This is my trail shoe. I've been moving towards "barefoot" training when I can... and this shoe is about as "barefoot" as it gets. The only level up would be Vibram shoes. NEVER use these to run on pavement. They are not meant for this type of running and will cause you to blow out your calf, your achilles, or any of the other various muscles/tendons/ligaments in your foot. But if used on proper surfaces (grass, trail, dirt) you will notice an considerable increase in strength in your feet and calf muscles. Just start slow with these.