THE FOUR BEST CROSSFIT SHOES

BestLiftingShoes.org

THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR: There are a lot of great CrossFit weightlifting shoes out there. A lot of

different brands offer their take on a lifting shoe for CrossFit, but what’s the difference between a shoe meant for it or strictly weightlifting?

The sole of the shoe makes all the difference! A shoe for weightlifting will have a more rigid sole which does not perform well for the movement that CrossFit workouts can demand.

They are very similiar though and it would be hard for you to go wrong with any of these!

#1 REEBOK CROSSFIT NANO 5 This shoe by Reebok is what I’d consider to be the front runner of CrossFit

shoes. It’s constructed out of great synthetic materials such as Kevlar for support, and TPU for the midsole.

The sole is flexible, but still has the considerable rigidness you would want out of a lifting shoe. They’re very lightweight because of the materials used and comfortable at the same time.

The only thing to be aware of when purchasing is that sometimes people have issues with the sizing.

In this case, the shoe runs small so you may want to order a size up if you aren’t familiar with Reebok sizing.

I don’t really consider that a bad thing, because a lifting shoe is meant to be a little snug.

#2 INOV-8 FASTLIFT 335 Another excellent shoe with a great reputation. As with the aforementioned

shoe, it has all the features I consider necessary for a CrossFit weightlifting shoe, while doing it in style.

Inov-8 offers a lot of different eye-catching color schemes to choose from, as well as uses great materials for their shoes. They are very are very lightweight as a result of this.

Something to be aware of though, a couple of people have reported having a problem with the velcro not staying attached to the shoe after a relatively short amount of time used (~1 month).

Maybe that’s just bad luck with defective pairs, because the shoe has great ratings and it doesn’t appear to be a common issue.

#3 REEBOK LIFTER 2.0 This is a great shoe that hits all of the points mentioned above, and a

cheaper alternative to the Reebok Nano 5. You can tell from the construction that it is made for flexibility, having a ton

of different pieces and not being one big piece of material. The mesh it has on top near the toes is unusual for a lifting shoe, but adds

greatly to the flexibility. It really doesn’t have any considerable downsides considering it was made

for CrossFit from the ground up. It works as advertised for all of your high intensity workouts!

Reebok even makes a women’s version of the same shoe which is very cool! I only have good things to say about it

#4 NEW BALANCE MX20V4 MINIMUS The Minimus is the only shoe on this list without a forefoot strap, but being

made by New Balance gives it a pass for making the list. It’s a very minimal (see what I did there) shoe, and that’s a key reason it’s good for CrossFit.

That being said, if you need more support in a shoe I would go with one of the other three shoes on the list.

Minimal shoes can be a little unforgiving if you haven’t used one before. It is very lightweight and sure to perform well in intense workouts.

They’re a great looking shoe and have good ventilation. I haven’t reviewed this model in more depth yet, so I highly recommend checking them out on Amazon for more details.

KEY FEATURES TO LOOK FOR Flexible Sole (Opposed to a more rigid one strictly for Weightlifting) Raised Heel Forefoot Strap There are other optional things, but these are what I consider to be the

essential features. The most important one is that the sole is flexible. Your footwear directly impacts your performance, and wearing improper

shoes can be uncomfortable as well as lead to injuries.

WHY THESE THE BEST SHOES FOR CROSSFIT I think this is a very solid list of the best CrossFit shoes. They all have the

features like straps, raised heels and the required flexibility for intense workouts.

Even if you don’t go with a shoe on this list, hopefully I’ve provided some good examples of what to look for to suit your needs. That’s what it really boils down to.

A common trend I’ve seen with these types of shoes is this: they don’t last forever. I think it’s just a reality of the more stress a shoe goes under, the less time it will last.

That’s why I highly recommend that you have separate pairs of shoes for CrossFit and weightlifting, (assuming you do both) if you have the budget to do so.

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