Hi there! I've been following powerbocking for several years now and I think I'm ready to take the plunge, however I'm curious about one thing. Over the last year or so since getting a pair of Vibram Five Fingers, I've switched over to toe running and am at the point where I can run a couple of miles at speed on my toes in comfort. I'm wondering whether I can translate this improved shock absorbtion and natural spring into a heavier springed set of bocks, and whether or not the bocks will allow me to flex my foot and toes adequately or if I'll be club footed like in rollerblades. Webmaster, o webmaster, can you offer any insight into this?

Great question man, I am more than happy to share my expertise with you.

Powerbocking works completely opposite to toe running in terms of which muscles are recruited more. With Powerbocking you will find that the muscle groups being used the most are the glutes, hamstrings and tibialis (shin muscle) muscles. With toe running you may be more accustom to using your calf muscles mostly. This explains why you can go greater distances using your calf muscles as you calf muscles are made up mostly of slow twitch muscle fibers which can withstand stress for longer periods of time when compared to the larger and fast twitch dominated muscle groups like the hamstrings and glutes.

So Powerbocking is much different than traditional running. Bocking just requires that you place a lot of downward force to the springs every time you land using your glutes and hamstrings (imagine smashing your heels into ground very hard). So your feet are strapped down like roller blades and you are keeping your body weight on your heels most of the time.

As for the poles, I know of a few bockers who used poles to hold onto while they were learning for added balance but I am not sure if these will decrease the impact at all. Best thing poles are good for is just to hold onto while you are standing still for balance. It is next to impossible to just stand in one spot on bocks without holding onto something. So poles are great for balance while you learn or when you are standing still but once you are moving they just become a nuisance.

I hope this answers your question but let me know if you have more great questions, there is always someone here to help.

Cheers

Ya man, the spring acts more like a huge ass achilles tendon and its your thigh and butt muscles that get burned out and not your calves. Its sooo different from anything else. Its like running on the moon cuz you have to jump in order to run. You cant just run, you have to also jump  

KingTweez: Nice, sounds like a good time!

webmaster: I've seen a lot of hiking poles with internal suspensions meant to limit shock when descending, wondering if I might be able to use something like that, or perhaps fab up a more heavy duty version.

Time to start saving up my pennies