People have been asking me how I like my new Reebok Nano 3.0s. Before I answer, I must tell you how much I love my Nano 2.0s already. I have to admit, I was a little bummed when I heard they had changed. I loved my old ones so much, I was worried I wouldn’t like these as much. However, like with anything else Reebok gets their hands on, they’ve made improvements.

It’s obvious they asked the pros what they’d like to see different, and better, and they did it. And, what I already liked, they kept. Here’s the lowdown…

5 Things I Love About the Nano 3.0.

1. Wider toebox. This allows your toes to spread out for great balance. The Nano 2.0 already had a nice roomy toebox, but this is even roomier for even more stability.

2. 4 mm heel drop. This keeps your foot flat on the ground, great for heavy lifts when your heel should not be raised, but nice, flat and stable on the floor for maximum power production.

3. More durable. The rubberized cage that completely surrounds the shoe makes this shoe a lot more durable than the 3.0, as well as offers more support. They also used a stronger polyester on the outside of the shoe, called Rope Pro, specifically designed to be more durable during rope climbing.

4.  Non-slip grip sole. This is great for all the crazy stuff we do in boot camp, or any other functional training program, like box jumps, mountain climbers, burpees, etc. It’s dependable gripping sole will help prevent you from falling on your face – cause, that’s no fun! ;)

5. Flexible sole for functional moves. Shoes that offer too much support can often be too stiff. As a result, they slip off the back of the heels when doing exercises like mountain climbers, squat thrusts, etc. This shoe has a nice easy bend at the toe box so your shoe and foot move together.

How do you know if Nanos are right for you?

• Do you do heavy lifts, like dead lifts, squats, clean & jerk, split jerks, kettlebell snatches, high pulls, swings, etc?
• Do you do sprints or short bursts of runs in your training?
• Do you do a lot of plyometrics – like double unders, burpees, mountain climbers, tuck jumps, etc
• Do you jump on tires, boxes, steps or other objects?
• Do you climb rope or obstacles?
• Do you like a minimalist shoe with a flat sole?
• Are you tough on your shoes, where you wear holes in the fabric, side walls or toe?

If you are a marathon runner, these shoes are not for you. If you lift weights using only machines, it probably won’t matter what you wear. However, if you do any of the above training, these are a great cross-training shoe that allows your training to be versatile without having to change shoes for different exercises.

Here are what some CrossFit athletes had to say about the new Nano 3.0s.

FitFluential LLC compensated me for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.