Dr. Emily Splichal, a certified podiatrist in New York City, said that many of the patients she sees suffer from foot injuries, pain or discomfort. These are things she believes to be 100 percent preventable. “People don’t strengthen their feet the way they should,” said Splichal.
To remedy this, Splichal created a class based off of her years of experience as a Podiatrist, and her extensive study of barefoot training. The class, called BARE, is taught at Crunch Fitness, and strengthens participants’ feet, hips and abdominals. “It’s the only barefoot class backed by science and research,” said Splichal.
According to Splichal, barefoot training is something all people can benefit from. “Barefoot training is an awesome way to strengthen the muscles in the feet, which control the way we move,” she said.
Members at Crunch report being surprised by the results they see from doing the workout’s signature moves, which all take place on one leg. “Everything is done on one leg,” said Splichal. “The moves are done in sequence, and everything goes back to that one, single-leg stance.”
Outside of Crunch, Splichal explained that many of the moves utilized are used in rehabilitation sessions with her clients in her practice’s setting. “The class is based off of actual rehab techniques I’ve used with my patients,” she said.
BARE has done well at Crunch Fitness, and can be found at several locations. For more information about barefoot training’s benefits and how your instructors can become certified to teach BARE, visit http://www.barefootstrong.com/.
Rachel Zabonick is the assistant editor for Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@clubsolutionsmagazine.com. Reach out to her about exciting events or programs your club has implemented, or to share the amazing accomplishments of a member.
