For a decade and a half, Reebok’s iconic cross-training shoe has been a staple of the health world.
Final up to date on January twenty third, 2025
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I nonetheless keep in mind the primary time I walked right into a CrossFit gymnasium.
The 12 months was 2008. I used to be a university rower in London, Ontario, and we heard that CrossFit London had Idea 2 rowing machines.
I felt like a child in a sweet store after I walked into the 800-square-foot gymnasium and noticed a category of six folks throwing barbells round and rocking kipping pull-ups, a motion I used to be conversant in due to my gymnastics background as a child.
- I additionally observed their sneakers: The room was dominated by Converse All-Stars – “Chucks.”
“What’s happening right here,” I assumed.
I later discovered that, whereas not perfect, Chucks had been most CrossFit fanatic’s shoe of alternative on the time as a result of they’d a flatter sole than your typical working shoe or cross-training shoe, which was useful for weightlifting.
They weren’t nice for CrossFit, however they had been higher than anything out there on the time, when most individuals had by no means heard of CrossFit, not to mention developed a shoe for it.
The next 12 months, a brand new shoe emerged that CrossFit athletes flocked to: Vibram 5 Fingers.
- Keep in mind those? They had been like gloves in your toes and took 5 minutes to placed on as you tried to shove your naked toes into the person toe slots.
I purchased myself a pair, wore them twice, after which needed to throw them out as a result of I couldn’t take the stench that was festering from sporting sneakers with out socks.
Three years into my CrossFit journey, Reebok got here to the rescue and launched the primary Reebok Nano, which grew to become the official shoe of the 2011 CrossFit Video games.
Lastly, a shoe particular for CrossFit.
And identical to that, the Nano swept in, and by the tip of 2011, you couldn’t even name your self a CrossFit athlete should you didn’t personal a pair of Nanos.
Reebok Nanos From 2011-2025
Since 2011, we’ve seen 14 extra iterations of the Nano come to market.
- The Nano 2.0 was launched in 2012, and it had a barely wider toe field than the primary mannequin.
- The Nano 3.0 adopted in 2013. It included a protecting layer in the midst of the only real to forestall fraying from rope climbs.
- A 12 months later, in 2014, the Nano 4.0 was launched on the 2014 CrossFit Video games, that includes a protecting layer on the entrance of the shoe and an enhanced toe-wrap for extra sturdiness, in addition to a extra inflexible sole for higher grip and stability.
Since then, every new model of the Nano has continued to evolve alongside the game itself, one thing Reebok is pleased with.
- “We’ve stayed related by means of our continued dedication to supply athletes with what they’re on the lookout for — the game has advanced, and so has the Nano franchise to offer athletes probably the most elite coaching shoe available on the market,” Tal Quick, the product director at Reebok, mentioned.
Though the CrossFit shoe market is way more aggressive than it was in 2011, the Reebok Nano remains to be simply as related as ever 15 years later.
The brand new Nano X5s, that are available for purchase today, January 24, are not any exception.
- They function a DualResponse midsole and decoupled MetaSplit outsole to boost efficiency and supply assist all through any kind of exercise, whether or not it’s a heavy raise or a conditioning session.
- Different options of the brand new Nano X5 are efficiency consolation collars and a premium Flexweave higher that helps with safety, consolation, and breathability.
“The most recent mannequin actually pays homage to the iterations that got here earlier than it,” Quick mentioned, “[It takes lessons] and a few fan-favorite options to create the newest Official Shoe of Health that units a brand new business commonplace.”
Finally, as loads of shoe and attire manufacturers have come and gone within the CrossFit world since 2011, the Reebok Nano has develop into a mainstay.
Fifteen years because the first Nano grew to become the dominant shoe of CrossFit, you’ll be able to nonetheless go into any CrossFit affiliate or practical health gymnasium anyplace on this planet and see the shoe adorning the toes of numerous hard-working athletes.
Nanos on the CrossFit Video games
As increasingly manufacturers began creating coaching sneakers designed for CrossFit athletes, it’s value noting that the unique G.O.A.T — four-time particular person and sixt-time group CrossFit Video games champion Wealthy Froning — has at all times worn Nanos.
- Froning even has his personal Nano, which has 4 iterations: the Nano X1-X4 Froning.
Price noting: From 2014 to 2018, CrossFit mandated all athletes put on Reebok sneakers on the Video games, as they had been the title sponsor. However even after they lifted this rule, the Nano continued to be worn by lots of the athletes, together with podium finishers.
- In 2019, your entire ladies’s podium was made up of Nano-wearing ladies: Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr, Kristin Holte, and Jamie Greene [now Simmonds].
- Two years later, in 2021, with an much more aggressive shoe recreation unfolding, each Pat Vellner and Brent Fikowski stood on the CrossFit Video games podium after competing in Nanos. They had been joined by Annie Thorisdottir on the ladies’s aspect.
Quick-forward to right this moment, and Reebok Nanos can nonetheless be discovered on the competitors flooring at any elite-level CrossFit competitors.
The Massive Image
CrossFit athletes have just a few issues in widespread: We love measurable progress, we like to endure collectively, and we’ve at all times taken our sneakers significantly.
In 2011, Reebok modified the sport and set a brand new commonplace in CrossFit footwear. This allow us to transfer away from the less-than-optimal shoe choices on the time and supplied us with a footwear resolution that has allowed the game to evolve to the place it’s right this moment.
A decade-and-a-half in the past, Reebok captured the hearts (and toes) of your entire CrossFit neighborhood, and it’s protected to say they nonetheless have a stronghold over each right this moment.
The Reebok Nano X5 is now! Take a look at the launch colorways here.
Featured picture: Reebok