Top 11 Best Barefoot Running Books for Total Beginners

Top 11 Best Barefoot Running Books for Total Beginners

Reading up on Barefoot running is one of the things that I recommend you do to get at least a technical understanding. While there is no substitute for getting out there to practice running, I have compiled a (quite exhaustive) list of top eleven best barefoot running books that even the total beginner could handle.

The Top 11 Best Barefoot Running Books for Total Beginners include, in no particular order:

• The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease by Daniel Lieberman
• Born to Run by Chris Mcdougall
• The Barefoot Running Book: The Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running by Jason Robillard
• Running Technique by Brian Martin
• Barefoot Running Step by Step by Ken Bob Saxton
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running by Dr Craig Richards
• The Runner’s World Complete Guide to Minimalism and Barefoot Running by Scott Douglas
• Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Micheal Sandler
• Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the secrets of the fastest people on earth by Adharanand Finn
• Barefoot Walking: Free Your Feet by Micheal Sandler
• Run Barefoot Run Healthy by Ashish Mukharji

This article set out all the best books I could find and have read on Amazon to get you up to speed.

1).The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease

This book for me is a must read as a foundation of the origins of all of us as human beings. It is not strictly about barefoot, but Harvard Professor Daniel Lieberman goes into great detail about how we evolved. I quote him extensively in my other article Are Humans Meant To Be Barefoot. 

It’s a great book to reference that will give you the context of evolution as it related to our body today.

You can get it from Amazon here The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease

2).Born to Run by Chris Mcdougall

Born To Run is the most famous books on barefoot running. I think it is must read, Chris, details his experiences with the Tarahumara Indians. He went to learn how they run such long distances over long periods without getting hurt at all.

The book does go into some depth about how the footwear industry negatively affected the running community.

It makes for very inspirational reading. He also goes into the science and technicality of barefoot running. It is a brilliant book for a total beginner to Barefoot running.

You can get it from Amazon here Born to Run

3).The Barefoot Running Book: The Art and Science of Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Running by Jason Robillard

Jason’s book is a small and easy read text. It is packed full of the basic information for a total beginner. Its a little less broad in scope, but has enough to get you on your way.

The book steps through the structure of your running form so you can refine it for best results. Jasons book also has barefoot drills as well as focuses on the importance of being patient when transitioning.

You can get it from Amazon here The Barefoot Running Book

4).Running Technique by Brian Martin

Another quick read Brian ideas are laid out in a simple easy to understand fashion. He walks you through the simple anatomy of running and the muscles involved. This will give you excellent pointers on which muscle groups to train and the impact they will have on your running.

You can get it from Amazon here Running Technique

5).Barefoot Running Step by Step by Ken Bob Saxton

For total beginners learning to run barefoot Ken bobs’ book as the name suggests give you a step by step guide. Barefoot Ken is a pioneer in barefoot running transitioning information, and his book does a great job in laying that all out for you.

There are also a variety of drills and exercises that will step you up brilliantly for you barefoot run. have a look at my article on Barefoot Running Drills

You can get it from Amazon here Barefoot Running

6).The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running by Dr Craig Richards

Indeed this book goes into a lot of details. There is something for everyone here, from the total beginner to the experienced barefoot runner. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running is a very science-based approach to barefoot running.

Dr Craig sets out all the point in great details so you can transition to barefoot running safely with a reduced risk of any injuries.

Its an older book (2011) so it may be a little bit more difficult to find new.

You can get it from Amazon here The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Barefoot Running

7).The Runner’s World Complete Guide to Minimalism and Barefoot Running by Scott Douglas

Scott’s book covers barefoot as well as minimalist running in great detail too. The book covers all aspects of barefoot running from start to finish. These include drill and skills, running techniques and other shortcuts.

You Can get the book on Amazon here The Runner’s World Complete Guide to Minimalism and Barefoot Running

8).Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free by Micheal Sandler

Here we have another must-read for the total beginner. Michael is at the bleeding edge the health benefits of barefoot running and why we all need to be doing it. He also tells his story of coming back to running after an injury.

I particularly like his approach to demystifying barefoot running with a logical approach. The book will teach you how to avoid the same mistakes many beginners make that often lead to injury.

Like most of the others, he too has many tips and exercises to get you ready to barefoot run.

You can get his book on Amazon here Barefoot Running: How to Run Light and Free

9).Running with the Kenyans: Discovering the secrets of the fastest people on earth by Adharanand Finn

This Book explores the lifestyle and practices of the Kenyan running culture. It’s not such a technical book at all, but you get an insight that into the Kenyans way of life and training protocols that you would not ordinarily have ever had.

You can get the book on Amazon here Running with the Kenyans

10).Barefoot Walking: Free Your Feet by Micheal Sandler

This is the second book from the author in this on the focus is on barefoot walking. I am a fan of barefoot walking as a precursor to running have a read of my article on the Benefits of Barefoot Walking.

The Strength of the feet is a necessity to look at and the build-up as we usually don’t have the required foot strength, in the beginning, to fully enjoy barefoot walking.

Michael in this book goes into a lot of detail to outline the benefits of earthing and mindfulness. This is a useful concept to understand. He also writes about possible diet options to consider to engender overall health, well being and circulation.

You can get the book on Amazon here Barefoot Walking: Free Your Feet

11).Run Barefoot Run Healthy by Ashish Mukharji

As a Barefoot running beginner, you will have to know how to contend with the inevitable soreness and injury as you transition. This book will educate you on the causes, so you don’t give up and abandon the quest for barefoot running enjoyment.

Ashish did a lot of research for this book and shared it here. His book has a lot of diagrams and illustrations that clearly explain the key concepts and ideas.

He does an excellent job also of demystifying the many perceived risks that have become associated with Barefoot running.

Wrap up

During my research, I did find quite a few resources that would be useful to the total beginner. The books above will set you up nicely will all the information you need. Have a read of my beginner article too for more information, and once you have got to grips with that, you can move on to the advanced techniques too.

Happy reading and have fun.