For beach-lovers, it’s the peak time to make every opportunity to visit the beach. As we know, sand is an unstable surface, so we must engage our muscles more so to make up for the lost stability. In this article we will answer some fundamental principles and questions about running & walking barefoot on sand at the beach.
“If I have flat feet or orthotics, should I wear shoes when on the beach?”
Often people with flat feet wear orthotics. People with flat feet tend to ‘overpronate’ (pronate too much) when walking and running. Pronation is a normal movement in which the foot rolls inwards after contacting the ground. Overpronation can increase the risk of injuries like achilles tendinopathy or plantar fasciitis.
Jafernezhadgero et al. (2021) found that an eight-week training program of barefoot running on sand resulted in a reduction of pronation, increased calf activation increased stability of the pelvis. Furthermore, Ichikawa et al. (2021) found that lifesavers had higher arches and more developed foot muscles than non-lifesaver healthy adults.
Therefore, flat footed people could try increasing their ability to walk barefoot on the sand due to possible gains in muscle strength. A good way to start would be to take your shoes off at the end of your normal walk for the final 5 minutes.
“I’m an athlete. Should I do some barefoot training on the beach?”
Herb Elliot won gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics in the 1500m track event with a time of 3.35.60. This time would’ve qualified him for the Paris 2024 Olympic final! How did he manage this time, on a scoria track in 2.5cm spikes? Sand training! Herb was renowned for regularly training on the beach and sand dunes of Portsea.
Herb believed and many others since share the opinion that running on sand stimulates greater strength gains than running on standard hard surfaces. There is a growing body of research on the possible benefits of training on sand for athletes.
Maechmichi et al. (2004) found that beach volleyball players compared to standard volleyball players had significantly greater sensory perception, ankle & toe grip strength and muscle activation when balancing.
Interestingly, Pereira et al. (2023) compared a sprint and jump training program performed either on sand or grass in elite young soccer players. Both groups showed an increase in curved sprints and change of direction performance, but relative to the grass training group significant gains were made in the sand training group for straight-line sprint speed velocity and acceleration.
The key takeaways here are that no matter what your sport, heading to the beach to do some barefoot sand drills or base-building aerobic runs may be a valuable addition to strengthening your body this preseason. Consider ways to mimic game specific movements and turn these into a drill at the beach. With any new training stimulus, a little goes a long way and injury can occur if athletes dial up the intensity of sand training too quickly.
“Will I aggravate my injury by walking or running barefoot on sand at the beach?”
The short answer is, potentially! There are a large array of injury types and situations so the answer to this broad question isn’t simple. Commonly, anything from our lower back down to our toes can be aggravated by walking and running. A dodgy hip or low back? Just be a bit careful.
Here are some basic pointers on how to increase your beach activity time without exacerbating or creating a new injury.
Wear supportive shoes: if you are injury prone or seldom walk or run on uneven surfaces, then start off by wearing shoes on the beach. Shoes will increase your foot’s surface area which will create more stability and reduce the strain on injured tissues.
Load tolerance: with any new activity, increase the volume of duration of the activity slowly, week by week. As we discussed in our gardening article, too much too soon is a sure-fire way to upset the apple cart.
Soft vs hard sand: another pitfall can be very soft sand. Seek moderately firm to firm sand which luckily our local beaches have in abundance.
Camber of the sand: avoid beaches with a strong camber & instead opt for places with a flatter surface. If a camber is present, ensure that you spend equal time walking in both directions.
Review the shape of your footprints: our footprints can provide us with great insights into potential asymmetries in our gait. Look at the compression pattern, which way our footprint faces and the distance between each print.
Despite your best efforts, if beach running or walking causes you pain then get in touch with us at Prom Health. We have world-class beaches at our doorstep and walking/running on a sandy surface has numerous benefits so consider heading to the beach!
References
Ichikawa, S., Kumai, T., Okunuki, T., Maemichi, T., Matsumoto, M., Yabiku, H., … Niki, H. (2021). Comparison of foot posture and foot muscle morphology between lifesaver athletes and healthy adults. Research in Sports Medicine, 31(4), 506–516. https://doi.org/10.1080/15438627.2021.2002330
Jafarnezhadgero, A., Fatollahi, A., Sheykholeslami, A., Dionisio, V. C., & Akrami, M. (2021). Long-term training on sand changes lower limb muscle activities during running in runners with over-pronated feet. Biomedical engineering online, 20(1), 118. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12938-021-00955-8
Maemichi, T., Ichikawa, S., & Kumai, T. (2024). Effect of training in a sandy environment on foot morphology and function. Journal of bodywork and movement therapies, 40, 1657–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.09.001
Pereira, L. A., Freitas, T. T., Zabaloy, S., Ferreira, R. C. A., Silva, M. L., Azevedo, P. H. S. M., & Loturco, I. (2023). Sprint and Jump Training on Sand vs. Grass Surfaces: Effects on the Physical Performance of Young Soccer Players. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 37(9), 1828–1833. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000004472