Nike Metcon 3, as the name implies, this is nike's third iteration of their Metcon shoe. So is the third time the charm? Has Nike learned and improved upon the Metcon 2? Is the Nike Metcon 3 a better shoe than the Reebok Nano 7.0? Should you even upgrade to the Nike Metcon 3?
Reebok Nano 7 Review
At the time of this recording you can pick up the Nike Metcon 3 from amazon for $139.95. And for my margin hunters, you can pick up the Nike Metcon 2 from finish line for $76.99 if mango and hyper jade are your colors. They also have other colors, but prices will vary. Links to buy either one are in the description.
First off, if you’re new to fitness you might be wondering why you need a specialized shoe in the first place. Great question billy! If you decided to take up cross fit, functional fitness, powerlifting, weightlifting, or even just circuit training you’re going to be doing some very dynamic movements. Some examples of dynamic movements include the dead lift, cleans, squats, box jumps, pull ups, rows, sled pushes, and the list goes on. And in order to do these movements safely and properly, you’re going to need a solid platform.
Buy Nike Metcon 2
From FinishLine.com For $76.99
But Unlike specialized weightlifting shoes like the adidas adipower which have an extremely stiff heel for stability, and cup your heel for dear life. (Which is ideal for super heavy squats) The Metcon 3 are able to provide you comparable stability while still being flexible and supportive enough for when you do sprints. If you tried to run or sprint in the Adidas Adipower you're going to get now where really fast. But yet, the metcon 3’s sole is still rigid enough to help you prevent rolling your feet inwards when you dead lift or squat. Unlike running shoes like the ultra boost which have extremely soft soles, if you tried dead lifting or squatting in these you’re eventually going to hurt your back and get a one way ticket to snap city. Hodge Twins Fans Where you at?!
Enough talking, let get to the shoe. First lets start with the outsole. gone is the studded look of the last outsole and in its place is this new triangular weave. None the less its still provides a very good amount of traction and its rather sticky as well. Just like other training shoes on the market, the outsole comes all the way up the sides of the shoe so that it can give you a good grip when you’re rope climbing.
On the back of the shoe we've got the familiar TPU heel clip. This little piece of plastic serves two purposes. First it helps when you’re doing hand standing pushups against a wall. The heel clips allow your heels to glide on the wall. The heel clip also helps keep your heel in place when you use the row machine. Above the heel cup we've got the TPU heel cup. Instead of being one solid piece its broken up in to two pieces. Ill admit stylistically it looks good, but functionally it hurts the shoe. This is just me, but when i walk in these shoes my heel goes all over the place. And i know this was a big issue with other people and the metcon 2.
Now lets talk about the insole. This insole also functions as the shoes midsole. as you can see the bottom of the insole has some cuts in to to help with the over all flexibility of the shoe. The mid sole on the metcon 3 is stiff enough to give you that stable platform you need when dead lifting or squating. But its still flexible and bounce enough to perform when you’re running or sprinting.
One of the main differences between the Metcon 3 and metcon 2 is the upper. The metcon 3 upper is mostly comprised of thermal wrap with a little mesh blended in. The new upper helps give the metcon 3 a more natural feel and helps it be super flexible. its no prime knit or fly knit, but it sure is comfy. Under the thermal wrap you will also see that the metcon 3 also features Nike’s fly wire lockdown mechanism. Sadly no matter how much i played with the laces i still wasn't able to get rid of all that heel motion i mentioned earlier. but thats just me. The laces on these shoes do feel really cheap in my opinion, but they don't come undone like other laces. and the tung on these shoes is very thin, but still offers some padding.
Over all the silhouette of the metcon 3 has been slightly changed from the metcon 2. the metcon 3 are much lower than i expected and it did catch me by surprise. there isn't a lot of ankle support, but in return you get a lot of ankle mobility. the flexibility of the out sole, mid sole, and thermal wrap all make for a very flexible shoe over all. so flexible in fact that when i took my first few steps i couldn't believe i was still wearing shoes. its also worth noting that these shoes just like their metcon 2 counter part they are a little narrow. I would still go true to size, but keep in mind they are narrow none the less.
So which should you get? spring or upgrade to the all new metcon 3 or just get or keep your metcon 2? If you already have the metcon 2 you don't really need to upgrade, you'll be fine. But if you’re just getting into fitness and you just want to save some cash, then just get the metcon 2 you’re not missing out on much. But if you’re looking for a training shoe thats slightly more durable and flexible then go for the metcon 3. Just remember both these shoes are a little narrow. if you have a wider foot then you should look into the reebok nano 6.0 or 7.0. Link to their review is in the description.