Inov-8 Fastlift 335 Review – A Good Weightlifting Shoe?

Inov-8 Fastlift 335 Review

Inov-8 Fastlift 335 Review
9.5

Value

9/10

    Style

    10/10

      Performance Increase

      10/10

        Flexibility

        10/10

          Pros

          • Perfect heel size at 0.65 inches
          • Light and incredibly flexible
          • Tough and durable
          • A true 'hybrid' shoe

          Cons

          • Expensive

          Inov-8 is an English company that has its offices in the US. They are a athletic clothing and shoe company that aim to innovate the shoe market, hence the name Inov-8. They want to provide consumers with incredibly light and flexible shoewear, and aim to be a market leader. But chances are you may not of heard of them, so, in this article, we’re going to provide you with a comprehensive Inov-8 Fastlift 335 Review. Inov-8 are very much involved in competitive athletes’ lives and competitions, so it seems they really want to be an integral part of the community. They use specially designed ‘biochemical designs’ as they’ve made it their mission to make sure every user of Inov-8 gets exactly what they want out of the finished product.

          The makers of the Inov-8 fastlift 335 aim to bridge the gap between a stereotypical weight lifting shoe, cross-fit shoes, and incredibly light running shoes. It combines the best of the top 10 weight lifting shoes into one incredible, performance based ‘truly hybrid’ training shoe.

          To me, the inov-8 fastlift 335 is very similar to the adidas adipowers. To read our review of that, click here.

          In this Article, we’ll look at both the men’s and women’s version of the shoe.

          Overview of the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 

          The Inov-8 fastlift 335 is a high spec, top of the range weightlifting shoe aimed at the serious weightlifter, cross-fitter or athlete. In  but one that is multi functional and built for durability. This Inov-8 lifting shoe has gained a solid reputation within the gym and weight lifters community, partly down to the company’s marketing, now making it one of the most popular weight lifting shoes on the market today.

          The majority of olympic weight lifting shoes (also know as ‘oly shoes’) can be fairly heavy and bulky to use in dynamic movements, and are often suited just for squatting such as the adidas powerlifts or Drehkrafts.

          Typically in this market, if you’re a crossfitter one has to decide whether to have a better jumping form or perform better at dynamic movements or wear lighter more flexible shoes but then not do as well in squats and static exercises. In fact, people have often taken two pairs of shoes to the gym just to correct this issue.

          This is because commonly, weight lifting shoes are incredibly inflexible in the toe box area, which can be more of a hindrance when it comes to anything outside squatting. The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is built with far superior front flexibility than other shoes, so this makes it better for dynamic movements such as snatches, cleans and for crossfit athletes who do a lot of rope climbing, running and jumping.

          The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 comes with a approximately one inch thick strap across the front top side which helps to ensure the maximum foot stability. Unlike cheaper brands, it is manufactured from a form of heavy duty plastic and strengthened material, which ensures it is much for durable and far more effective. In fact, I’ve once pulled the strap right off from some other brands before, you don’t have this problem with the Invo-8 fastlift 335.  It really gives you extra purchase and gives you so much more grip than laces alone.

          Stats of the Inov-8 Fastlift 335s

          Inov-8 fastlift 335 review imageAs we’ve now seen the Inov8 Fastlift has certainly bridged the gap between a more ‘traditional’ style of weight lifting shoe and a crossfit or light running shoe. How have they managed this? The key to having the best of both worlds is what the company calls its Powertruss technology.

          This is by using a special thermoplastic material, that is incredibly strong but also incredibly light. The shoe weights in a just 335 grams (12oz) and is as light as any top dollar running shoe around.

          The special material in the heel gives extra stability. Further to the large raised heel is the very effective stiff sole. They come with a weight distribution plate, which means the whole sole takes the weight, and not just the center or the sides. This rigidness means you can exert all of your foot and muscle power into your movement. Furthermore, the sole is utterly flat, so you cannot rock backwards.

          At this weight, the inov-8 fastlift 335 is one of the lightest shoes on the market. Being a hybrid shoe, it has the flexbile toe box, the sleek style, and the weight of a crossfit shoe. But it also has the strong heel and ankle support that won’t compress, giving you the confidence for heavy olympic lifting.

          –> Check Pricing and User Reviews on Inov-8 Fastlift 335 <-

          There are many different heel heights in olympic weight lifting shoes, some are 0.75 inches such as the adipowers, others are less at 0.60 inches such as the powerlift 2.0s. The Inov-8 335 occupy a rather undiscovered middle ground, they have a heel height of 0.65 inches. This has been an issue in the past as people have often complained about the heel height being either too high or not enough.

          This gives you the mechanical advantage of having the raised heel, but also allows you to preform plyometric and dynamic movements after heavy squats and deadlifts. The heel base is designed out of small cylindrical tubes that essentially comprise the basis of the Inov-8 fastlift 335 Power-truss technology.

          This means the base is incredibly firm and durable,  when you first put them on it’s like wearing sturdy boots, but as light as running shoes. Your feet feel planted throughout the lifting phases and you can expected ankle rolling or twisting to became a thing of the past, expect better form and strength increase.

          Women’s Inov-8 Fastlift 335 Overview

          Just like the men’s version of the shoe the women’s Inov-8 fastlift 335 is exactly the same, but come in vibrant, stylish colors.

          We’ve been informed that the women’s versions run slighter tighter than the mens, so we advise buying a half size up from what you are used to. Of course, everyone is different.

          The most popular women’s design is the pink and blue design shown here:


          Inov-8 women fastlift 335
          Just like the men’s version of the shoe, the construction and build quality of the Women’s Inov-8 335 is detailed and of high quality. The sole of the shoe has some fairly interesting ‘suction cup’ technology going on too, which stops slipping in static movements but doesn’t prevent you from running.

           

           

          –> Find out Pricing and Reviews of the Inov-8 Women’s trainer <-

          The inov-8 fastlift 335s boast incredible ventilation and your feet don’t perspire in them as much as other weight lifting shoes, which is a quality very much appreciated! These things are truly breathable.

          Final Verdict: One of Best all round weightlifting shoes money can buy and very similar to the adipowers, but pricey.

          Thanks for reading this Review!

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