MBT shoes have been billed as "the world's smallest gym." Since they increase muscle activity, strengthening and toning of the leg, buttock, stomach and back muscles takes place during everyday activities like walking and standing. MBT stands for "Masai Barefoot Technology," and the shoes are designed to simulate walking in sand. MBT Shoes are made on rocker sole technology. It's a multi-layered, curved sole that accomplishes this by creating a natural but uneven walking surface. This technology is meant to make the core strengthening muscles more active, creating better posture and increasing shock absorption for all of the joints. It also makes wearing the shoes quite a unique experience, and a bit of a workout.
Masai Barefoot Technology is based on a simple concept: that the human foot is designed for barefoot walking on soft natural ground, yet most of us in developed countries spend our lives entrapped in supportive and restrictive footwear and walk on hard, flat surfaces. The shoe design is the brainchild of Karl Muller, a Swiss engineer, who derived his inspiration from the low injury rates of the African continent. Leaving aside the obvious differences between the functional requirements of the average Masai tribal member and the average office worker/amateur athlete, does this shoe design add up to anything more than a gimmick in terms of injury prevention?
The soft, multi-layered sole provides extra comfort when walking or standing on the ground. MBTs mimic the walking style of the Masai warriors of Eastern Africa who walk for miles by foot. Their walking and running style is different from other people since they take small quick steps landing more on the ball of their foot rather than on their heel. Because of the unique gait, they use different muscle groups at different points when walking. The rocker bottom shoes of MBT’s make you walk straight having a correct upright posture rather than leaning forward as most of us do. This decreases force on your lower back and reduces chances of developing back pain. The rocker bottom pushes you to roll through each step, reducing shock on the foot. This helps to decrease the risks of developing medial stress syndrome and heel spurs.
The Masai Barefoot Technology (MBT) trainer has been around for 10 years, squeezing its way in alongside the vast array of training shoes in this hugely competitive and dynamic sportswear niche. Rocker Curved Bottom soles benefit the following. They:
The patented MBT Sensor Technology creates a pleasant and natural feeling, as if walking on soft sand. The Pivot Axis found in the midsole promotes gentle rolling motion, which in turn helps to increase your lower limb muscle activation with every gait. The Masai sensor allows the foot to progress forward in a controlled manner. The postural and joint stabilizing muscles also stay active keeping the whole body steady and straight. MBT Shoes are curvaceous with the heel and the toe tip not touching the ground. The curved sole creates a natural 3-dimensional instability when you try to move. Our body reflexively reacts by increasing muscle activity. Each foot muscle starts functioning vigorously, especially the small neglected muscles. The balance area under the mid-foot increases sensorimotor demands with each step. It activates a host of postural and joint stabilizing muscles during gait. Many people are recommended to wear MBT’s particularly after a knee replacement surgery since these shoes tend to strengthen and tone the legs and create better workouts.
- activate neglected foot muscles
- improve posture
- tone and shape the body
- improve performance
- help with back, hip, leg and foot problems
- help with joint, muscle, ligament and tendon injuries
- Reduce stress on the knee and hip joints.
The patented MBT Sensor Technology creates a pleasant and natural feeling, as if walking on soft sand. The Pivot Axis found in the midsole promotes gentle rolling motion, which in turn helps to increase your lower limb muscle activation with every gait. The Masai sensor allows the foot to progress forward in a controlled manner. The postural and joint stabilizing muscles also stay active keeping the whole body steady and straight. MBT Shoes are curvaceous with the heel and the toe tip not touching the ground. The curved sole creates a natural 3-dimensional instability when you try to move. Our body reflexively reacts by increasing muscle activity. Each foot muscle starts functioning vigorously, especially the small neglected muscles. The balance area under the mid-foot increases sensorimotor demands with each step. It activates a host of postural and joint stabilizing muscles during gait. Many people are recommended to wear MBT’s particularly after a knee replacement surgery since these shoes tend to strengthen and tone the legs and create better workouts.