Nike Free Trainer 5.0 Review

Comfort

Comfort was one of the primary focuses in the design of this shoe. One way this was achieved was by utilizing what they call “no-sew construction.” This allows the shoe to be more fluid and flexible, eradicating stitching, making the shoe more comfortable. However, the majority of the shoe's comfort comes from its sole. The Free Trainer 5.0 offers you a fairly thick sole, which in the realm of comfort does a great job absorbing the pressure dealt when your foot impacts the ground. However, I found the thickness of the sole to take away from the usability of the shoe. Although the shoe, as a whole, is light, the sole made it feel clunky when performing various movements. It made it more difficult to gain a sensory perception of where your foot was in relation to ground — something that could be important during exercises like box jumps.

Support

The structural design of the shoe is very interesting. Free Trainer 5.0s feature a dual-pull lacing system, which was modeled after a Chinese finger trap. The idea behind constructing the shoe's upper this way is to provide your foot with continual support while performing a wide range of different movements. The dual-pull system locks in around your foot, creating a snug, glove-like fit that is intended to move synchronously with your motions. This is definitely one of the features of the shoe Nike was successful in producing. I was able feel the shoe tightening up around my foot while running, yet able to feel it loosen up when I was not moving around.

Protection

As a shoe, the Free Trainer 5.0 offers you a substantial amount of protection; however, as a CrossFit shoe, these shoes don't stack up quite as well. Overall the thickness of the upper mesh and the woven, dynamic fit technology (also know as the Chinese finger trap) helps shield your foot's rough impacts, while the thick outsole of the shoe is virtually impenetrable. The reason these shoes are not as protective when it comes to CrossFit is that unlike Reebok's Nano models or the Inov-8s, they are not designed with specialized features intended to shield your foot from CrossFit movements; specifically rope climbs, double unders, toes-to-bars, or even burpees.

Sensitivity

In comparison to the other shoes that were tested, the bulkiness of the design makes the Nike Free Trainer 5.0s much less sensitive. Although you are not able to feel the ground beneath your feet while performing movements, the deep grooves in the outsole enhance the shoe's flexibility, promoting a more natural motion of your foot. This is another area where the woven upper technology is successful. Having the shoe lock in around your foot while you are working out allows you to feel the way you are moving and utilizing your foot, which is great to have in a sport where technique is key.

Weightlifting

One of my biggest complaints about the Nike Free Trainer 5.0s is how they hold up in weightlifting movements, or rather, how they don't hold up. Although the durability of the soles provide you with support throughout your lifts when you drive through your heels, the thickness of the sole causes me to lose a lot of stability. An absence of lateral stabilization made each lift uncomfortable to perform. Additionally, it is difficult to feel the ground — something you want to feel while asserting a driving pressure through your legs into the ground.

Running