My MBT experience (M.B.T Trainers / Shoes)

Member Name: I-tried-this

Product:	M.B.T Trainers / Shoes
Date:	09/08/08 (2062 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They do have some effect on muscle toning in your legs and can improve posture

Disadvantages: They will NOT burn calories! You will NOT loose weight just wearing them! Mine also gave me blisters

M.B.T stands for Masai Barefoot Technology. Its based on who walk barefoot in their native country and actually have amazing posture and ate very slim. Much of the M.B.T product was sold to me on the idea that they will make you thin. But on reading the info on both the website and the little book, it becomes very apparent that this is not the case.

What they DO say they do is improve posture, increase muscle use in your bottom, thighs, calves and foot muscles and take the pressure of certain joins like your knees so that they don't get over worked which could apparently help when your older with joint replacements. They also are said to improve your core.

But how? Its hard to think just a pair of what look like platform trainers can do all this- especially if your experience of platform trainers is like mine where you fall over sideways and kill which ever ankle you went over on. That with the back pain which occurs as you struggle to bend your knees properly and your back takes all the strain.

Well I am pleased to say that MBT trainers are different, and I can say this as I have tried them.

I bought my pair just after Christmas in the sale, The normally will set you back anywhere from £119 to £170 depending on which style you go for- they really do vary in style. In the sale they were a slightly kinder £61 from Sweaty Betty. Mine are a grey colour, they come in various shades of grey, cream, black, brown, white and sandal style. They do have a certain 'look' and even in black, I wouldn't advise them to go on a night out, they really don't cut it! But are passable in jeans, you could try to vamp them up with a petticoat and plain black version but you'd have to be brave to try this, these are definitely for sports and fitness, not for style!

I first put these on and tested them in the store- I was really given very clear instructions on how to wear them and walk in them. I don't know if this is just Sweaty Betty customer service here or if its what happens everywhere- it was the same thing going on in the Vitality Show in London earlier this year, but again, they were selling, I had already paid.
There is a little instruction booklet which also explains the way to walk in these, its not very different from normal walking from the outside looking in, but actually, it does feel different.

You see the bottom of the shoe- the surface where the sole touches the pavement is ever so slightly curved, and the heel itself is nearly not there its so curved- (this is a good thing as I have worked out I don't trip up in these for that reason!)
You put the shoes on as you normally would, and tie the laces -some varieties have a special lace tie, mine did, they don't all do but if you can buy one, do so, it is really nifty and keeps your laces tightly tied, unlike tying them in a knot and bow which can loosen. Also its quick to tie with the special lace tie. Some shoes have them, others do not, some stores will sell them to you if shoes don't have them, others don't You could also try contacting the company and asking them if you can get some from them.
You then when the shoes are on, sit on a chair and lightly stamp the heel of your shoe on the floor so your heel slips comfortably to the back of the shoe. Next thing your ready to go!

Walking in these takes some concentration and getting used to at first. You don't just go stomping around like you do in normal shoes, I was advised to try in slow motion first: you place the heel on the floor and ROLL your foot to the toe, making sure that you do not over pronate. (Over pronateing is where your foot rolls into the instep/inside of your foot) your meant to be pushing the foot pressure towards the outside edge of your foot. Its also important to remember that the centre of gravity in each foot is the CENTER of EACH foot, not the centre of your instep. At first it feels odd, this will ache your mid off the pressure building in your abdomen and calves as you walk in these. Its a good thing, you would rather concentrate on the weirdness then the muscle contractions!
I found that immediately my shoulders went backwards and my calves tightened, my ankles did too. This is the effect of walking on an uneven surface: namely to surface of the shoe. Your body tries to keep the balance- which it does, and your muscles over time strengthen to help this.

I think that my ankles did the job of my abdomen as for me, this did not tighten, it was purely my lower legs and ankles. But better then walking in ballet pumps or trainers and not building any muscles hey?!

The script tells me that I will over time have increased posture, increased abdomen activity, 9% Buttock muscle activity, 19% rear thigh muscle activity, 18% lower limbs activity and loose 19% of joint pressure in both my knees and hips. It all sounds great but did it work out?

Well, I did find these easier and easier to wear over time. But my main difficulty was in getting over the blisters rather then finding these tiring. (But I will get onto that later!) I should explain. I go to the gym 6 days a week. At the time I bought these I was doing so 7 days a week and doing 6 Yoga classes a week and many cardio and body conditioning classes, roughly 14 a week and walking a good 30 minutes and up to 2 hours a day. So I really already had the muscle strength to cope with these, it was unlikely anyway I would have felt any discomfort or tiredness in wearing them and I didn't. My ankles were ever so slightly tired- these are quite heavy shoes, you only have to pick them from the shelf to know this! I didn't feel any core muscles strengthening, infarct I found I stuck my belly out to try gain balance- so was constantly nagging myself to 'suck in', and when I did I actually found that helped my balance too, I can see how if I keep on my toes when wearing these that my stomach will eventually behave and appear more toned, simply because to suck inwards requires muscles and as I use these muscles more, I build them up.

I read at a later date, your supposed to build up wearing these, from about 30 minutes a day, gradually. I did not do this, I dint feel I needed to, nor did I want to lug around heavy heavy foot wear in addition to an already huge bag of tricks. I kept them on all day.

It was easy to get used to the rolling action, and pushing your foot outwards is easy to get used to as well. It is something I had to keep telling myself to do but to be honest, these shoes do feel different to wear, and though your unable to actually fall over in them, they are unstable. So reminding yourself about walking with the pressure pointing outwards is not hard, you end up doing it automatic so as not to get your knees knocking together! The rolling action becomes the norm to and taking them off feels, well... so flat!! (and short!)

I wore these day in day out for about 2 weeks before the blisters got really too bad: I had bought the rightly fitting pair, they felt fine, the assistant at Sweaty Betty checked out my toes, they were in the right place, the problem was with the actual shoe.
Now I had wanted to show everyone a picture, I even selected one to put up when I suggested this product to dooyoo, but they put up the page for me and decided the above picture looked prettier. So I will have to describe them for you.
I bought a pair that were from the Autumn/Winter collection, the material was more dense and firm so they would be able to deal with the elements. My pair were grey and had a curved label running from the upper heel down to the centre on the outside and instep of the foot. They look OK. I bought them as they were in the sale, there's no way I will pay £159 (the original price) for shoes, even if they do say they will help me loose weight!

After 2 weeks, I got blisters. OK they didn't suddenly appear- they did build, I did ignore them and they got worse. The problem was that with most shoes I wear, I assume they are just moulding to my feet, as the shoes I choose, without even thing about it, are all leather. But MBT shoes- or the part at least that rubbed on me, were not leather. The part that touched my heel was plastic, albeit covered and padded in fabric. The end of one day, I had to stop my normal 2 hour walk, not because I was tired, but because my ankles were so sore from the rubbing, I had to take off my shoes. Now I don't want to appear a mad women walking home in bare foot, and especially not whilst walking down a very busy road at night when its dark where I am likely to tread in glass and anything else, so I sat on the tube, took my shoes off there and saw my feet so red and blistered, not just one, but around 4 blisters covered my feet, I tried plasters- the plasters for blisters were not big enough! Seriously!
I took my shoes back to Sweaty Betty, and the lady seemed really surprised as so many people said hoe comfortable they were. She picked up my shoe and said they did feel very firm. She then showed me a different pair from the Spring/Summer range and I squeezed at the heel, squeezing the opposite sides of the heel together, I felt too- much more give- they were as easy to move as trainers. In contradiction, my shoes at the heel did not move half as much, it was no wonder they rubbed my heel so much.
I did persevere, I was sure I could make them get better, £61 was a cheaper price for the shoe but still not cheap enough for me to write off. I tried plasters, I tried plasters over plasters, no difference, blister still built. I tried blister plasters, which filled with puss and then rolled off with the pressure of the rubbing. The only thing that helped was to wear very thick socks. This stopped the rubbing- and I also think my skin grew a little used to it and the blisters stopped forming.
The trouble with wearing thicker socks is that as soon as you enter a warm building -i.e. work, or the weather gets above 15 degrees, your feet get too warm and you start to idolise flip flops. So I have had to stop wearing these for now, its irritating as I can still get away with trainers as they only require thin socks, yet these because of the socks required can only be worn around 3 or 4 months in the year.

Verdict? Not all M.B.T shoes are the same, make sure you squeeze the heel- some are firmer then others and if you have fragile skin on your heels like me, it may be too much pain for you.

I would recommend these shoes for anyone who has posture issues. It is still possible to walk with poor posture, ignore all the instructions and stamp down the road, but perhaps the fact you look so strange in them and have paid upwards of £100 to a near £200 on the shoes will keep you focused on doing everything in your power to use them properly!

Always get them from a retailer- try them on, see if they fit and get instructions on how to stand and how to walk in them., as well as the option to take them back if they do not feel OK (unless they are in the sale.) You do not get this from E bay! They can make a difference to your posture but they are no substitution for real exercise. They will not raise your heart rate, so will not be able to burn calories, you may build up your muscles- I have to say I didn't really notice this, but I do a lot of exercise already, I am unlikely to really see a change like this if I am doing much more at my gym every visit. I am sure they defiantly build up your calves, but not so sure about your thighs, I think the weight of them may do this to an extent, but the bulk of the muscle pulling up the shoes seem to be in the calves so this is where the muscles will build above anywhere else.

Summary: A good shoe for helping you walk well and toning muscle, but are very expensive!