Ditching this piece of clothing is better for your workouts, say pros

Don’t start stripping down at the gym just yet.Experts say getting a little less dressed for your workouts can have some major benefits for your body, but it’s less about flaunting your curves than your arches.You may have noticed the person lifting weights next to you at the gym isn’t wearing shoes, or maybe you’ve swiped past a fitness trainer on TikTok squatting while barefoot.It’s not just a post-lockdown, make-yourself-at-home habit: Plenty of podiatrists, trainers, and even orthopedic surgeons say there are upsides of working out sans footwear.“Going barefoot offers a number of benefits for balance, mobility, and coordination,” Nick Clayton, personal training program manager for the National Strength and Conditioning Association, told Muscle & Fitness.“It provides feedback to your nervous system, helping to activate your glutes and core to improve stability.

It also helps strengthen the deep muscles that stabilize the foot, which translates to improvements for the ankles, knees, hips, and back.”So how does it work — and when should you ignore the trend and lace up anyway?Letting your feet come into full contact with the ground — with socks on if you’re in public, of course — can be stabilizing.“When you stimulate the nerves of the foot, you get a better understanding of what you’re standing on and how you’re stepping, and it starts to shape your overall movement,” functional podiatrist Emily Splichal, D.P.M., told Shape.That can show up in different ways, depending on the exercise.“For instance, in a squat, with shoes on, it might look and feel good —but without shoes, it might feel completely different.This allows you to assess what’s going on with your hips, knees or ankles,” added Lacee Lazoff, a trainer at Performix House in New York City.It can also mean you’re able to lift more weight.“You have much more core stability when you are barefoot,” Splichal told Muscle & Fitness.

“And the higher your ...