(Click Here for Our Review of the Reebok CrossFit Oly Shoe) As Reebok continues to establish themselves as the new power behind the Crossfit movement, we’re likely to see more and more Reebok Crossfit gear on the market. As you would imagine, they’ve started this process by launching new lines in their already dominant niche – athletic clothing and accessories. The Reebok Crossfit Store currently carries various hoodies, shirts, shorts and accessories but here at WLShoes we’re interested in the new lines of footwear. As of yet the New Reebok Weightlifting Shoes is still unavailable to the general public, although they were displayed at Regional games. You can also view a few videos and read some articles written by the Crossfit members (such as Josh Everett) that are responsible for assisting with the design of the shoe. In other words, the shoes are still in a limited “beta testing” phase but are rumored to be ready available for purchase around December 2011.
Creating a weightlifting shoe that can be worn while performing some of the rigorous exercises in a typical WOD is quite a challenge. A good weightlifting shoe needs to be tight and supportive around the foot, flexible at the toes and have a very rigid, raised heel. None of these characteristics are favorable in a pair of trainers or lend themselves very well to the dexterity and agility needed to complete WODs. Likewise, attempting to do box jumps, jump rope, sprint or anything else that requires extreme flexing of the shoe will destroy most weightlifting shoes in no time. Nonetheless, Reebok has decided to take on the challenge of designing a weightlifting shoe for Crossfit.
From what we’re been able to gather, the shoe will feature a polymer heel (most likely TPU) like the Romaleos and AdiPower shoes. As of yet it is unknown if the “zig zag” design of the heel is for performance or purely cosmetic. No word yet on whether the heel height is proportional or static.
One feature we did notice that I certainly approve is the placement of the single strap – it is placed lower down the foot across the mid-level of your instep. I still don’t understand why weightlifting shoes with a single strap put the location of it so high on the instep; laces at the top of the shoe do a fine job of holding your foot in. What you need is a strap at the middle of your instep to hold your foot DOWN and press it BACK into the shoe.
It is also rumored that the toe section of the shoe is very flexible. I would have to agree since it appears Reebok used closely group lines or scoring across the rubber sole of the shoe near the toe box. Still, to achieve a great deal of flexibility it will also require that the leather either be very high quality or some type of synthetic. Only time will tell.
And the last, and possibly the most unique feature of the Reebok weight lifting shoe, is the U-Form lining in the shoe. This feature allows you to bake your shoes in the over at 200 degrees and then place your feet in the shoes and allow the material to cool and reshape to the contours of your foot. That my friends may very well be a game changer and here’s why – in a weightlifting shoe you want ever square millimeter of your foot supported and locked into place. No other shoe on the market will be able to give you such a customized fit as the new Reebok’s.
I don’t think these shoes will take the place of your trainers for Crossfit workouts (and apparently Reebok doesn’t either since they’ve made a separate pair of Crossfit trainers). However, they may become one of the best fitting weightlifting shoes on the market do to the U-Form technology. Either way, we can’t wait to get our hands on a pair for field trials!
Thanks to FitBomb.com for a good article on the new Reebok shoes and the images!