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Artin Athletics is a new brand on the market that saw a gap in strength training. Most shoe brands have it sneakers, but not specific for heavy lifting.
And if there are, they are usually not flexible enough to handle all the exercises in your workout.
That's why these shoes are made with a flexible upper and a very flat sole. To handle everything in your strength training workout.
- Small heel lift and thin sole perfect for strength training
- Wide toe box allows ample spread
- Less cushioning makes it less suitable for intense cardio sessions
Let's briefly review the specs:
What we discuss in this comprehensive post:
Specifications
- Top: Mesh
- Outsole: EVA
- Weight: 300 g
- Inner lining: Plastic
- Type: Indoor
- Barefoot possible: Yes
What are the Artin Athletics shoes?
The Artin Athletics shoes are specifically designed for fitness and strength training with a low heel lift (heel to toe drop) and thin soles.
Due to their flexible construction, they are aimed at the person who wants to do strength training in the gym while providing sufficient flexibility for other parts of the session such as cardio and other exercises that require the shoe to bend a lot.
Artin Athletics Mesh Trainers Reviewed
They are indeed very flexible with a flat sole. You feel that your foot is well supported, but at the same time you feel the ground beneath you.
The heel lift is only 4 mm. A small lift is important to maintain good contact with the floor when lifting heavy weights.
The heel lift of the Reebok Nano X also appears to be 4 mm, but the brand has not released any official figures.
It feels like more than this one from Artin anyway.
The one in the Adidas Powerlift is more than 10mm.
The support is excellent with extra mid arch support in particular, and the forefoot is made extra wide to allow for toe spread when lifting heavy weights where you want your feet firmly flat on the ground.
I could clearly feel that my feet were given ample opportunity to settle down flat.
Something why many athletes like to train barefoot, but that is not possible when you go to the gym.
The right support is also very important, something you don't get enough with bare feet.
Most shoes are less suitable for heavy weights because the front pinches your toes.
The upper is made of mesh and breathes well. The design seems a bit odd to me. There are no laces over the top of the shoe.
I find it strange when I look at it, or maybe it takes some getting used to. But it feels really good indeed.
The shoes are very sturdy due to the reinforced sides, but as soon as I do an exercise where the shoes bend, such as push-ups, they immediately give very well.
I've actually always made a trade-off between tight and sturdy shoes for running where the foot does not get a millimeter of movement and looser shoes where you can also do other exercises.
Artin Athletics has found that balance well here.
The insole is removable and you can wash it if necessary.
You can also put in your own sole, but then the effect of the 4mm heel lift is immediately gone.
The outsole has a honeycomb pattern and offers quite a bit of grip, which is nice if you also want to get on the treadmill for a warm up or cool down.
Disadvantages of the Artin Athletics shoes
The cushioning is not very great, but that is because they are made to feel the ground when lifting.
A little cardio is possible, but for intense cardio sessions I would choose another pair, such as perhaps the Nike Metcon or the On Running shoes (here in our list of the best fitness shoes).
It is more of a balanced shoe that can handle everything around strength training.
The shoe is lightweight at only 300g, even lighter compared to other light brands such as the Gel Venture 8 (355g).
A real shoe for long training sessions.
Conclusion
With their first shoe, Artin Athletics has found a nice niche in the fitness market. A good shoe to keep as much contact with the ground as possible while doing strength training.
It's balanced enough to do the edge exercises that come with a full workout so you don't have to change shoes.
A real all-rounder for the strength workout.
