While the CrossFit Games are all about the athletes, there is a fair amount of focus on the shoes those athletes are wearing. People love their gym trainers and, as such, all the brand-sponsored competitors showed out with the latest and greatest training footwear. One of the most talked about shoes from the games is the TYR CXT-1 Trainer, which garnered heavy attention due to having six of the top 10 finishers in the male category decked in them.
That’s right, it wasn’t Nike, Reebok, or NoBull that took the footwear limelight at the Games, but a competitive swimming brand that recently decided to turn its sights on CrossFit. And they showed out with a good-looking pair, too – one that we expect to see worn at more gyms by this time next year.
The TYR CXT-1 Trainer is built around a patent-pending stability platform that, the outfit claims, creates the “ultimate base for any movement,” creating a locked-in support that wraps around the back of the foot while the rest sits deep in the shoe. We’re not exactly sure how that works, but they claim it offers amazing ground contact and stability, from deadlifts and squats to box jumps and rope climbs to everything in between. It has an unusual 9mm heel-to-toe drop for improved comfort and durability, as well as a wraparound side gripper that extends all around the heel to keep the foot from performing unnecessary movements.
The upper is made from a durable and lightweight knit that’s designed to withstand the most extreme exercises, all being very breathable to allow continuous airflow. There’s an extended toe guard that helps protect your forefoot and adds traction at the front of the shoe, as well as a smooth heel tab that will allow for effortless gliding when your heel is pushed up against the wall.
The TYR CXT-1 Trainer has a Surge NRG foam midsole that boasts highly-responsive performance. We’re not exactly familiar with the material, but we’ll take their word for it. The outsole has a hybrid design that’s flexible in the forefoot to allow explosive and agile movement, while being stable in the heel to give the athlete optimum control and maximize ground contact. For now, it comes with five colorways for men and three for women, with more likely to come soon after the initial ones launch.
If you’ve been keeping up with the CrossFit space, chances are, you’ve seen the buildup to TYR launch of the shoes during the games. In fact, it was the subject of a lot of forum conversations, since Tyr made a big splash signing a lot of big names in the CrossFit space over the last year. From the looks of it, all those signings paid off since they arguably made a bigger splash than anyone did at the Games. Couple that with TYR’s strong reputation in the world swim equipment stage and we imagine a lot of people are looking forward to the shoe’s eventual release.
The TYR CXT-1 Trainer is now available for preorder, priced at $139.99, with deliveries slated for November.