Reebok Nano Gym Shoe review: a cheaper Nano for everyday wear

When I heard about the release of the Reebok Nano Gym Shoe, I was pretty excited. Not only was it another shoe joining the brand’s award-winning Nano franchise, but Reebok claimed it's a training shoe that could ‘do-it-all’.

I still feel like I’m yet to find a workout shoe that I can use for everything – lifting, functional training, running, etc. While there are plenty of shoes out there that succeed in many of these areas (more often than not cross-training shoes), I always feel they’re let down by their running ability. After all, running shoes will always be best for running. 

Could the Reebok Nano Gym Shoe be that shoe though? Sadly, no. For a more ‘do-it-all’ experience you'd have a better chance with the Nano X4 or R.A.D One. It is, however, a good shoe for casual gym goers and a great-looking one at that. Read my full review below.

Reebok Nano Gym Shoe review

Reebok Nano Gym Shoe review: Price and availability

The Reebok Nano Gym shoe is available to buy now from Reebok UK and Reebok US for the recommended retail price of £100/$100 (approx. AU$153). It’s available in a men, women and unisex shoe and also comes in five different colours for both. 

Reebok Nano Gym Shoe review: Specification

• Best for: casual gym goers, exercise machines, HIIT and cardio classes 
• Upper: Front, knit mesh, back 
• Sole: rubber
• Drop: 8mm
• Weight: 300 grams each (tested Women's UK 6)

Reebok Nano Gym Shoe review: design and construction

First impressions of the Nano Gym Shoe, I thought the shoe looked really cool. I loved the colour combination of the cosmic lilac heel and off-white upper with snippets of pearlescent white darted across the edges, I felt like I had little unicorn feet. I also thought they looked very similar to the infamous Metcon 5 and 6.

Reebok states the Nano Gym Shoe has the “look and feel of a running shoe but are built with the DNA of a training shoe”. I don't 100% agree. Yes, the shoe has a much wider, squishier-looking heel than your standard strength training shoe and a 1mm higher heel drop than the Nano X4, but the base is still somewhat flat. It’s a slightly odd mixture and almost leaves you scratching your head a bit as to what this shoe is best suited to.

It’s worth noting that the women’s and men's Nano Gym Shoe also have a slightly different upper construction. The women’s shoe has a contoured bootie construction for a ‘locked-in’ feel, while the men’s version has more of a traditional silhouette like you would see in the Nano X4 Training shoe. 

Encased in the heel is a soft foam, but there’s also a TPU cradle in it, for added stability and to help your feet feel ‘locked down’. The front of the shoe has a mesh knit upper, so you get some breathability, but the back of the shoe has a silky feel to it, which gives the shoe a plushier feel. All in all, I think the shoe looks great.

Reebok Nano Gym Shoe review: fit and workout performance

This is an incredibly comfortable shoe. It slipped onto my foot like a glove and my heel felt well supported by the TPU cradle in the heel. I opted for a size 6, the same I’d gone for in the Nano X4, which happened to be slightly roomy, but the Nano Gym felt a lot more snug and true to size. The toe box isn’t the widest though, so wide foot folk just be weary.

I put the Nano Gym to the test during my strength training sessions, which consists of heavy back and front squats, deadlifts, and cleans, as well as some conditioning. I’m sad to say it (as I really wanted to love this shoe) but it’s not the one for lifting. Even though Reebok say that you can do weight training in them, you can’t or, at least I wouldn't advise it. As comfortable as they felt doing squats and deadlifts in, the stability just wasn’t there, they were just too foamy. 

As you can see from the picture above, my feet are starting to cave inward wearing the Nano Gym, whereas when I swapped over to my regular training shoe, my foot positioning is a lot flatter and stable. My partner also pointed out that the heel squashed down during my deadlifts, which will only make that drive through the foot increasingly difficult. Aware of all this, I tried two clean attempts. I just didn’t feel stable enough and returned to my R.A.Ds which also had a far superior grip.

For my conditioning sessions, however, which were often a mixture of switching between the skierg, row, bike, as well as kettlebell movements, the shoes performed better. For upper body days where I was moving between weight machines and free weight exercises, using a pair of dumbbells, the Nano Gym provided no problem either. I also tried them on the treadmill and, while I'll always advise a running shoe for running, they felt a lot nicer to run in compared to the Nano X4. 

They work well as a general gym shoe for definite, but for anything that requires a bit more technique or stability, these don’t offer that. 

Verdict

If you’re looking for a workout shoe that you can wear generally around the gym using cardio/or weight machines, or are doing workout classes, like HIIT and circuits, then the Reebok Nano will suffice. Not to mention, it’ll also look pretty snazzy on your foot. It's a great shoe for casual gym goers.

But, despite Reebok claiming this shoe can ‘handle it all’, it can’t. While you get some nice feedback for high-intensity movements, those who include weight lifting in their training just won’t get the stability and support they need from this shoe. Instead, you'd be better off opting for the Nano X4 – which only costs a fraction more and – or the R.A.D One, both of which definitely lean more towards the 'do-it-all' category.