Nuestra conclusión

Después de hacerles pruebas, y pruebas, y más pruebas a las Inov8 F-Lite Max, podemos decirte que se merecen la medalla de oro a las mejores zapatillas de entrenamiento funcional de la marca. Cuando nos las pusimos, sentimos una estabilidad impresionante incluso cuando levantamos mucho peso. Eso sí, este modelo tiene sus limitaciones en los entrenamientos dinámicos de alto impacto, pero si te ciñes a las rutinas que se centran en la halterofilia, entonces el rígido contrafuerte del talón de TPU de las F-Lite Max es una maravilla. Como toque final, estas zapatillas tienen una parte delantera enorme que deja que estires los dedos cómodamente por muy anchos que sean tus pies.

Pros

  • Estabilidad ideal para halterofilia y Crossfit
  • Geniales para levantar bastante peso (talón rígido de TPU)
  • Fantásticas para pies anchos
  • Antepié flexible
  • Parte delantera muy transpirable
  • Suela exterior muy duradera
  • Con protección para subir la cuerda

Contras

  • Más pesadas que la media
  • Toscas y firmes para HIIT/cardio
  • El material de la parte superior es frágil

Veredicto de los usuarios

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¡Estupendas!

Who should buy

We think that the Inov8 F-Lite Max should be on your radar if you are in search of a cross-trainer that:

  • is ideal for strength training with heavy loads
  • comes with a stiff TPU heel (akin to lifting shoes)
  • has the biggest toebox in town

Inov8 F-Lite Max review

Who should NOT buy

If you include a lot of high-impact exercises, plyometrics, or interval runs into your training routine, we recommend choosing a more well-rounded alternative to the F-Lite Max.

The Reebok Nano X4 and the Nike Free Metcon 6, for example, are some of the best gym shoes when it comes to versatility. Both are better cushioned and are more agreeable for walking as well.

Inov8 F-Lite Max lab test

Amortiguación

Altura de la suela en la zona del talón

Measuring the heel stack of the F-Lite Max, our caliper recorded an above-average reading of 27.7 mm. While we wouldn't call it tall, it is taller than the popular Nike Metcon 9 (21.5 mm).

Inov8 F-Lite Max Heel stack

Looking at the cutaway midsole of this Inov8 shoe, you can see that its stack comprises a notably thick insole as well as a massive TPU heel stabilizer in addition to the primary midsole foam.

Inov8 F-Lite Max heel stability

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 27.7 mm
Media 24.8 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
13.7 mm
Altura de la suela en la zona del talón
36.2 mm

Altura de la suela en el antepié

As for the shoe's forefoot stack, we found it to be on par with the average at 18.6 mm.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Forefoot stack

Because nearly half of it is taken up by the cushy insole, we were pleasantly surprised with the responsiveness the F-Lite Max offered under the balls of our feet.

But while it makes the shoe more accommodating for high-impact cardio bursts, the stiff and chunky heel holds the Inov8 F-Lite Max back from being the best HIIT trainer. We found that its design is more biased towards lifting and Crossfit but more on that below.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 18.6 mm
Media 18.4 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
10.6 mm
Altura de la suela en el antepié
27.7 mm

Drop

The brand explicitly states the shoe's heel-to-toe drop on the back of the midsole - 6 mm. 

Inov8 F-Lite Max 6 mm drop specs

But as much as we wanted to confirm that number, our caliper said otherwise - 9.1 mm. Inov8 must be using a different approach to measuring drop because its stack measurements are also drastically different from our findings - 14 mm and 8 mm, respectively.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Drop

However, a slightly higher offset doesn't make the F-Lite Max a bad cross-trainer! In fact, a bit more heel elevation benefits squats and heavy lifting as it prevents the Achilles from overstretching.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 9.1 mm
Media 6.4 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1.8 mm
Drop
13.4 mm

Suavidad de la mediasuela

One of the primary reasons why we confidently recommend the Inov8 F-Lite Max for lifting and Crossfit is its firm and stable platform.

Its Powerflow Max midsole is some of the firmest foams we've seen on a training shoe with a durometer reading of 35.0 HA (25% firmer than average).

Inov8 F-Lite Max Midsole softness

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 35.0 HA
Media 27.8 HA
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
17.4 HA
Suavidad de la mediasuela (de blanda a firme)
41.0 HA

Suavidad de la espuma secundaria

What's more, the shoe's incompressible TPU heel makes the F-Lite Max feel a lot like a crossover between a trainer and a lifting shoe.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Secondary foam softness

Pressing our durometer against it returned a whopping reading of 88.0 HA which is on par with what we get in the TPU heels of lifting shoes!

Inov8 F-Lite Max midsole cutaway

We were able to lift up to 300 lbs (135 kg) without experiencing any destabilizing compression underfoot!

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 88.0 HA
Media 38.2 HA
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 8 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
21.5 HA
Suavidad de la espuma secundaria (de blanda a firme)
88.0 HA

Grosor de la plantilla

So far, the Inov8 F-Lite Max comes across as unforgivingly hard underfoot. And that would be true if it wasn't for the shoe's amazingly cushioned Boomerang insole.

It is nearly twice as thick as the average training shoe insole at 7.2 mm!

Inov8 F-Lite Max Insole thickness

Made of hundreds of tiny balls (kind of like Adidas Boost) with some energy return to them, this insole buffered our feet from the hard platform very nicely. Doing high-impact exercises would feel punishing without it.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Removable insole shape
Can you believe how enormous that insole is? Let's talk about the shoe's fit now.
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 7.2 mm
Media 3.9 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1.7 mm
Grosor de la plantilla
7.2 mm

Tallaje y ajuste

Talla

Todavía no tenemos suficientes votos (se necesitan más de 10). Si tienes estas zapatillas, o cualquier otro modelo de nuestro catálogo, siempre puedes echarle una mano a la comunidad votando.

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Anchura de la parte delantera - zona más ancha

Seeing the Inov8 F-Lite Max for the first time made us worried that we had mistakenly ordered the shoe's wide version. Its toebox was MASSIVELY large.

Inov8 F-Lite Max fit

But upon double checking, we realized that this trainer is, in fact, offered in Wide fit by default, and according to the brand's size and width chart, the widest area of the forefoot should come in at 100 mm in a men's US size 9.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Toebox width - widest part

But when we applied our caliper to the mentioned toebox area, it showed an even bigger reading of 103.8 mm. This width is normal for high-performance Crossfit shoes like the Metcon 9, for example, which has it even wider at 108.0 mm.

However, it's the F-Lite Max's toebox shape that makes all the difference...

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 103.8 mm
Media 100.4 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
90.4 mm
Anchura de la parte delantera - zona más ancha
108.5 mm

Anchura de la parte delantera - dedo gordo

Measuring the shoe's dimensions at the big toe mark, our caliper returned an abnormally high reading of 89.4 mm! That is the widest we've recorded among the training shoes in our lab.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Toebox width - big toe

But we can't complain because having this much toebox space allowed us to splay toes as much as we needed to find balance for strength straining.

It also makes the F-Lite Max a perfect match for gym goers with wide and even VERY wide feet. On the other hand, we believe that narrow footers should stay away from this Inov8 shoe for the same reason.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 89.4 mm
Media 78.8 mm
En comparación con 34 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
65.0 mm
Anchura de la parte delantera - dedo gordo
89.4 mm

Estabilidad

Prueba de estabilidad lateral

As the shoe's strongest suit, stability is the reason to buy the Inov8 F-LIte Max. We could even trust this Inov8 trainer with our PR-level weight!

In addition to being incompressible under heavy load, its TPU Heel Stabilizer provides excellent lateral stability. Enhanced by the rubbery Met-Cradle cage around the midfoot, it makes the foot immune to buckling over during high-intensity exercises.

Inov8 F-Lite Max MET-CRADLE

Rigidez torsional

Testing the shoe's torsional rigidity in our manual test, we found that its platform is frozen stiff from the midfoot to the heel. So much so that we gave it a high stiffness score of 4 out of 5.

Inov8 leaves just a touch of pliability in the forefoot to make the F-Lite Max versatile enough for dynamic exercises.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 4
Media 2.7
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez torsional
5

Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón

Even though we didn't find much rigidity in the shoe's heel counter, it didn't seem like the trainer lacked heel support because of that. On a 1-5 stiffness scale, we rated its heel counter as low as 2.

The Met-Cradle around the midfoot and the sturdy platform underfoot generated enough support to keep our foot locked in and steady.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 2
Media 2.7
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1
Rigidez del contrafuerte del talón
5

Anchura de la mediasuela - antepié

There is no kidding when Inov8 promises your toes "room to splay." The midsole of the F-Lite Max replicates its toebox shape and stretches as wide as 113.0 mm in the widest area.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Midsole width - forefoot

A few millimeters wider than average, it creates very large side flanges to lean on.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 113.0 mm
Media 110.6 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
101.0 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela - antepié
117.9 mm

Anchura de la mediasuela - talón

Measuring the heel of the F-Lite Max, we were surprised to see a below-average reading on our caliper.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Midsole width - heel

But even though the widest part of its heel comes in at 83.1 mm, we never felt as if the platform was lacking. The heel stabilizer did its part brilliantly!

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 83.1 mm
Media 87.3 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
76.5 mm
Anchura de la mediasuela - talón
97.4 mm

Flexibilidad

Rigidez

Lined with deep flex grooves, the forefoot portion of the F-Lite Max offers enough flexibility for jumps, lunges, burpees, push-ups, and more.

Our gauge measurement revealed that at 16.3N, this Inov8 shoe requires just as much force to bend to a 90-degree angle as the average cross-trainer.

Inov8 F-Lite Max flexibility

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 16.3N
Media 17.8N
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
4.3N
Flexibility <> Stiffness
37.9N

Peso

We don't expect a shoe with large TPU stabilizers to feel light as a feather. Neither does it make for the best HIIT and cardio companion.

But we were glad to discover that the Inov8 F-Lite Max was not the heaviest trainer in our catalog.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Weight

At 12.1 oz (344g) in a men's US size 9, it weighs less than the acclaimed Metcon 9 (13.4 oz/378g).

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 12.13 oz (344g)
Media 10.76 oz (305g)
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
6.38 oz (181g)
Peso
13.83 oz (392g)

Transpirabilidad

Designed for workouts that make you sweat hard, the Inov8 F-Lite Max is also there to take care of the moisture.

Its entire toebox is made of a paper-thin airy fabric that feels almost nonexistent on top of the foot. Our transparency test below is a perfect demonstration of that.

The textile also features numerous large and small pores that keep the airflow going non-stop. Looking at it through our microscope revealed that its threads are pretty loosely woven.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Breathability microscope test

Being able to forget about sweaty feet is a necessity, not a privilege, and we are happy that Inov8 thinks likewise. The F-Lite Max gets the highest breathability score - 5 out of 5!

Inov8 F-Lite Max Breathability under microscope
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 5
Media 3.6
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1
Transpirabilidad
5

Durabilidad

Durabilidad de la parte delantera

The only problem with the shoe's breathable fabric is its fragility. Even though the F-Lite Max features a pretty large toe bumper, we would refrain from using this shoe on abrasive surfaces like concrete.

Inov8 F-Lite Max toe bumper

That's because a single slash or toe drag can damage its upper quite significantly.

The toebox fabric completely failed to resist the sandpaper on our Dremel earning this part of the shoe the lowest durability score of 1 out of 5.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Toebox durability test
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 1
Media 2.5
En comparación con 30 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad de la parte delantera
5

Durabilidad del acolchado del talón

Even though it's not a cheap shoe, the inner lining of the F-Lite Max didn't live up to our durability standards.

Our Dremel burned through the textile in less than 4 seconds lowering the heel padding durability score to the minimum (1 out of 5).

Inov8 F-Lite Max Heel padding durability test
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 1
Media 2.5
En comparación con 28 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1
Durabilidad del acolchado del talón
5

Dureza de la suela

On the bright side, Inov8 chose solid abrasion-resistant rubber for the shoe's outsole.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Outsole hardness

According to our Shore C durometer measurements, both green and black rubbers showed an identical reading of 86.0 HC which indicates above-average hardness.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 86.0 HC
Media 83.0 HC
Utilizamos la media de cuatro pruebas. La foto muestra una de esas pruebas.
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
71.0 HC
Dureza de la suela
94.5 HC

Durabilidad de la suela

Putting the shoe's outsole rubber through our most abrasive durability test (22 seconds at 10K RPM Dremel speed), we were pleased to see that the damage was moderate.

As our tread gauge showed, the newly occurred dent was only 1.2 mm deep which is common for most cross-trainers.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Outsole durability test

The black rubber also protrudes up on both the lateral and medial sides of the F-Lite Max. It forms protective Rope-Tec wings that guard the shoe from getting burned against the rope during rope climbs.

Inov8 F-Lite Max rope-tec

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 1.2 mm
Media 1.1 mm
En comparación con 26 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
0.0 mm
Desgaste de la suela
2.0 mm

Grosor de la suela

Hard, abrasion-resistant, and thick, the outsole of the Ino8 F-Lite Max promises a long and happy life.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Outsole thickness

Our caliper measured its outsole thickness at an above-average reading of 4.1 mm which is plenty of rubber for an indoor gym shoe.

Inov8 F-Lite Max outsole

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 4.1 mm
Media 3.6 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
2.1 mm
Grosor de la suela
5.1 mm

Varios

Precio

The Inov8 offers the F-Lite Max at the same price as the industry-leading Nike Metcon 9 and the Reebok Nano X4 and we believe it's fair.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Price

If you prioritize a highly stable platform for lifting- and Crossfit-oriented training regimen, this trainer is well worth the cost.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max $150
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
€60
Precio
€170

Acolchado de la lengüeta

The interiors of the F-Lite Max are rather moderately padded.

Our caliper showed 5.9 mm of foam thickness in the shoe's tongue which is common for training shoes.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Tongue padding
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max 5.9 mm
Media 5.4 mm
En comparación con 41 zapatillas para el gimnasio
Número de zapatillas
1.0 mm
Acolchado de la lengüeta
10.4 mm

Lengüeta: tipo de refuerzo

Contributing to the shoe's secure foothold is a fully gusseted tongue which made the inner bootie feel like one piece around our foot.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Tongue: gusset type

We never had issues with tongue shifting and this tongue design also worked perfectly in tune with the external Met-Cradle to provide side-to-side containment.

Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max Ambos lados (completo)

Tirador del talón

There is no pull tab or finger loop to help with the on-and-off.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Heel tab
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max Ninguno

Plantilla extraíble

Even though the insole of the F-Lite Max is easy to remove, not many custom orthotics will accommodate the in-shoe space of this trainer.

Inov8 F-Lite Max Removable insole
Resultados de las pruebas
F-Lite Max