A Chinese factory worker says walking in huge iron shoes weighing more than 800 lbs each can cure back pain.
Tangshan, China, Dec 10, 2013: A Chinese factory worker says walking in huge iron shoes weighing more than 200 kilograms each can cure back pain, but faces hefty competition in his bid to build the country’s heaviest footwear.“I’ve been walking with iron shoes for seven years,” said Zhang Fuxing, before strapping two crudely-welded iron blocks to his feet.“After they reached 400 kilograms (882 pounds), I felt very proud. Next spring I plan to add 50 kilograms.”Zhang took a deep breath before each wrenching step in the towering footwear, with every impact leaving him struggling for balance.It took him over a minute to take 10 paces, but he claims to walk up to 15 metres each day in the shoes, which he has gradually increased in weight, and touts them as a cure for back pain and hemorrhoids.Zhang, 52, credits his ability to move the shoes — which he leaves outdoors, safe in the knowledge that they are close to impossible for most people to lift — to the Chinese spiritual martial art Qigong, said to involve controlling the flow of supposed bodily energies.“It’s not strong muscles that make you able to walk like this, the power comes from internal organs,” he said, adding: “When you walk with your heart it will work.”
via Deccan Chronicle