To bolster its pursuit to be the No. 1 fitness brand, Reebok added celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak to its ambassador roster. And to celebrate the new partnership, Reebok and Pasternak hosted a workout in NYC yesterday to showcase the Speed TR training shoe.
“From a technical perspective, the [Speed TR] is great for me to be able to do and demonstrate anything having to do with a lunge, a squat, a deadlift,” Pasternak explained to FN after Thursday’s workout at Rise By We. “You’re grounded; it’s almost a zero drop, pretty close to a flat shoe, so you don’t get any rocking or lost energy when you transition laterally. And it’s lightweight, which for me is good when I’m in the gym.”
The Reebok Speed TR, which is available now in men’s and women’s sizing for $100, features a durable and supportive Cordura upper, an EVA foam midsole, the brand’s RopePro technology and a new traction pattern aimed at giving users great grip on a number of surfaces.
Watch on FN
Pasternak, who has a client list that includes Ariana Grande, Kanye West and Kate Upton, was once sponsored by New Balance, but lauded Reebok’s sharp focus on the fitness and wellness market.
“It’s the only brand that is a fitness brand, that’s fitness-first, that spends time, energy, resources on shoes designed literally for fitness — not for running marathons, not for playing football, not for baseball,” he explained.
Although Thursday was Reebok and Pasternak’s unveiling of the partnership, the fitness expert admitted the brand has intrigued him for some time. He explained that he became interested in working with Reebok after its president Matt O’Toole wrote a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requesting a best fitness trainer award.
“Every news outlet reached out to me, because I have the most films of any fitness person, and were like, ‘What do you think about this?’ I was like, ‘Yes, who said that? I need to speak to him and tell him thank you,'” Pasternak said. “And Michele Barmash, the head of PR, we became friendly and started talking about where fitness is and where it needs to be and the messaging, and our visions really aligned.”
Aside from the Speed TR and Harmony Road performance styles, Pasternak said he is a fan of several Reebok Classics styles, including the Ventilator and the Classic Leather.
Want more?
Gigi Hadid Strikes Every Pose Imaginable in Reebok Classics
Vetements Pushes Sock Sneaker Trend to the Extreme With Reebok Collab Coming Fall ’19
