The toe box is roomy so even if your feet decided to swell up a bit due to all the extra heat in the shoes, I would imagine there is enough space for the expansion. And who doesn't want bigger calves?Īlthough the weather is rather cold at the moment, airflow in the Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 is excellent and I didn't experience any swelling either in the shoes even after working out for over an hour in them. On the flip side, because there is no cushioning, the calves are used way more for both jumping and landing, which might make them put on extra mass eventually. I would expect the shoes to work really well for stuff like deadlifts and heavy squats, although I haven't tried these exercises due to the limitations of my home gym setup.ĭue to the barefoot nature of the shoes, they are probably not as ideal for jumpy HIIT workouts as the Nike Air Zoom SuperRep: there is no bounce here and the landing is also firmer than in more cushioned shoes. Not only I controlled every step, but thanks to the amazing grip, every turn was sharp and precise. (Image credit: Inov-8) Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 V3 review: Workout performanceĪs someone who loves barefoot shoes, I loved working out in the Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 V3.

My body was parallel to the ground and I did eight reps before my feet slipped. I tested them by doing inverted rows at home using the combination of a pull-up bar and the TRX Home2 and resting my feet on the wall. I was super impressed with the grip of the outsole, it sticks to almost any surface. There is no need to tiptoe around but give it a session or two to get used to. Not too slow but also not slamming them down at each step either. Ideally, you want to land on the balls of your feet and mitigate the impact force by lowering the heels down to the ground gradually. This is especially apparent when you try to run/jump down in the Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 V3 and I would strongly recommend not trying to run in them straight away. If you don't often walk barefoot, you will have to adjust your stride not to hit the ground too hard with your heels.

Walking in these types of shoes is quite literally like walking barefoot: you will feel your sole touching the ground at every step. The minimalist approach here is similar to Vivobarefoot shoes and feels completely unobtrusive, which might take some getting used to if you haven't tried such shoes before. The Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 V3 has a very low profile and the midsole is extremely thin too: these shoes are so flexible that you can roll them up into a ball.

(Image credit: Inov-8) Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 V3 review: Ergonomics and grip The Inov-8 BARE-XF 210 V3 does everything you would expect from a minimalist cross-training shoe: its flexible, comfortable and provides excellent grip.

Inov 8 bare x lite