Deadlifts, Thrusters, Swings, Burpees

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

Pull Ups, Push Ups, Sit Ups and Squats

The Athlete: Jonson Tan

The Workout:

“Barbara”

5 Rounds for time of:

20 Pull Ups

30 Push Ups

40 Sit Ups

50 Squats

Result : 38:49 (CTB, CTF)

Note: CTB = Chest-to-Bar, CTF = Chest-to-Floor)

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.

The Zigtechs are comfortable to squat in and it felt like I was squatting on springs. There was a definite increase in the speed which I carried out my squats. As comfortable as they are around the feet due to the cushioning inside of the shoe, the soles at the base of the shoes were proving to be slightly uncomfortable by Round 3 of the workout. The mid foot and the ball of my feet were starting to ache and I felt that those 2 areas were the pressure points of my feet during the squats. The shoes are not very supportive for flat footed people like me. Due to the Zig Zag pattern on the soles, I found myself losing balance especially at the bottom of the squat.

By the end of Round 4 I struggled to stay standing as the base of my feet were aching but that did not stop me from completing the workout to my best abilities. I will always push myself to do the best with I have and to never quit.

In conclusion, the workout was great and the extra height to reach the pull up bar was definitely beneficial.

Rating for this workout : 6/10 (base mainly on squats)

Pros: Higher reach to the pull up bars, the insides of the shoes were very comfortable, very soft soles.

Cons: Not designed for flat feet, strain below the arch of the foot and ball of the feet.