The Athlete: Pey-Huey Lim

The Workout:

25 minutes as many rounds as possible of:
5 BW Deadlift @55kg
5 Pull Ups
5 Thrusters @30kg
5 KB Swings @ 24kg
5 Burpees

Results: 8 Rounds + 5,5,5

The first component of the workout was the deadlifts and this proved to be difficult and uncomfortable as the correct method of a dead lift is to drive the weight up through the heels. Upon lifting the barbell off the ground I felt it was difficult to plant my foot into the ground due to the thick soft soles of the shoes. My heels begin to hurt in the attempt to drive the weight through the heels due to the ‘spring’ like design of the soles.

The shoes had very little effect for the pull up component of the workout as pull ups itself does not require any leg or foot work except jumping to reach the bar. I stand at 5’4” and the pull up bar is a t a height of 8 feet. Therefore I have to do a lot of jumping to grab and to release the bar. The Zigtechs helped absorbed the impact of my weight and minimise the pain in my ankle (pain in ankle was from old injury).

The thrusters had similar problems as the dead lifts whereby the shoes were too absorbing, soft and unstable. At the bottom of the squat, I felt there was a slight lag into my drive upwards as there was a break in momentum because the shoes are too energy absorbing. (Thrusters video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OhqIGYqELk). The kettlebell swings also posed similar issues as the deadlifts as stability comes from planting the foot into the ground. I felt that I had to put in extra effort and work to prevent myself from falling over.

The best part of the entire workout were the burpees as the Zigtechs were most suitable for this exercise. The softness and springy-ness of the shoes allowed me to bounce and rise quickly and safely. The in-soles were thick and soft and very comfortable upon landing.

In conclusion, the Zigtechs are not designed for weightlifting or power lifting exercises as the shoes are too soft and weightlifting and power lifting requires hard and flat soles. The shoes were comfortable in general and would be more beneficial for body weight exercises.

Rating for this workout: 5/10
Pros: Soft and comfortable landing, minimise ankle injury, bouncy
Cons: Not conducive for weightlifting/power lifting, unstable soles

Standing at a height of 6 feet, having the Zigtechs on gave me an additional reach to the pull up bar thanks to its thick soles; this means that I had to jump less to hang from the pull up bar. This was beneficial, as the workout itself is very challenging. When totaled over 5 rounds, the athlete (myself) would have completed 100 Pull Ups, 150 Push Ups, 200 Sit Ups and 250 Squats.

This workout is not an ideal workout to test the shoes in because majority of the movements/exercises does not engage the shoes capabilities. The shoes can barely be tested during the Pull Ups, Push Ups or Sit Ups hence majority of this review would be based on the Squats of the workout. Since the workout has a high number of squats, I was testing the shoes base on comfort, stability and support. Going through the Squats there was a notable difference, mainly because I am use to doing my squats barefooted.

Getting in the swing!

The Athlete: Lyn
The Workout:

For time of:
Run 1200 meters (1320m)
63 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood
36 Pull-ups
Run 800 meters
42 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood
24 Pull-ups
Run 400 meters
21 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 pood
12 Pull-ups

Result: 29:59 (Kettlebell 1 pood)

Note: 1 pood=16kg

Hot, Hot, HOT!

The weather was pretty humid despite the sun not in sight. After a quick warm-up, I went straight into the workout.

I took the first run comfortably and getting the foot strike in place. My focus was getting the rhythm of the feet and the landing. As I normally run with minimalist footwear via the Pose Method of Running, running in my ZigTech felt different.  I felt like I was running on marshmallows : soft, bouncy and springy. I didn’t feel the pounding on the ground as I would if I were running in other shoes (Brand M & N). I felt light and comfortable for this short run! Cool! Any runs less than 5km(30mins) are considered short for me.

My foot strikes were on the forefoot and focused on lifting. I felt good in the shoes and it supported me well in the run. I made sure I tied the laces right to the top of the shoes so that I didn’t have to adjust the foot during the workout.

For the kettlebell(KB) Swings, the initial 30 swings(of the 63-straight swings) were quite comfy. Then when the next few reps came in,  the mid-foot tendon started feeling a bit weird and tight. Somewhat of a plantar fascia strain at below the arch of the foot. The shoe didn’t support my flat feet for this exercise and my feet were struggling to get a grip on into the ground. Just imagine trying to walk in sand. Your toes will be fighting to feel the ground and stay in balance. It was just slightly disturbing to the flow of the movement, but not that it held me back from doing the workout. Always been trained to work hard and just do my best!

I got used to the shoes and had to adapt to the technicalities of the shoe as it incorporated the balancing element. For the 42 & 21 Swings, i didn’t feel as unbalanced as during the 63 Swings. However, I had to spend more energy trying to stabilize the body and the movement of the weights.

FYI, KB Swings are considered as a weightlifting element that conditions the total body from top to toe. See video below for better understanding of the KB Swing.

For pull ups, it gave me the height advantage! The bar is set at 7ft. The thickness of the sole made it easier for me to reach for the bar. (Yes, I’m short and I cannot reach the bar!) Usually I’d have to stand on 2 5kg-weight plates to reach for the bar. See photo above for the plates behind my left foot. Jumping and reaching for the bar is just a waste of energy on the grips and forearms!

Overall, it was a SMOKIN’ workout! Getting Ziggy with it!

Rating for this workout: 7/10
Pros: Running was easy/weightless, Easy reach for pull up bar.
Cons: Plantar fascia strain felt during KB swings.