Since joining the FN staff, I’ve been afforded several great fitness-related opportunities. But few were as cool as hanging out with CrossFit star Brent Fikowski while he wrote a custom workout for me.
Ahead of the Reebok Nano 8 launch, the brand brought Fikowski and Katrín Davíðsdóttir to New York City to showcase the benefits of its latest CrossFit shoe. And after my work with the two was done, I left with a tough set of lifts and moves to do in the gym that day.
Here’s the workout he wrote for me:
– Eight back squats at 155 pounds followed by pull-ups, directly into four more back squats at the same weight and more pull-ups (do three times and rest for three minutes between each set)
– Two fast deadlifts with a 1-inch pause off of the floor at 65 percent of my one-rep max weight (perform two reps every one minute and 30 seconds for six rounds)
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– Walking lunges (five rounds of 10 reps)
Sound tough? It was. But what helped me get through it was the performance of the Nano 8.
My history working out in Reebok Nanos is brief. The first model I tried was the Nano 6, which I loved. The cushioning was perfect for a cross-training shoe — firm, with a little give to soften your landing — and the stability was ideal for heavy lifts. My only criticism was that the toe box was a bit stiff. The Nano 7 was the next in the franchise I wear-tested, and it didn’t fare nearly as well. The upper was too stiff, and the collar hurt my ankles.
But the Nano 8 solved all the problems I had with the two aforementioned styles.
The biggest, most notable improvement from the Nano 7 to the Nano 8 is the shoe’s collar. The sneaker is equipped with a bootie construction atypical to the other looks in the franchise that I’ve tried. And no matter how I moved, there was no ankle discomfort whatsoever.
I was also impressed with its Flexweave upper. With the Nano 6, the ability to flex my forefoot naturally was difficult. But with the Nano 8, it felt as if I were barefoot doing walking lunges.
Another highlight of the shoe is its stability. Throughout the squats, the shoes were firm enough to keep my feet screwed into the ground throughout the lift and drive the weight upward. And there was no movement with my feet during the deadlifts, either.
The Reebok CrossFit Nano 8 is available now via reebok.com in men’s and women’s sizing and retails for $130.
