Shoe Review: Under Armour Infinite Pro

I recently decided to see what all the fuss is about and do my first HYROX race in Heerenveen in the Netherlands. Good news is I finished it, albeit in the slightly less than blistering time of 1:38:46. 

Now sign up for my 12 week HYROX training program… Just kidding! I’m only going to talk about my shoes for the race.

The first thing to say is that I’m not much of a runner. I mostly keep fit via swimming and didn’t even have a pair of running shoes until my place at HYROX Heerenveen was secured 4 weeks before the race. After a couple of training runs that battered my day to day trainers it immediately became obvious I needed something a bit more specialized.

I settled on the Under Armour Infinite Pros for two main reasons.

1. It seemed like a robust all around shoe for both the running and the workout stations.
2. It is a relatively cheap option at $130 and I wasn’t sure if I’d use them much after the HYROX event.

Here’s how they performed on the day.

Running 

With running being such a large time component of any HYROX race, having a comfortable shoe is key. 

I have quite a wide foot and was worried I wouldn’t have enough time to break these shoes in properly before the race. This concern seemed well-founded when my toes went numb during my first training run. Significantly loosening the lower laces solved that problem however, and every subsequent run was fine.

The Heel-Toe offset is 8mm (32mm at the heel, 24mm at the forefoot) and the heel cushioning is fantastic. Perfect for me as I shuffled around laps of the track with my heel-striking gait. 

One negative of the Infinite Pro is that it is quite heavy at 11.5oz (326g). At my pace and with my gait this wasn’t an issue as the extra cushioning more than made up for carrying around a bit of extra weight. But I can’t imagine this would be the shoe for a competitor aiming at an elite time.

The best thing I can say about this shoe is that I finished the race very tired and with sore muscles but absolutely no joint pain. That meant recovery was easy and I felt surprisingly normal even just a few hours after the event.

What about at the workout stations?

SkiErg 

Fine, I don’t think shoe choice matters much here at all.

Sled Push 

I read before the event that it is somewhat common for athletes’ feet to slip out of their shoes during this workout station. This was a worry for me as I tied my laces so they were quite loose in the mid and lower-foot. I’m pleased to say there were no issues though. My feet remained firmly in the shoes throughout.

Another area in which shoe choice is crucial in the sled push is grip. When you are putting all your effort into pushing that sled forwards the last thing you want is for your feet to be sliding backwards. In this aspect the Infinite Pros were again great and offered great purchase against the HYROX carpet.

Sled Pull

I’d say everything that applies for the sled push also applies here. Grip was excellent and I was able to stand strong throughout this station.

Burpee Broad Jumps

As mentioned previously, these shoes offer great cushioning so while the exercise itself is pretty hellish, the shoes weren’t a problem.

Rowing

One minor thing is that the Infinite Pro is quite a chunky shoe and I did have to fiddle a bit with the foot straps at the beginning to make sure I was properly in the machine. I suppose that could happen regardless of your shoe as everyone adjusts the straps slightly differently, but I do think a lighter, leaner shoe might offer a very slight advantage here.

Farmers Carry

Fine, this is another station in which shoe choice is not much of a factor.

Sandbag Lunges

This is a station where I was extremely happy with my choice of shoes. I have a history of wobbly ankles but the Infinite Pros offered great stability throughout. Having confidence in my shoes helped a lot mentally at this station.

Wallballs

When looking up good shoes for a HYROX I was drawn to the chunky heel of the Infinite Pros. I felt that would offer some stability in the squat portion of the Wallballs workout and that proved correct. Of all the challenges I faced at this station, stability and being able to drive through the heel were not an issue.

Conclusion

I would highly recommend this shoe to anyone who is relatively new to HYROX or who is looking for a good all around shoe for HYROX. I give it top marks for grip, cushioning and stability. The only downside is they are a bit heavy so might not appeal to those seeking a really fast time.