THE WORLD OF fitness races has grown exponentially over the past few years, with Hyrox leading the charge. It comes as no surprise that competitors are looking for the best gear to boost their PRs, and quite a few brands have entered the fray to provide it. One of the greatest efforts has come from Puma, which, after almost a decade of supporting the race, became Hyrox’s official performance gear partner last year and is committed to providing official apparel and footwear until 2030.
The latest entry in this collaboration is the highly anticipated Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite 4, designed specifically to tackle the standardized Hyrox racing circuit. According to Puma, it engineered a shoe with a carbon plate that would provide serious energy return during Hyrox’s multiple 1-km runs, while still providing enough stability for dynamic movements and plenty of cushioning.
Pros
- Very lightweight
- Excellent grip
- Good energy return
Cons
- Less stable than other training shoes
As with other Nitro designs from Puma, it features the NITROFOAM Elite midsole (a nitrogen-infused foam compound for comfort) and a PUMAGRIP outsole made to offer competitors better traction in the various indoor surfaces of Hyrox. For us to determine if the Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is really an ideal hybrid racing pick, we had three of our editors (myself included) test it individually for two weeks. Read on to see how our time testing the shoe has been so far.
How We Tested
Our testing team, including Fitness Director Eb Samuel, C.S.C.S., Senior Fitness Editor Brett Williams, NASM, and myself, did several weeks of speed and strength training with the Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite 4. Samuel recreated typical Hyrox cardio requirements by doing several runs and Concept2 SkiErg sessions, a familiar piece of equipment for racers. As well as a leg workout featuring goblet squats, lateral lunges, walking lunges, and jump deadlifts. Williams, a past Hyrox competitor, did multiple outings, including a 10-mile run. He also did a lifting session with Hyrox-specific exercises. I utilized a local gym that offers Hyrox programming, my local track, and the Concept2 machines (SkiErg, RowErg) to replicate the conditions of the races.
SHOP PUMA X HYROX DEVIATE NITRO ELITE 4
Initial Impressions
Samuel: As a running shoe, the Hyrox Deviate feels solid and definitely delivers what you’d expect from a super shoe in terms of energy return. As a training shoe that you’d wear to build capacity and movement competency for Hyrox, it leaves a lot to be desired during movements that aren’t about running. The knock on super shoes in general has long been that they’re only good for sagittal plane movement, and the moment I did a lateral lunge (and, heck, a goblet squat) in these, I felt that instability. I love the look and colorway, and the shoe’s breathability, too. But the base of support, from the standpoint of anything except running, leaves plenty of concern.
Williams: The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4 is an excellent distance-racing shoe, but I don’t think that necessarily makes it a good pick for most Hyrox athletes. There are some changes made from the standard model to make the kicks more suited to the fitness competition—a textured outsole to grip turf and a different carbon fiber plate, which Puma says is shaped to be more flexible—but my stance is it’s a bad idea to do Hyrox in a super shoe, period. These shoes are built to alter a runner’s gait to make them more efficient, and that’s just not going to be worth the trade-off for stability for me when I’m only going to be running a kilometer at a time. Other than that, the colorway looks cool.
Thorp: Right out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised by how well the color pops. Personally, when I’m not wearing a solid black or white colorway, I want something flagrant on my foot, and this Pure Pink is absolutely that. My partner was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and since I’ve taken to wear pink year-round to raise awareness in some way, I was actually thrilled when I saw that was the only option offered. In my hand, I was impressed with how light the shoe is, somewhere around 8.7 ounces, making it about 15 grams lighter than the last Deviate. I felt that lightness when I tied the shoes for the first time, along with all of that cushioning they’ve been talking about, which was a pleasure for my often-abused feet. As soon as I stood up, I noticed how grippy the bottoms of the shoes felt, but they were also significantly less stable than my typical training shoes, which would take some getting used to.
SHOP PUMA X HYROX DEVIATE NITRO ELITE 4
Thoughts After a Few Weeks
Williams: I took the shoe on the road for a few runs, and unsurprisingly, it was a high-level performer. I couldn’t exactly recreate the limited space of a Hyrox run, but sticking to sidewalks that were still somewhat covered in snow and ice was a good test of its soles’ grip and stability. Still, I would be concerned about the tighter cornering needed during a Hyrox race with the 40mm of foam. In the gym was a different story. I felt wobbly doing farmer’s carries, and the high stack of foam wasn’t the best base for dumbbell thrusters I did to simulate wall balls. Burpee broadjumps were fine, but I also didn’t push myself to fatigue, as I would during a race. But I’m most concerned about the sled push wearing a shoe with a carbon plate and such soft foam. I didn’t even give that a try.
Samuel: Again, this is a great running shoe. And to be honest it can be functional in some other Hyrox events, such as the Ski Erg and the Rower. (The rower presents a bit of a problem getting into and out of the footpads, though, so keep them extra-loose if you dare to use these.) The SkiErg is where these start to expose themselves. I tested with a 1500-meter SkiErg, and then also tested with an interval workout later (10 minutes, on, 3 minutes rest, 6 minutes on, 2 minutes rest, 1 minute all out). And I was actually pleasantly surprised that over a long-duration Ski, if I was using a very controlled stroke, I felt surprisingly balanced and stable. But the moment I tried to accelerate (in the final 40 seconds of the 10- and 6-minute intervals, and for the full 1-minute interval), when I tried to use a longer, more powerful stroke, I nearly tipped forward. All-out effort in these Pumas isn’t going to be rewarded on anything except the run.
I tried a handful of other strength moves in the Pumas and found them to be a mixed bag. And if you’re training for Hyrox properly (which means more than doing the event, and would see you working through a general strength program that builds both cardio capacity and strength competency), that’s problematic. You’ll see diminished force production on squats, lunges, and even bench presses because of the instability of the shoe. That’s not a good thing.
Thorp: The first place that I took the Pumas was onto the track, where it made an excellent impression. I typically run in a cross-training shoe, so that I can mix my running into other exercise, and I could feel the meters going by easier. Enough to make me look forward to the running part of my workout the next time around. I felt the energy return immediately. Later, I took it to the gym, where I was pleased by the performance of the shoe during a 250-lb sled push, feeling the excellent grip that these Pumas offer. I felt literally “locked in” during that part of the training.
The running and sled pushes were two areas I felt like this shoe excelled. I also found them perfectly workable when it came to the Concept2 SkiErg and RowErg sessions. The other workouts I found required a little getting used to the shoe, like the burpee broad jumps, as they’re less secure than my normal wears. The same for the kettlebell farmer’s carries that I recreated in my garage gym. I usually will do those either barefoot or with a more minimalist shoe. So I could see how they might be an issue for anyone who has difficulty finding and keeping balance while training.
SHOP PUMA X HYROX DEVIATE NITRO ELITE 4
Verdict: Should You Buy the Puma x Hyrox Deviate Nitro Elite 4?
Williams: Do you really think wearing a carbon plate shoe will be able to shave enough seconds off your Hyrox run to be worth risking an injury? Unless you’re an elite with prize money on the line, probably not. I understand that people want the newest, flashiest tech in their race-day footwear, but this is a shoe that was designed for marathons, not Hyrox races (no matter how many tweaks were made). I want to be clear, this is an excellent long-distance racing shoe. This isn’t necessarily a knock on Puma, either, since people are wearing its super shoes on the Hyrox course anyway; if anything, the grippy sole makes this the best option out of any of the marathon racers on the road to bring into the Roxzone. If you absolutely feel the need to wear a carbon plate shoe, pick this one. But I don’t think you should; opt for something like the solid Puma Velocity Nitro 4 instead for more stability and support while still getting a responsive ride.
Samuel: These Hyrox Pumas would be a much better shoe for running your next marathon than they are for an actual Hyrox competition (although, as Brett said, it’s the best of the carbon-plate options for a Hyrox). The big issue: The shoe lacks the stability to allow you to truly max yourself out on a lot of the non-running events (especially the Ski-Erg and the Wall balls). The second issue: You should log at least some training time in your race-day shoe, especially when it’s this nuanced of a shoe, but the Hyrox Pumas are going to undercut effective training for anything other than strict running capacity. They’ll cost you the ability to develop max force and movement capability in every basic leg-strengthening movement.
Thorp: Given the nature of a fitness race with a variety of different exercises, including running and functional workouts, finding a perfect shoe is no easy task. Because of this, you’ll see competitors wearing all kinds of sneakers at the starting line of a Hyrox. Now, if you take Hyrox seriously enough to be interested in a shoe with its branding across the side, designed specifically to tackle certain elements of the race, this might be a shoe for you. The cost is right in line with similar premium pairs you might try to run a hybrid race in. There are weaknesses for sure, including the lack of stability, which will require you to become familiar with them before pushing your limits while wearing them. But I found them to be worthy assets during many components of a Hyrox.
Pros
- Very lightweight
- Excellent grip
- Good energy return
Cons
- Less stable than other training shoes
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Charles Thorp is the Fitness and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health, where he shares the best product recommendations in gym equipment, recovery tools, supplements, and more. Following an early life in athletics, Charles became a NASM-certified trainer and began writing programs alongside the most respected coaches in the world.
Since entering the world of fitness content, Charles has had the opportunity to learn from and train alongside high performance individuals from the NFL, UFC, NBA, Formula 1, CrossFit, US Olympics, and Navy SEALs. When he’s not writing about training programs or gear, he can be seen at the gym or in the wild, putting them to the test.
Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., is the fitness director of Men’s Health and a certified trainer with more than 10 years of training experience. He’s logged training time with NFL athletes and track athletes and his current training regimen includes weight training, HIIT conditioning, and yoga. Before joining Men’s Health, he served as a sports columnist and tech columnist for the New York Daily News.
Brett Williams, NASM-CPT, PES, a senior editor at Men’s Health, is a certified trainer and former pro football player and tech reporter. You can find his work elsewhere at Mashable, Thrillist, and other outlets.
