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An eleven-year barefoot runner shares his Yoback experience.
(Note: the following article is based on direct quotes from our interview)
Before
I've run barefoot for about eleven years: hills, ultras, all of it. No matter how well you run barefoot, you still overload your calves to a degree, and that's always been my problem area. Here's the thing though: I never stretched. Not once.
"I never stretched. I've never done it. Yeah, stretching has always been fucked off."
If I was racing a hard 5k, I'd jog a mile with some pickups and go. I knew it was probably catching up with me, but stretching just wasn't something I did.
The Turning Point: Why Yoback?
I kept seeing the ads for what looked like a wheel, and thought, is this really any different to standing on a kerb? My honest first reaction was scepticism, about both the concept and the price. What actually changed my mind was realising Gary, the person behind it, wore barefoot shoes in his own content. That's a small detail, but for someone who's part of that scene, it gave the product instant credibility a generic fitness ad never could.
"It was when I saw that you were a barefoot user as well, I thought, okay, actually, there's something in common, it gives you that credibility, because it's a scene I'm into."
The Change: Life After Yoback
Since I've had it, I stretch after every run, genuinely, for the first time in my running life. I mostly use two of the curved blocks stacked, rather than the full wheel; that's not a knock on the product, it's just not what I need it for. What it's done is stop me walking stiff and sore the day after a hard session, which used to just be part of the deal.
"I use yo back, and then I'm gone. That's my stretch done."
I've also tried push-ups on the blocks, which are surprisingly decent. I've worked in manufacturing myself, in electric bikes, so I get why something unique, made by a small business, doesn't come cheap.
"At first, I thought the price is high, but obviously manufacturing something that is unique... I understand the price point's key. And since I've had it, I've been like the price isn't expensive for what it actually has done."
It's simply not comparable to a decade of standing on kerbs and doing the classic foot-up-the-wall stretch.
Used in this article
Yoback — £114.99
Used here as two stacked curved blocks for calf stretching after every run, the same modular pieces that make up the full wheel.
See the Yoback →A Few Questions We Asked
Q: So was the trigger for you seeing the barefoot connection, and thinking if they're promoting it, you'd want to try it too?
"Yeah... I've always suffered with calves, and when I've seen your advert a few times about this wheel, I thought, oh well, is it different to standing on a kerb?... it was when I saw that you were a barefoot user as well, I thought, okay, actually there's something in common, it gives you that credibility, because it's a scene I'm into."
Q: How would you describe it to someone?
"I lent a portion of it to a friend who'd started running with my wife and was struggling with her leg stuff... I said, well, I've got this incredible runners' stretchy thing. It's easiest to talk about what you do with something yourself, right?"
What Changed Since He Started Using It
- Went from doing essentially zero stretching to a consistent post-run routine
- No longer feels stiff and sore walking the day after a run
- Now a standard part of his routine after every single run
- Found it more effective for calf tightness than years of DIY kerb-stretches
Curious about Paul's full conversation? Read the full interview →
