The Pros and Cons of Strength Training Barefoot, According to These Experts

"With your feet as the primary point of contact with the ground and no middle padding from a shoe, this is where you can actually literally grip the floor with your toes and feet and support better weightlifting technique," NASM-certified personal trainer Ashley Pitt told POPSUGAR. "If your feet can feel every bit of the floor, you will have better proprioception — a sense of your body in space and balance — which is a major plus."

The best exercises to get the benefit of this grip are leg-focused exercises: squats, lunges, and deadlifts. But you can also get the benefit from an upper-body workout and other compound exercises.