One Decade Down, Nike Kick On With Metcon 10
Two years after Nike dropped their Metcon 9 – a divisive model in the cross-training shoe series, but certainly celebrated by the larger-hooved fitness community as the widest Metcon ever – the Swoosh have announced the franchise's new model: the Metcon 10. Aside from the fact we're celebrating 10 years and 10 models (which deserves its own ticker-tape parade), the Metcon 10 is stuffed so full of tech it's bursting like a CrossFitter's post-sesh quads.
The Metcon 10 masters the four horsemen of the cross-training apocalypse: grip, stability, mobility and lockdown. It's built with a top-shelf blend of durability and functionality, and the design has been wear-tested and pored over by multi-disciplinary athletes themselves, to ensure that every stitch is doing its job and there's no deadweight.
The Metcon 10 started with a return to the series' origins, says Erin Gleason, product line manager at Nike Training. 'A decade in, we revisited the DNA of what makes Metcon the global standard in training footwear,' she says. '[We] focused on going back to the foundation of what makes Metcon great: listening to the voices of athletes across all disciplines and intensities to create a shoe that reflects the way they train today.'
Are you ready to hear all about it? Here we go.
The Metcon 10 possesses a cushy yet responsive ReactX foam midsole (engineered with explosive sprints, box jumps and other high-mobility exercises in mind). The underheel Hyperlift plate is re-engineered to be far lighter than previous models', but still deliver max stability (for your squats, deadlifts and cleans). A haptic print topcoat fortifies those high-wear zones, while durable rubber extends from the outsole to the midsole, helping the shoe withstand abrasion from rope climbs, asphalt and turf.
The toe box is widened, and there's a midfoot band to further enhance fit while improving lockdown during dynamic movements. Worried about wall-drag during handstand push-ups? The Metcon 10's TPU heel clip adds stability and reduces pull against surfaces. The forefoot's sticky rubber gives traction and grip for dynamic movements, and strategic cut-outs in the outsole optimise forefoot flexibility. There's even a new lace lockdown system, which tucks the pesky spaghetti away in an inconspicuous pocket.
For those who want to hear it from the horse's mouth, listen up to Nike Trainer Darren Tomassao: 'The key to a comprehensive training program is to squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, rotate and counter-rotate,' he says. 'With the Metcon 10... I can lift heavy without feeling weighed down; feel light and free when I hop, jump and bound; and move dynamically without worrying I’ll slip.'
The Nike Metcon 10 will be available globally in women’s and men’s sizing at nike.com and select retail locations on August 4.
Nike are bringing back a number of non-retro offerings this year – like the Trunner line, reintroduced with the brand new Trunner O/S model!