Our product recommendations are selected by editors, tested first-hand, or expert-approved. We may earn a commission through links on our site.
If you’re anything like me, you look forward to jogging in your ultra-cushioned Hokas and sliding into your thick Oofos recovery slides after. To tired and achy joints, extra cushion feels like a sigh of relief. But leaning into cushion too often might lead to weaker feet that are more susceptible to injuries over time.
That’s where barefoot shoes—like the cult-classic Vivobarefoot—come in. Barefoot shoes allow you to tap into the benefits of training barefoot, such as improved foot strength, stability, mobility, and blood flow, without actually being barefoot (1, 2). These benefits can translate to improved movement (and less pain) in and outside of the gym.
The Vivobarefoot Motus Flex has “the most barefoot-feel” of the brand’s entire line-up, according to Joshua Holland, CPT, Vivobarefoot’s in-house certified personal trainer. He claims the extreme flexibility of this shoe allows for greater expression of the foot—meaning, even more stability and strength payoff.
How does it stack up? I put it through a few months of strength workouts, calisthenics, plyometrics, running, and walking to find out.
Our Experience
Hone Health is a team of health-obsessed journalists, editors, fitness junkies, medical reviewers, and product testers. As an editor, I have spent years testing, researching, and reviewing products in the fitness space, including just about every kind of training shoe you can think of. I was also a competitive college track & field athlete, which means I’ve been running for a little over 18 years, and lifting heavy for most of that. I have my B.S. in Exercise Science and I’m a C.S.C.S. and NASM-C.P.T.—which is a fancy way of saying I know my stuff when it comes to human movement. I also chatted with Vivobarefoot’s in-house certified personal trainer Joshua Holland, CPT to get the scoop on the Motus Flex.
Vivobarefoot Motus Flex
Pros
Barefoot feel
Lightweight and flexible
Versatile for lifting, light cardio, and everyday use
The Vivobarefoot Motus Flex is a minimalist training shoe that maximizes natural movement and your foot’s connection to the ground. Between the lightweight sock upper and the flexible sole, these shoes are designed to contour to the shape of your feet without weighing them down.
The Motus Flex is even bendier than you’re imagining. It can be flexed, twisted, and even rolled up.
This combo is “perfect for calisthenics, crawling, jumping, and climbing when you need to access the foot a little more,” explains Holland. The wide toe box gives you room to splay your toes to increase your grip during heavy lifts and plyometrics. And the swivel from the big toe down to the heel, anchors the heel, big toe, and pinky toe to the ground, creating a triangle of stability.
Because the shoe is so lightweight, it isn’t the best option for running or performance. For example, the Motus Strength offers more support and a thicker sole which makes it better for higher-impact activities like basketball, CrossFit, and running, says Holland. You can run in the Motus Flex, but if you’re new to barefoot training, you’ll probably need to work up to it.
Is the Vivobarefoot Motus Flex Worth It?
Training barefoot is free. Training in the Vivobarefoot Motus Flex is gonna run you $190. If you prefer a barefoot feel and can’t knock out your training routine barefoot, however, it might be worth it. Especially since the shoes are good for a wide variety of workouts. The brand also offers a 100-day return policy. So, you could always try the shoes to see if they’re worth the money, and get a full refund if you decide they aren’t.
What It’s Like to Wear the Vivobarefoot Motus Flex
It definitely boosts stability and ground-feel
Regular training shoes don’t allow for your feet to move in their most natural way. They’re often too narrow and don’t allow for your toes to splay—which is essential for stability. They also often have a thick outsole which reduces your ability to feel grounded and balanced under heavy loads and dynamic movements. That’s why many lifters prefer to lift barefoot—it increases ground-feel, particularly during heavy lower body lifts like squats and deadlifts.
If you don’t feel comfortable (or sanitary) stepping onto the gym floor shoeless, the Vivobarefoot Motus Flex is your answer. The thin, flat outsole and roomy toebox help wearers feel grounded, without having to actually go barefoot. I wobbled less in the Motus Flex than in my regular training shoes when performing exercises with a balance component like step-ups and speed skaters. And felt rooted under heavy lifts including deadlifts and back squats.
It disappears on the foot
The clear advantage of the Motus Flex over Vivobarefoot’s other barefoot shoes is that it’s the most lightweight and flexible option they have. The 2.5mm outsole is as minimal as it gets, offering the maximal sensory feedback you could ask for from a barefoot shoe. In other words, during activities where you want to feel barefoot (but can’t be) pick these. When doing the strength workout I usually do barefoot at home, I forgot I was wearing them—which in terms of a barefoot shoe, feels like the biggest compliment you can give.
Versatile for lifting, light cardio, and everyday use…
Since my only experience with barefoot training is doing heavy strength workouts, bodyweight workouts, pilates, and yoga, I figured the Motus Flex would easily slip into those moments (it did) but not much more. I was wrong. It’s a good bet for light cardio workouts, like incline walks on the treadmill and interval training on the rowing machine, too. It’s also comfortable enough for everyday wear, including dog walks and Target strolls.
…But, it provides no shock absorption or arch support
On one hand, the lack of shock absorption in the Motus Flex is a good thing—it trains your built-in shock absorbers (your forefoot arch, and Achilles) to step up, explains Holland. On the other hand, if you don’t build up to it, the lack of shock absorption is a shock to the system.
Even as someone who spends most of my day barefoot, I wasn’t a fan of running in the Motus Flex. You can feel the impact of the cement beneath your feet. And on the dusty, rocky beach trails in my neighborhood, I found rocks sneaking into the intentional cracks in the outsole more than once. It’s also not the best for sprints on the treadmill or bike, where a stiffer shoe can help protect the foot from impact and increase performance.
The drawstring design is annoying, but not a deal-breaker
The drawstring design on the top of these shoes contributes to their sock-like fit, but I wasn’t a fan. I do appreciate that I was able to cinch the shoe onto my rather narrow foot; however, the end of the drawstring is long enough that if I don’t tuck it somewhere I step on it.
Vivobarefoot was smart enough to put a small hook onto the end of the upper clasp for convenient hooking, but the clip is ironically too large to stay clipped in and comes off after a few steps. I solved this by tucking the extra drawstring underneath the rest of the laces.
Tucking in the lace was an easy solve for the extra-long drawstring.
Vivobarefoot Motus Flex Alternatives
Wilding Nebula
The Wilding Nebula ($129) is probably the closest to the Vivobarefoot Motus Flex. The outsole of the shoe is nearly identical, and reviewers say it’s a tie for best ground-feel. The Nebula has a narrower toe box, and it’s less breathable, which makes it better for casual use.
Vivobarefoot Primus Lite III
For a little more support and durability for higher-intensity activities, running, and CrossFit, the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite III ($160) is a better choice than the Motus Flex. It has a thicker outsole and laces to provide more structure during heavy lifting, and dynamic movements like cutting and jumping.
Bearfoot Ursus Canvas
Prefer a little more room to splay your toes? Bearfoot shoes are known for having an even wider toe box than Vivobarefoot. The Ursus Canvas is popular amongst gymgoers. Think: Converse for weight lifting but more ergonomic. They even come in low- ($99) and high-top ($109) options just like chucks.
Lono Flow
If you’re new to barefoot training, the Lono Flow ($88) is the best bang for your buck out there. This hybrid barefoot shoe is flexible with a thicker and more grippy outsole and laces. This means it performs closer to the Vivobarefoot Primus Lite III and might be a better fit for a wider variety of activities (including running and high-intensity activities) than the Motus Flex.
Xero Speed Force
If you want a barefoot shoe for running, try Xero. The Speed Force ($110) is the brand’s lightest, most “barefoot” shoe. It’s zero drop, with a wide toe box designed for running. It’s flexible and minimal like the Motus Flex but offers more support for running or dynamic activities like basketball or pickleball.
The Bottom Line
The Vivobarefoot Motus Flex is a solid everyday barefoot training shoe. It’s great for strength workouts, bodyweight training, plyometric exercises, dynamic movements, and light cardio. Thanks to the flexible outsole and stretchy upper, it’s the most minimal shoe in my closet. At $190, it isn’t cheap. But with the 100-day no-questions-asked return policy, there’s nothing to lose if you want to give the Motus Flex a shot.
Sydney Bueckert is a Fitness & Nutrition Editor at Hone Health. She is a qualified fitness instructor with her BS in Exercise Science, C.S.C.S, NASM-C.P.T., C.E.S., F.N.S., and G.P.T.S., who specializes in human performance and corrective exercise.
