Recently Under Armor sent me a pair of their best running shoes, the Under Armor Tribase Reign 4, to test out. This is a really cool pair of cross-training shoes, suitable for casual use in the squat rack and more demanding sessions in HIIT classes and the CrossFit box.

Nevertheless, I felt a little uneasy. This email arrived a week later an article I wrote about my favorite pair of sneakers: an old pair of decrepit Vans that have seen better days. No longer pairable with my favorite jeans, their flat bottom, thin sole and 0mm heel-to-toe drop make them perfect for squatting.

They are much better at lifting weights than best running shoes, which create instability as you lift due to balancing on thick, bouncy foam soles. Crucially for these tough times, these Vans mean there’s one less workout shoe to buy, and this style of shoe is cheap to buy if you don’t already have a pair of old Chucks, tennis or skate-style shoes at your fingertips.

The Under Armor Tribase Reigns 4 (opens in a new tab), on the other hand, is a Gym Bunny’s best friend. They’re low and stable, like the Vans, but they also have plenty of external structure on the outsole to ensure your foot has plenty of support, including an external heel clip and built-in rubber under the toe box. Speaking of which, the toe box is wider than narrower shoes like Vans, which means your feet, which naturally reach out to “grip” the ground on big lifts, can behave more naturally.

It also has something else that my Vans don’t: cushioning. Even though the thick foam in running shoes is bad for lifting, a thin Micro G foam midsole means that if you’re doing explosive moves, such as box jumps or burpees, you’ve got some cushioning there. -down for when your feet land. on the floor, but it doesn’t interfere with your other lifts. The integrated outsole also makes your landing more stable, preventing slips.

I loved the Under Armor Tribase. I’ve tried them over several sessions, squats, deadlifts and doing some explosive box jumps as well as a bit of local punch bag work at my gym, and I’ve been really impressed with the stability they have. offered. The tongueless, breathable upper felt more comfortable to wear than my restrictive canvas Vans, and I felt stable enough when squatting.

However, I didn’t notice much difference in my lifting performance. The wider toe box didn’t affect me much in any way that I noticed, and although on some occasions I felt reassured by the Tribase outsole, shifting my weight from right to left and not feeling my feet move an inch made little difference to my usual lifting routine.

The biggest impact I had was when I switched things up for explosive moves, doing box jumps at the end of my workout. I was reassured by the foam midsole that cushioned my impact against the hard gym floor, and it felt comfortable instead of punishing. These are shoes that can do it all and will truly suit dedicated CrossFit athletes.

However, I’m not a dedicated CrossFit athlete: I’m an enthusiastic amateur weightlifter who goes to the gym to lay the foundation for other movement-based sports like yoga, surfing, running, or whatever I do that week. I love the gym, but not enough to pay the extortionate CrossFit box membership fees, or spend an extra $150, £115 or AU$195 on another workout shoe.

Therefore, as good as they are, I had to ask myself “If I didn’t test them, would I buy them for myself?” and reluctantly came to the conclusion that no, I wouldn’t.

If you love the gym, it’s your main form of exercise and you need that extra edge to get to the top of your WOD rankings, this is the shoe for you. But casual lifters will be able to get away with a cheaper and much less specialized shoe. At least it frees up some cash to spend on better workout headphones.