Reebok Nano Pro First Look: Reebok’s Most Expensive CrossFit Shoes Are Made for Competitors

Reebok’s flagship CrossFit shoe, the Nano, is one of the OGs of the functional fitness shoe world. We recently reviewed the 15th iteration, the Nano X5, calling it one of the best CrossFit shoes that Reebok has released. The Nano Pro Training Shoes ($225, releasing October 7) aim to up the ante even further. 

Designed for competitors, the Nano Pro has several unique features and styling, but the most notable standout from the rest of the Nano line is the Graphlite carbon-fiber plate in the midsole. This lightweight, rigid plate adds responsiveness and springiness to the shoe during plyometrics and running.

However, it also raises the price quite a bit. Is it worth the added cost? I couldn’t wait to find out, so as soon as these showed up on my doorstep, I laced up and went to the gym.

In short: Reebok designed a shoe to accommodate the rising tide of fitness competitions from CrossFit to Hyrox and beyond. With a carbon plate, soft Superfloat foam, and an organic-looking exoskeleton rope guard upper, the Nano Pro Training Shoes’ looks stand out from the competition. And, to an extent, so does the performance.

Compare the Reebok Nano Pro with the competition in the guide to the best CrossFit shoes.

Reebok Nano Pro Training Shoes Review

Brand Background

Thanks to its Nano line of shoes, Reebok has been synonymous with CrossFit since its early days. Built to handle the widely varying modalities of functional fitness, Nanos have had some misses, but the brand is still a mainstay in most CrossFit boxes. But after 15-plus versions of the CrossFit-specific shoe, it’s hard to make any single version stand out. 

The wildly different design, carbon-fiber plate, and its price of entry make the Nano Pro Training Shoes do just that. 

How I Tested the Reebok Nano Pro Training Shoes

To get a decent first impression, I took the Nano Pros through a week of CrossFit training, including Olympic lifting, heavy squats and deadlifts, and several WODs that included rope climbs, running, box jumps, double-unders, and other plyometric movements. I’ll keep testing them in the coming months and update this article as needed. 

What’s New

The Reebok Nano Pro has a slightly narrower toe box than the Nano X5. It’s just wide enough to work for my wide-ish feet, but they probably won’t appeal to anyone with especially wide feet. This may contribute to the shoes’ lighter weight at about 10 ounces versus the X5’s 12-ounce weight. 

The stack height of 3mm is also less than half of the X5’s 7mm height, which will appeal to those who don’t like doing heavy deadlifts in their socks (if you know, you know). 

As for the outsole, the clear gum rubber is extremely grippy, and the Superfloat midsole is significantly softer than the X5. A hard plastic plate runs along the exterior of the midsole and creeps the side of the shoe to help minimize stability loss from that extra-soft heel foam. 

The Nano Pro also has a unique exoskeleton-style TPU cage along the upper. It’s there to help grip the rope during rope climbs and to add durability, but it also gives the shoe a unique look that really makes it stand out from any other Nano in the lineup. That look is likely going to be divisive, but I appreciate the Cronenberg vibes.

But the real star of the show here is the Graphlite carbon-fiber plate in the midsole, which Reebok added to help boost the shoes’ responsiveness during runs and jumping movements. It also contributes to the Nano Pro’s eye-watering $225 price. Whether or not that responsiveness is worth spending another $50-75 more than you would on other CrossFit shoes is up to you.

Good Lifts

After a few WODs, I can see where the Nano Pro would shine for athletes who want that extra edge. Reebok did a great job of cutting weight without sacrificing stability — I’ve tested shoes that weighed 10 ounces or less, but none of them had the oomph that the Nano Pros have.

The shoes have a narrower profile than the Reebok Nano X5 and the Nike Metcon 10, but for my medium-to-wide foot, they felt snug and secure with just enough room to accommodate potential swelling during workouts. 

During a workout with a deadlift, hang power clean, and shoulder-to-overhead complex, the shoes felt stuck to the floor with zero lateral movement. I wasn’t sure that I would feel the difference with the carbon fiber plate, but when I would dip and drive to get the weight overhead, my feet actually did feel springier. I can’t quantify how much force the shoes actually contributed to the lifts, but they felt good enough that I did every round unbroken. 

I was worried that the soft Superfloat foam in the heel would dampen that leg drive during Olympic movements, but I never noticed the softness. They’re not going to give the same stability as dedicated lifting shoes, but then, they don’t claim to. 

The carbon fiber plate also made its presence known during box jumps and burpees: I felt a bit less heavy during jumping movements, which could be credited to the plate’s strong rebound.

The added boost isn’t going to get me to the Games, but I can see it helping me beat a time cap. You know that feeling you get when running in a specific shoe just feels faster? It’s like that, with jumping. 

I haven’t tried rope climbing with the Nano Pros, but I’m very curious to see how they perform. The grippy gum sole should stick to the rope well, and the stiff midsole should provide a solid platform for anchoring the rope with my feet. I’ll update this as soon as I do some climbing in these.  

No Reps

The one real ding with this shoe is (say it with me) running. Yes, the carbon fiber plate gives the shoe a springier feel than the other shoes. And the Superfloat foam absorbs impact in the forefoot (with my good technique at the beginning of the workout) and the heel (when everything goes to hell in round five). But it’s still got that slappy feel that you tend to get with CrossFit shoes. They weren’t bad for runs up to 400 m, but I don’t think these will be Murph shoes for me. 

That’s not to say they’re worse runners overall than the average CrossFit shoe. In fact, I’d place them solidly in the upper half, especially considering how speedy they felt, which was a nice tradeoff for the lack of comfort. My hopes were just a bit too high for the shoes to live up to. 

Reebok Nano Pro Training Shoe: First Impressions

I’ll have a better idea of how the shoe performs and its durability after a few more months, but even after just a few workouts, the Nano Pro has my attention. At $225, it’s the company’s most expensive CrossFit shoe, topping the Nano X5 by $85.

Is it worth it? From what I’ve experienced so far, what you’re getting for the money is a lighter, faster, more responsive shoe that doesn’t sacrifice any stability with heavy lifts. 

Does everybody need to spend this kind of money to get fitter in a CrossFit gym? Absolutely not. But if you’re one of those athletes where the difference between making the podium or going home empty-handed is measured in seconds, these lightweight kicks might be worth the extra dough.