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Shoe Review: Inov-8 FASTLIFT 315 Review

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Margaret Schlachter

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Last year Inov-8 came out with their first olympic-lifting hybrid shoe. Many longtime Inov-8 customers were confused at first as this shoe looks nothing like any of the other shoes in their lineup the simple fact is, it’s not like the others. The f-lite was adopted as one an unofficial shoe of functional fitness, show up to any WOD and you will see a flood of Inov-8. Building off of this success in the functional fitness realm, Inov-8 created an oly-hybrid shoe to get through a heavy lift, or couplet or triplet WOD.

 

About the Shoe:

IMG_6073Inov-8 adapted it’s core fundamentals in shoe construction of lightweight and functional when it created the FASTLIFT 315 and 335 (men’s shoe). The shoe conbines stability support in the heal and through the mid-foot, which helps transfer power in a clean and jerk, or other lift. The Inov-8 Women’s FastLift 315 Cross-Training Shoe also adopts flexibility and comfort in the forefoot allowing you to move from a lift directly into an explosive movement such as box jumps or double unders without feeling the need to switch shoes. The Power Truss technology which makes up the power columns are extremely durable and rated to be able to lift a ton of weight before buckling. Enough support for any lifting session or WOD. Best of all it is the lightest in it’s class for an oly-hybrid show, much lighter than the traditional wooden shoe.

 

Shoe Specs:

IMG_6071Weight: 12oz

Footbed: 3mm

Drop: 16.5mm

Stack: Heel 16.5mm/Forefoot N/A

Fit: Standard

Upper: Synthetic

Lining: Mesh

Retail Price: $150

 

In the Gym:

This is admittedly my first pair of Olympic lifting shoes, and after wearing them I quickly wondered why I hadn’t had a pair before growing up lifting as part of cross-training. The first thing I noticed was the fit. The shoe cupped my foot perfectly, especially in the heal. I am use to lifting in my f-lites and for strict lifting days those shoes have now been replaced by the FASTLIFTS.

 

IMG_6070My first go around in these shoes was doing demos, I lifted on and off for hours and definitely felt comfortable in these from the start. During the day I was in and out of the shoes for over eight hours, performing all sorts of lifts from deadlifts, front squats, thrusters, back squats, snatches, and a few round of the Bear Complex WOD. In between lifts I would test out the shoe with some box jumps, burpees, and even a Turkish Get-Up. The shoe performed in all the conditions listed above.

 

Since that day I have tested the shoes in the gym several times. I prefer to wear them on my heavier strict lifting days but they have performed through a couple traditional WODs as well, including on which had heavy deadlifts into 100 wall balls. I once thought Oly-shoes were only for powerlifters and looked silly in the gym, but now I can attest to their worth, they have helped increase my power clean pr as well as really locked in my form. Definitely a shoe that stays in my bag as I head to Ute CrossFit to train.

 

I have not run in these, however I have been told from a friend she does short sprints in them during WODs. For me running WODs I prefer to stick with my f-lites, but anytime their are weights around especially heavy weights the FASTLIFT 315 are my goto show. You can find them online HERE.

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