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| Colorway (Grey/Blue/Black) |
The first shoe I reviewed on this blog was the Inov-8 F-Lite 235. I loved that shoe. It was light, looked great and felt awesome during workouts. The new version was released late last year and I have been using them for about three months. So far they are great but I have some issues with them.
Specs
Fit – Standard
Drop – 0mm
Weight – 235g
Sole Compound – Sticky
*Specs taken from Inov-8 Website.
Looks
The first colorway that interested me was the red/blue sketch that Inov-8 Training posted on their Instagram.
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| Screenshot taken from @inov8training Instagram profile |
I love the red and blue color scheme which is why I purchased the first version in that color. Unfortunately, the sketch was not a production color. After looking at the launch colorways, I decided on the grey/blue/black version. The shoe resembles many of the shoes in the Inov-8 catalog and is not something completely different like the original 235’s.
Fit
I ordered my pair from Zappos.com, in the same size as the v1’s. I am not sure if I received a defective pair but they were a little more than a half size too big. I had to ship it back for a half size smaller. When I got the new pair, it still felt a little big but not by too much. I had more room in the toe box compared to the original.
Construction
After using the shoes for about five months, they are holding up great. No rips or tears from rope climbs or general use. The only issue that I have is with the rubber label on the tongue. It was attached using some kind of adhesive and has started to come off. It’s not a big deal but it’s the only flaw I can find in the shoes. The mesh is also showing some signs of wear where the shoe flexes. It looks like it will hold up.
Performance
If you are a fan of the original 235’s, you will like this version. Since it’s not as snug, I was afraid my feet would be sliding around during workouts and lifts. I have used these shoes for almost six months and almost any workout. They held up against olympic lifts, metcons, squats and deadlifts. The soles felt sturdy during squats and flexible during runs. Power transfer was not an issue during heavy lifts thanks to the dense sole.
Rope climbs feel great as well. They grip the rope better than the Metcon 2. Better technique might be able to explain that however. I set some pr’s while wearing the v2’s, a new power clean pr and a few metcon pr’s. Check out my Instagram or the Barbells and Boxcars for videos of me wearing them.
The v2’s is a great follow up to the original 235’s. It does what good shoes are supposed to do, let you forget about them. I did not think about my shoes during workouts and did not have to switch them out when heavier lifts were programmed into the workout. It could be that I’m getting better at the movements but the shoes definitely help. If you can get passed the aesthetics, these will be a great buy.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
Back Squat – 6×3 at 80% (325 lb.)
Last week I did squats at 70%, this week we’re up at 80%. I did this twice this week, the Monday session was great, completing four out of six sets at 325 lb. The session of Friday was terrible. I played some Ultimate Frisbee on Wednesday and my legs may have been worn out. On Friday, I worked up to 325 lb. but it felt extremely heavy. I was only able to complete one set. I dropped the weight to 315 lb. but that was too much as well. My coach told me to drop to 275 lb. and do some one second pauses at the bottom. It was a tough week and I should get some heavy reps done. We will be maxing out next week and I hope I’m ready for a new PR.
Partner AMRAP – 20 Miniutes
10 row (cals.)
15 wall balls (20 lb.)
15 Russian kb swings (54 lb.)
*Partners will alternate movements
Did this workout with my wife and it was a lot of fun. The movements were alternating which gave some time to recover. The hardest movement was the wall balls (as usual). At the beginning of the workout we set our goal to 10 rounds.
I started on the wall balls with the goal of doing all of them unbroken for the entire goal. Looking back on the open, the wall balls in 17.4 were my biggest hurdle and now is the time to work on them. I knew I would be okay on the row and kb swings so I didn’t worry about them. I tried to keep a good pace on the rower 900 – 1100 cals. on the rower and complete the kb swings unbroken.
Towards the end of the workout, my wife would finish a movement but I was not ready to start the next one. I was still trying to catch my breath, but it would only take a few seconds. On my last round of wall balls, I broke at 10 reps. I wanted to keep going but my arms and legs were giving up. After a few seconds of rest, I finished the wall balls. We pushed each other and were very supported during the workout. We finished with 10 rounds, 10 row and 9 wall balls.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
Back Squat – 7×5 at 70% (275 lb.)
The percentage for back squats have gone up by 5%. It took a few warm up sets to get into it but I was able to finish all the sets in the amount of time given. I’m gaining more confidence in my squat now that we are going up in weight. Hopefully I’ll be able to hit a new PR in the coming weeks.
Partner Holleyman – 45 Rounds For Time, 35 Minute Time Cap
This workout was modified from the original Holleyman
5 wall balls (20 lb.)
3 handstand push ups
1 power clean (205 lb.)
The amount of rounds is daunting but once we got into the workout we didn’t stop. I had to scale the power clean to 205 lb. The Rx version had the power cleans at 225 lb. which is close to my 1RM. In order to finish under time cap each round had to be done under 45 seconds. I wasn’t sure how quickly I would finish each round so I tried to pace accordingly.This workout was actually fun. We would finish a round under 45 seconds and the break in between was enough to catch your breath. The hardest movement for me was the wall balls but towards the end of the workout, every movement was becoming more difficult. I did all the reps unbroken but I almost missed a power clean. I would love to retest this workout.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
The video below is the last leg of our European honeymoon. Amsterdam was a favorite city of ours and we would love to go back and do more exploring. After using my GoPro Hero 3 for the duration of the trip, I’m tempted to get a Hero 4. I would upgrade to the newer Hero 5 but it’s not compatible with my Feiyu Tech gimbal.
The music track we used was Sheppard’s “Keep Me Crazy” which doesn’t allow the video to play on mobile devices. I did not know it would be restricted but it can’t be helped now. Thanks for watching.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
I finally finished the Blood of Martyrs after weeks of sitting on the table. I also played him in a game yesterday with his warcaster Thyra. I had fun painting this model and tried some new blending techniques. I tried to do some two brush blending on the shoulders but it didn’t come out as smooth as I wanted it. It’s a great start though and my technique will get better with more practice.
This model was also a lesson in purchasing miniatures second hand. The sword was broken at the tip and I couldn’t fix it. Also, half of the left fist was cut off, presumably to fit the sword. The next time I purchase a model, I’ll be sure to look at all the pictures first. Let me know what you think in the comments below and thanks for stopping by.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
I had a wisdom tooth removed and was only able to get one day in this week.
Front Squat – 7×5 at 65% (90 kg.)
It wasn’t a heavy weight but it was tough. The current squat cycle has been focused on back squats and I’ve been neglecting my front squats. I felt the rust after warming up but I was able to push through and finish six sets at 90 kg. before time ended.
Partner Mule in Paris – 12 Minute Time Cap
1 squat clean thruster (60 kg.)
2 squat clean thruster (60 kg.)
3 squat clean thruster (60 kg.)
…. until time cap
This was my first time doing this workout and I wasn’t sure what to expect. Squat clean thrusters (clusters) are fun but not at 20+ reps. Thankfully, this was a partner workout and I would have some time to recover. I decided to do the reps in singles since it would be easier for me to maintain a good pace in the later rounds. Initially it wasn’t too bad, rounds two and four were done at a steady pace. Rounds six and eight had to be broken up. The front squats we did earlier in the day were hard on the legs. I pushed on and did my best to break it up the reps and keep a constant pace. We finished round nine and two reps into round 10. My legs were sore after that workout but I had the weekend to rest.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
The Open is over and I just returned from a trip to Osaka, Japan. I wasn’t able to drop into a gym while there but I did get a shirt. I’m back to going to the gym regularly and this past week was a lot of fun.
Back Squat – 7×5 at 70% (275 lb.)
We went up in weight for the back squat. Previous weight percentage was 60% (255 lb.) which I was able to finish. This squat session was heavier but with less reps. I wasn’t able to finish all the reps within the allotted time. I completed four sets at 275 lb. The weight felt okay on the third set but it was challenging. I tried to focus on my breathing and bracing my core. If I had more time, I could have finished all the reps.
FGB Style – 2 Rounds, 2 Minutes Per Station
Box jump overs (24 in.)
Russian kettle bell swings (54 lb.)
Rope climbs (15 ft.)
Rest 1 minute
This was my favorite workout of the week. It had fun movements, it wasn’t too long and we had a short rest period. I decided on a pacing before the start of the workout. I would try to complete 30 reps of box jumps and kettle bell swing and at least two rope climbs.
Since the class was a bit large, we started on different stations. I decided to start with the rope climbs. My forearms and wrist have been giving me issues and I didn’t want to push it. I tried one rep on the rope and I felt great. My feet were the biggest issue surprisingly. After two or three reps my grip would be weak and I would then wait for the next movement. The box jumps started off great. I decided to do half turns in the air to make the transitions easier. I would do the reps in sets of 10 – 15 and finished with 30 reps. The kettle bells were good but I was winded by the time I got to this movement. My grip was weak and I ended up doing around 10 reps at a time. I finished this movement with 30 reps as well.
Round two was more difficult but I tired to push through it. I was able to get two reps on the rope, about 20 reps on the box jumps and 30 reps on the kettle bell swings. I wanted to do more reps on the box jumps but my legs were not having it. If I didn’t squat heavy that day I could have done more, maybe. Overall, this was a fun workout. I like the FGB format and I hope to retest this soon.
Lift Heavy and Level Up!
8-Bit Barbell 