Nike Shares 5 Reasons Why Metcon 2 Is The Supreme Gym Shoe

Nike is a sought-after brand for all things athletic and doesn’t need to explain at length to its customers what makes the brand’s shoes high quality. But the Beaverton, Ore.-based brand wants serious cross-training enthusiasts to know why its Metcon 2 shoe is what they should be lifting in.

On its website, Nike shared five reasons why its Metcon 2 is a superior training shoe for the way modern weightlifters train, under the headlines, “Instability is the Enemy of Weightlifting,” “Handstand Push Ups Are No Drag,” “Flex. Flex. Flex.,” Get Ripped, But Not on the Ropes,” and “It Puts the Freedom in Lock Down.”

Nike Metcon 2 Mat Fraser — Nike-sponsored athlete Mat Fraser performing deadlifts in the Metcon 2.

CREDIT: Courtesy of Nike

For traditional weight-training exercises, including deadlifts, Nike boasted about the shoe’s stability, highlighted by its flat sole and firm heel foam. The brand said its stable platform is perfect for deadlifts, which “require stability in the foot to drive power through the legs.” The brand also noted that the shoe performs well during another traditional exercise, lunges, since the move requires superior flexibility in the foot, which it has in the Metcon 2’s forefoot and flex-foot grooves that provide control during lunging and twisting.

But today’s weightlifter doesn’t just engage in traditional training methods and needs a shoe built to handle exercises like handstand pushups, rope climbs and box jumps. Nike said its zero-friction heel helps with power and balance during handstand pushups, helping to keep your body steady. For rope climbs, the brand said its medial and lateral rope wraps won’t let the rope shred your shoes. And the Metcon 2’s Flywire cables, Nike stated, give the lifter the strong and lightweight support needed to land on the box-jump platform.