube channel where he called Lunsford his “favorite bodybuilder” of this currently stacked generation. (Note: Coleman maintained that he also appreciated the exploits of 2023 Arnold Classic (AC) winner Samson Dauda.) Coming from a legend like Coleman, it’s quite the shining qualifier for Lunsford, especially after the pair’s shared training session in early April 2023.

Coleman didn’t mince his words endorsing both Lunsford and Dauda. While discussing the state of the sport, he dove right into his appreciation for the two high-profile fitness stars.

“My favorite bodybuilder at the moment, let’s see, hmm, Derek Lunsford is probably my No. 1 favorite,” Coleman mused. “Probably my No. 2 favorite … I kind of like that guy that won the last [2023] Arnold Classic, his name is Samson Dauda. If I had to pick any favorite, it’d be [one of] those two.” 

As for Coleman’s reflection on bodybuilding as a whole, especially where the Men’s Open class stands, the icon thinks the sport is in a healthy place when it comes to training, nutrition, and dedication to their craft. Given some of the athletes’ staggering physiques on display while guest posing at the recent 2023 Pittsburgh Pro, Coleman’s wide-spanning assessment certainly appears to be on the mark.

“I see every generation has its own era,” Coleman began. “Mostly, all of us have to work extremely hard and diet extremely hard and make the biggest sacrifices ever. So, I think that the next generation of bodybuilders is a pretty good class of guys. They work extremely hard. They train hard. They diet hard. I think the new generation is a pretty good generation.”

Finally, after some health scares over the past year, Coleman turned his attention to himself. The retired legend maintained he’s on the upswing and appears to be progressing well after all the surgeries he’s had on his neck and back over the years.

“I’m doing pretty good,” Coleman said. “I’m in great health and my last check-up was back in March [2023]. I had a really good, clean bill of health as far as my last check-up goes. Now, I have another one, probably in a couple of months. So, we’ll see how that goes. But for now, I’m doing pretty good.” 

Even in his deserved retirement, Coleman remains a significant and influential voice in bodybuilding. Whether athletes like Lunsford and Dauda maintain their grip on Coleman’s favor remains to be seen. Though, if they’re keeping the pedal to the metal, Coleman will likely continue to sing their praises.

Featured image: @dereklunsford_ on Instagram

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In today’s world, we pretty much always have to wear shoes. But the majority of shoes people wear run directly counter to the way our feet and lower bodies are designed to function. Tall heels, thick padding, restrictive material that allows no movement, heavy sole that prevents us from feeling the ground—modern shoes are monstrosities that cut us off from the world around us and inhibit our ability to navigate it pain-free. Shoes that emulate the barefoot experience on the other hand offer tangible benefits to your health, wellness, athletic performance, and overall well-being by recreating the environment under which the human foot evolved.

Here are 9 tangible reasons to wear barefoot shoes.

Improved proprioception.

Proprioception describes the bodily awareness we have as we move throughout the world. Do we know where our limbs are in relation to the environment? Do we have intuitive understanding of what our head, shoulders, hips, and arms are doing as we run, jump, move, or even just walk around? All of these contribute to our overall sense of proprioception and regulate the speed, strength, and safety of our interactions with the outside world. If you have better proprioception, you will be a better athlete. You’ll be more effective in every physical capacity. You’ll be smoother.

The first and arguably most important way we establish proprioceptive awareness is with our feet touching the ground. The simple exposure of the millions of nerves on our feet to the ground—the textures, the slopes, the rocks and twigs underfoot, the slipperiness—gives our nervous system an incredible amount of actionable information about where we are and how we’re moving. Barefoot is obviously best if the environment is forgiving, but barefoot minimalist shoes with a thin sole are second best and provide almost as much information—and they can be worn everywhere.

Better rootedness to the ground. Stability.

The closer you are to the ground, the more stable you are. The less material you have between you and the ground, the more rooted you are. Barefoot shoes give you better ground feel and ground control by minimizing the amount of shoe material between you and the world.

Studies on athletes show this. Those wearing the most supportive shoes, particularly those with ankle support, have the worst balance and stability when performing. Those in bare feet (or wearing minimalist shoes that provide no support and mimic the barefoot experience) have the best balance and stability. In fact, ankle stability studies often use barefoot athletes as the control group against which the various ankle taping methods and high top shoes are compared. The control group always wins in these studies.

Better foot landing mechanics and fewer injuries.

When you run in a raised heel shoe, you tend to land on your heel. When you run in a zero heel drop barefoot shoe, you land more naturally—on the mid to fore foot. This can have huge implications for your risk of repetitive stress injury. Forefoot striking in general tends to place far less loading on the knee joint.¹ In a forefoot landing, the knee is slightly bent, allowing the muscles to help absorb the impact. In a heel strike, the knee is fully extended, forcing the joint itself to absorb the impact.

A study from 2012 found that among endurance runners, the heel strikers had twice the rate of injury.² The mid/forefoot strikers were much less likely to incur any injuries.. having a zero heel drop shoe without a raised heel allows your feet to land according to natural mechanics. Rather than a heel striker, you become

Better posture.

Even just a half inch of padded heel throws off your entire posture up the line. It’s like standing on a slant, and in order to maintain an upright head position your lower back is thrown into lordosis, your knees jut forward, your ankle angle shortens. Instead of a straight stack of joints and tissues from top to bottom, you’re more like a wobbly Jenga tower.

More accurate biofeedback.

I won’t try to claim that running in barefoot shoes allows you to go farther and longer. It doesn’t. The “clouds” that are modern fluffy padded running shoes do allow you to run greater distances in comfort, but this isn’t a good thing for most people. Most people should be getting the biofeedback, aka discomfort, that you receive from minimalist shoes. They tell you when your body has had enough running. If you sever that connection and bypass the natural biofeedback with padded shoes, you run the risk of overtraining and taxing your joints and other tissues.

Barefoot shoes give you accurate biofeedback about how much more stress your feet—and body overall—can handle.

Stronger feet.

The feet aren’t just wedges of flesh and bone. They are active limbs with dozens of muscles that require engagement and stimulation. If you stick them inside stiff shoes, the muscles in your feet atrophy and weaken. If you wear minimalist barefoot shoes that allow full range of motion through every foot muscle and every toe, your feet and toes get stronger, healthier, and more resilient.

Wider toe boxes.

Narrow footwear squeezes the toes together, reshaping them and forcing them into an unnatural position. The natural position of the toes is splayed out, providing a broader distribution of weight through movement and loading. The more compacted your feet and toes, the more concentrated the weight rests on certain areas, promoting stress fractures and bunions. The wider the shoe, the more evenly distributed the forces across the foot. Toes should also be a lot more prehensile than we’ve been made to think, and a wide toe box barefoot shoe can help us achieve that.

Getting comfortable with being the weird one.

This is no small thing. I often tell you guys to “let your freak flag fly” because that’s what it takes to be a healthy, happy human in this world. If you don’t agree with the way things are going, the way most people live their lives, the way people eat and exercise (or don’t), then why wouldn’t you get a little weird? I’m not talking about being the bearded man screaming on a street corner. I mean you should be comfortable diverting from the norm if it’s what you truly need and desire.

Wearing shoes that divert from the norm is an easy low-level entry point to “weirdness.”

It’s a return to the way we came into this world.

On several levels barefoot shoes return us to the purest state of all—how we came into this world.

It’s how we as hominids came into this world 2 million years ago: walking upright on bare feet.

It’s how modern humans spread across the globe: walking upright on bare feet or in the flimsiest of moccasins or sandals.

It’s how we as individuals were born: as babies without shoes on.

The onus is on those wearing and selling big padded protective shoes to prove that their footwear is safe. The default position is that the oldest, most natural mode of upright barefoot bipedalism is also the safest and most effective. You have to prove that it’s not.

Tips to Prepare for Wearing Barefoot Shoes

Once you’ve got your first pair of barefoot shoes, be careful. If you resume full activity levels in the new shoes, you might risk injuring yourself. You need to acclimate your lower body to the new situation.

1. Spend as much time barefoot. Go barefoot at home, in the park, in the yard, at the beach. Really
2. Train your feet. Do toe spreads against a tight rubber band, squeeze pencils between your toes, pick up objects with your feet, go walking in deep soft sand, alternate pointing at objects in the distance and then at your own face using your toes, walk around on the sides of your feet.
3. Start taking shorter strides when walking and running. Walk and run softly, try to be silent.
4. Start slow. From short walks to longer walks to brisker walks to easy jogs to runs to sprints. Don’t skip a step.
5. Stop when you get sore. Don’t push through the soreness. Stop right away and come back tomorrow.

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