Expert insights on fitness, foot functionality, natural movement, and longevity
Mark Sisson · September 20, 2026
The big toe plays an incredibly important role in efficient walking and running mechanics, and in injury prevention. In particular, the big toe facilitates efficient pronation and triggers the activation of the gluteal muscles on every stride.
Mark Sisson · September 16, 2026
After each prep session in my ATRs, I came back stronger on more confident. I completed the route with 11,567 feet of vertical gain in 12 and a half hours. Honestly, it was not nearly enough time to take in some of the most stunning views in the Alps!
Brad Kearns · September 12, 2026
Most runners either avoid minimalist shoes out of fear, or switch too fast and get hurt. Neither approach works. Real progress starts with your running form: learning to land on your midfoot instead of heel striking, a technique flaw that cushioned shoes hide rather than fix. From there, rebuild foot strength and proprioception through daily barefoot time and walking in minimalist shoes like Peluva, before gradually working a minimalist running shoe into a small, controlled share of your mileage. Done patiently, with soreness, not enthusiasm, setting your pace, the transition to minimalist running shoes is entirely achievable, on your own timeline.
Brad Kearns · September 6, 2026
HIIT workouts deliver many fitness benefits, but this is not sprinting. The terms High Intensity Repeat Training (HIRT) and Sprint Interval Training (SIT) are more accurate descriptions for workouts featuring near-maximum efforts followed by extensive rest.
Brad Kearns · August 30, 2026
By redesigning some of your high-intensity workouts to focus on HIRT (High Intensity Repeat Training), you get an effective training stimulus for the explosive anaerobic energy systems, experience less cellular stress, and recover faster.
Brad Kearns · August 23, 2026
There are many fantastic elements to the endurance craze (marathon, triathlon, CrossFit, Hyrox, obstacle course racing, and so on) and to group and home-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) programming. However, there continues to be a problem with people suffering from trying to do the right thing, but with a flawed approach. It’s no secret that exhaustion, breakdown, burnout, illness, injury, and failed weight loss efforts are commonplace, even among the most hard-core fitness enthusiasts.
Mark Sisson · August 16, 2026
In just a few months, you can make significant, noticeable progress with minimal risk of injury or exacerbating any foot conditions you might currently be suffering from. And you can do it naturally, simply by transitioning into your Peluvas for walking and all manner of daily life activities.
Mark Sisson · August 8, 2026
Walking is the ultimate low-stress, low-impact activity, and is accessible and sustainable for virtually any fitness enthusiast. Walking immediately after a hard workout, taking a devoted walk later that day, and generally increasing your step count in the hours and days after challenging workouts maintains tissue mobility and speeds repair processes without adding any significant impact load or training stress.
Mark Sisson · August 1, 2026
Many fitness enthusiasts don’t consider walking worthwhile, having been brainwashed with the “struggle and suffer” ethos of fitness industry marketing. The truth is, walking extensively every day is a fundamental human genetic expectation for health. That’s right, all of our organs and systems, including and especially the brain, rely upon walking to function optimally. This is scientifically validated with the emerging “sitting is the new smoking” body of research.
Mark Sisson · July 25, 2026
We used to think that the best way to recover from challenging workouts was to simply sit on the couch, but walking is actually a superior way to recover from high-stress training. Here's why: what your body needs after a hard workout isn't stillness — it's movement. Increased blood flow carries oxygen and nutrients to fatigued, depleted muscles. The lymphatic system, which has no pump of its own and depends entirely on movement to function, clears metabolic waste products from fatigued muscles while you walk.
Brad Kearns · July 19, 2026
Tapering — the deliberate reduction of training load before competition — is now one of the most thoroughly validated concepts in sports, especially endurance sports where system-wide fatigue is the key performance variable. During tapering and recovering in general, a body freed from accumulated training stress supercompensates. Muscles repair, the nervous system recovers, and you are primed for a performance breakthrough on the big day.
Mark Sisson · July 12, 2026
While a more active society is a huge positive, there are some concerns that we must address relating to the long-standing, deeply flawed “struggle and suffer” ethos of the majority of mainstream fitness programming. That’s right, we’re largely focused on the wrong stuff: steady state cardio training and/or popular workout modalities that are too strenuous for the vast majority of participants.
Mark Sisson · July 5, 2026
Big toe dysfunction is extremely common, because it’s placed under tremendous load on every stride and we’ve inflicted years and decades of abuse to the big toe by trapping it inside a box with the other toes. A weak and dysfunctional big toe can turn into a big problem, because it’s the single most important joint in human locomotion. This article will explain why the big toe is so important to human movement and present a fun little challenge that you can perform to assess big toe functionality, and improve that functionality over time.
Brad Kearns · June 28, 2026
This article recommends some affordable products that you can use to build foot strength while spending time relaxing or working at your desk, including toe separators, slant board, foot mobility board, and wobble/balance board.
Mark Sisson · June 27, 2026
Many of our fundamental beliefs about steady-state cardiovascular exercise are flawed. Endurance training doesn’t really help you lose excess body fat, and can actually send the hormonal signals for fat storage. General everyday movement and low-level cardiovascular exercise is supremely healthy, but most joggers and hard-core cardio freaks exceed the healthy heart rate zones and invite breakdown, burnout, illness, and recurring injury. This article describes how to adopt a healthy approach to endurance training, and pursue broad based functional fitness instead.
Brad Kearns · June 21, 2026
This article presents some complementary therapies you can use to help your feet recover quickly from the new challenge of wearing Peluvas and making a gradual transition to barefoot, including massage techniques and big toe mobility exercises.
Brad Kearns · June 14, 2026
Self-myofascial release — commonly called “rolling” — is one of the most effective tools for keeping good mobility and circulation in your soft tissue as you make this grand transition toward barefoot competency. Rolling can help accelerate the adaptation process, and identify problem areas before they become injuries.
Mark Sisson · June 7, 2026
Many fitness enthusiasts don’t consider walking worthwhile, having been brainwashed with the “struggle and suffer” ethos of fitness industry marketing. The truth is, walking extensively every day is a fundamental human genetic expectation for health.
Brad Kearns · May 31, 2026
This article will help you up your game to the next level of barefoot functionality by sharing some simple foot strengthening and stretching exercises you can do while relaxing at home or even at your work desk. While simply wearing Peluvas delivers a scientifically validated strengthening effect, spending some time building more foot strength can help accelerate your progress and make your transition to Peluvas smoother.
Brad Kearns · May 23, 2026
For endurance runners, the best strategy is not to abruptly switch from your favorite pair of running shoes to a minimalist shoe, but rather to wear Peluvas (and go barefoot) as often as possible in daily life. Walking is especially beneficial because it improves aerobic conditioning at the optimal zone 1 and zone 2 heart rates, helping runners improve performance without the risk of overuse injury that comes from the higher impact forces associated with jogging.
Mark Sisson · May 16, 2026
Since the fall of 2023, when we sold our first pair of Peluvas, it’s been incredible to receive feedback confirming what we’ve always believed: Peluvas aren’t just shoes—they are a way to reconnect: to nature, to our inner athlete, and to the way our bodies are evolutionarily designed to move. Here are eight reasons why Peluvas will change your life:
Brad Kearns · May 10, 2026
If you've been wearing Peluvas for a while, or are already competent with minimalist shoes for fitness and outdoor adventures, this article will help you take your barefoot functionality to the next level with suggestions like advanced hiking, running technique drills, lower-impact, high-intensity exercise, and possibly even jogging.
Brad Kearns · May 3, 2026
You don’t need a bulky, rigidly constructed, highly restrictive shoe to swing a golf club, or to walk and stand for hours on a course. The traditional golf shoe is largely a product of entrenched — and flawed — golf tradition, propped up by decades of aggressive marketing. An efficient and functional golf swing is reliant upon precise neuro-feedback and kinesthetic awareness. The Peluva Apollo gets you more connected — initially with the ground, and then with the rest of the 'body chain' — to upgrade swing mechanics.
Mark Sisson · April 26, 2026
How can the human foot be superior to a super-cushioned shoe for impact absorption?! Well, there are 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles and ligaments in each foot, many of them sponge-like and designed for impact absorption and propulsion.
Mark Sisson · April 18, 2026
Our goal is for Peluva to become your go-to footwear for everyday life — walking, errands, gym workouts, golf, court sports, and all manner of fitness endeavors and outdoor adventures. But transitioning from years of wearing elevated, restrictive shoes requires patience. The following steps will help make your transition smooth and comfortable. For further guidance, download our free 88-page eBook at Peluva.com: The Definitive Guide To A Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Lifestyle
Brad Kearns · April 12, 2026
Preserving anaerobic function, muscular power and explosiveness is what keeps seniors safe from what the CDC calls the number one cause of demise and death in seniors over age 65: falling and adverse related health consequences.
Brad Kearns · April 5, 2026
This article will argue that the 400-meter run could be one of the most accurate and valuable markers of overall fitness and longevity potential. This is because unlike the vast majority of mainstream fitness challenges and programming, it requires a tremendous level of anaerobic (strength/power/explosiveness) fitness, as well as a foundation of aerobic endurance.
Mark Sisson · March 29, 2026
Study subjects wearing minimalist shoes improved stability under load, produced greater force, and reached peak force faster. This is a huge deal because force production and rate of force development are the essence of deadlift and other population multi-joint compound lifts in the gym.
Brad Kearns · March 21, 2026
Walking is universally health-boosting, delivers an excellent aerobic conditioning effect (even for fit runners); improves cardiovascular health, immune and digestive function; boosts fat metabolism; stabilizes energy, mood and appetite; and helps control inflammation.
Mark Sisson · March 14, 2026
We first made Peluva five-toe socks out of necessity, because you obviously can’t wear Peluvas with regular socks. But the Peluva socks have taken on a life of their own, as our customers quickly realized they were far more comfortable and functional than regular socks.
Mark Sisson · February 28, 2026
Steady-state cardio is overrated, and can often be counterproductive to your fitness, weight loss, and longevity goals. This is simply no justification to spend large amounts of exercise energy on repetitive, steady-state activity such as jogging, cycling, swimming, rowing, stair machine, or the other cardio machines that encourage steady-state exercise. When you acknowledge that the cardiovascular system responds and adapts to all types of demand from muscles and organs, you realize that the only true requirement for steady-state cardio is to prepare for an endurance competition requiring a steady pace.
Mark Sisson · February 22, 2026
Enjoy some creative ideas to break free from steady-state, straight-ahead cardio workouts to add some variety and different fitness stimulations, including: Fartlek workouts, walking with purpose, rucking, uphill backward walking, speedgolf.
Mark Sisson · February 15, 2026
My 2025 book, Born To Walk, presents a compelling argument to rethink the importance of steady state cardio and expand your perspective of what it means to be truly fit. The recent rise in popularity of so-called hybrid athletes offers great inspiration to broaden your perspective beyond racking up miles in a straight line. Furthermore, your endurance performance will likely improve when you build complementary fitness attributes like muscular strength, mobility, and sprint competency with some of these ideas for creative “Cardio 2.0” workouts.
Mark Sisson · February 10, 2026
The Peluva Aspen Winter Boot is here, and opens up a whole new world of year-round barefoot functionality! The Aspen has a full grain leather upper with heel-to-ankle overlay reinforcements and a secure hardware lacing system. It’s a perfect blend of sturdy boot construction combined with enough flexibility and groundfeel to qualify as minimalist.
Brad Kearns · February 8, 2026
With the correct approach, you can actually slow and even reverse your bunions without surgery, by correcting the underlying cause that is restrictive shoes. That means switching to Peluvas and generally transitioning to a barefoot-inspired lifestyle.
Brad Kearns · February 1, 2026
There has never been a single shred of research to suggest that modern sport and running shoes help prevent overuse injuries. It’s the decades of marketing hype that have brainwashed us into thinking that shoes are protective. As soon as you put on a pair of shoes, you compromise posture and movement technique. This leads to increased risk of injury.
Brad Kearns · January 24, 2026
Deadlifting in Peluvas generates an immediate improvement in technique and safety. In comparison to the instability that happens when lifting in running shoes, Peluvas improve sensitivity, balance, and technique—especially under heavier loads—because the benefits of enhanced proprioception are magnified when you’re lifting serious weight.
Brad Kearns · January 24, 2026
Walking in Peluvas is a great way to strengthen feet weakened over time by traditional, heavily constructed shoes. Walking is also a centerpiece human genetic expectation for health, and we are often woefully deficient in basic step count these days. This article details four more ideas to help you further emphasize walking in daily life.
Brad Kearns · January 23, 2026
The Peluva Apollo represents possibly the greatest innovation in golf footwear in decades: a five-toe, zero-drop, minimalist shoe that delivers greatly enhanced “groundfeel”-barefoot functionality in a sport that demands it perhaps more than any other.
Brad Kearns · January 23, 2026
The popular health recommendation to walk 10,000 steps a day is made up - no scientific validation! It’s best to pursue fitness goals one step at a time, knowing that all efforts to walk, for both short breaks and longer outings, can promote physical and mental health, disease prevention, and longevity. This article contains numerous tips to increase your daily walking and generally lead a more active, walking-centric, barefoot-inspired lifestyle
Brad Kearns · January 23, 2026
The marketing hype of the running and athletic shoe industry has brainwashed fitness enthusiasts to believe that shoe “technology” can protect your feet from injury and improve performance. Shockingly, there has never been a single research study ever published to suggest that running shoes lessen injury risk. Attributes like elevated heels, excess cushioning, a restrictive toe box, toe spring design, and excessive arch support inhibit foot functionality and cause atrophy and chronic pain.
Brad Kearns · December 19, 2025
I’m gonna talk a little trash about the broken promises and unintended consequences of the running boom, but it’s in the spirit of recalibrating away from some of the worst mistakes and flawed approaches seen amongst the running masses today.
Mark Sisson · December 19, 2025
It’s time to reject the marketing hype that elevated, cushioned, heavily constructed modern athletic shoes can lessen impact trauma, control pronation, improve foot functionality, or deliver an inherent improvement in explosiveness, endurance, balance, or other performance attributes.
Mark Sisson · December 19, 2025
As I discussed in detail in a previous blog post, Running Is A Really Bad Idea For Most Runners, humans were born to walk, lift heavy things, sprint, and play.
Brad Kearns · December 19, 2025
The big toe is incredibly important to human locomotion, athletic performance, and everyday movement.
Brad Kearns · October 31, 2025
The next time you hear the term “shoe technology”, run screaming for the trees, because there has never been a single shred of evidence that shoes improve impact absorption, nor prevent injuries, and tons of research affirming that shoes are the driving cause of overuse injuries in runners.
Mark Sisson · October 31, 2025
Personal preference can be the driving factor in your shoe choices. For example, all of our models are durable enough to be used for gym class or trail hikes, and fashionable enough to wear to all manner of social occasions.
Mark Sisson · October 31, 2025
The emerging field of research known as the “excess endurance exercise hypothesis’ confirms that too much cardio is bad for your health, period. It promotes overuse injury, hormone imbalances, appetite dysregulation, fat storage, and - at the extreme - can increase cardiovascular disease risk
Mark Sisson · October 31, 2025
Humans have engaged in a blend of extensive low-level cardio, regular resistance exercise, and occasional all-out sprinting for two million years of human evolution.
Brad Kearns · October 31, 2025
While we encourage you to strive for maximum possible overall barefoot influence in your life, and to use Peluvas as often as possible for as many activities as possible, you must proceed carefully through the stages of barefoot competency
Discover why thousands of people are making the switch to five-toed barefoot shoes.
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