Under Armour Tribase Reign 4 Training Shoes
£115, underarmour.co.uk
Designed to cope with every type of workout from Crossfit and circuit training to weight-lifting and plyometric work, this is the fourth model from Under Armour’s signature Tribase shoe line. Considering that the Reign 3 has been my absolute favourite all-round training shoe for the past year, I was expecting big things.
Thankfully, the new and improved Reign 4 does not disappoint. One of the major differences is the reworked upper. Gone is the previous ‘bootie’ style with a sewn-in tongue, replaced with a separate tongue and an extra eyelet on the side to thread your shoelaces through for a better, more secure fit. The new widemesh fabric of the upper is also more breathable, while still retaining the same level of durability and abrasion-resistance I’ve come to expect from the Reign line. This durability is further boosted by the full-rubber outsole that wraps up the sides of the shoes for extra grip and abrasionresistance during rope climbing. The toe box and midsole is definitely wider and roomier than previous models, so your toes can really splay out during heavy lifting sessions. This also makes them comfier on my regular-width feet, so I could order my true size rather than size up (as I had to with the Reign 3 shoes) for a bit of extra wiggle room. An external heel clip and internal heel counter provide extra stability and support, and the low, triangular base of the UA Tribase tech really does maximise ground contact during lifting, while strategic zones of flexibility and traction (aided by deep grooves in the outsole) give great grip and mobility in multi-directional movement.