Nike Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 review

We are certain that the Nike Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 is a great match for the following target audience:

• gym-goers looking for an affordable training shoe with great value for money
• beginner athletes who need a versatile trainer for a little bit of everything
• people who value style and good-looking footwear even in their gym attire

If you don't really care about Air Max (neither its looks nor function), you can save even more money with the Nike MC Trainer 3. It is an equally well-performing gym shoe.

And if you want a Nike trainer that makes you feel very grounded and nimble, the Nike Flex Control 4 is the way to go. It is very minimal, highly flexible, and light.

Just like its predecessor, the Alpha Trainer 6 beats records when it comes to platform height.

Its heel stack hasn't gotten any lower and still shows a whopping 36.1 mm on our caliper. Not many gym shoes even get to the 30-mm mark!

This is all thanks to the shoe's massive Air Max unit which creates a very platformy experience. Its bubble also protrudes beyond the heel taking up as much area as it is sensibly possible to create a more stable base.

The shoe's midsole also proved to be taller than average in the forefoot area.

With a caliper reading of 25.0 mm, the shoe's forefoot stack is only second to the Nike Air Zoom SuperRep 3.

Does this massive platform offer more cushioning and protection for high-impact exercises? Yes! But it can also make you feel more disconnected from the gym floor.

The shoe also felt like a mixed bag for exercises like rope jumps - supportive on one hand but clunky because of the heel design.

Thus, your personal preference ultimately decides whether the raised midsole of the Alpha Trainer 6 is the right choice for you.

Having such a sizable cushioning element in the heel, we were not surprised that the heel-to-toe drop of the Alpha Trainer 6 comes in at 11.1 mm.

Because the average training shoe offset hovers around 6 mm, having this much heel elevation may feel odd at first. But it does offer a boost in heel cushioning and takes some strain off the Achilles when lifting.

The only problem is that deadlifts may feel odd because the Nike Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 puts the foot in a more forward-leaning position.

Air Max aside, the Alpha Trainer 6 features a full-length EVA midsole for cushioning. It felt moderately firm on foot but also had a bit of squish for cushioning.

Our Shore A durometer returned 26.4 HA which is an average reading for a training shoe midsole - neither plush nor firm.

And if you have concerns over the visible Air Max unit - we found that there is very little compression to it. It felt nice and stable for lifting moderate weights.

The primary cushioning of this Nike trainer is topped off with a well-padded insole.

Measuring its thickness in the heel returned 4.5 mm which is slightly thicker than average.

Medium-width feet have nothing to worry about in the Nike Air Max Alpha Trainer 6. This training shoe offers a predictable D-medium width with no pressure points.

Our caliper measured 99.2 mm in the widest area of the shoe's forefoot which is a standard measurement for a men's US size 9 trainer.

We are also happy to see a rounded toebox shape on this gym shoe from Nike. Being able to splay toes is essential for keeping balance!

In the area of the big toe, we measured 79.0 mm of forefoot width - also on par with the average.

Comparing the Nike Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 to its predecessor, we are impressed to see a big step up in lateral stability!

The new iteration received a larger TPU clip around the heel which made the shoe more torsionally rigid and added stiffness to its heel counter.

As a result, the Trainer 6 was now more capable of keeping our feet planted as we reached for heavier weight. However, we still don't recommend the shoe for serious lifting and Crossfit because of its taller platform and compressible Air Max.

The sturdiness of this entry-level gym shoe really impressed us! Based on the resistance it demonstrated in our manual twisting test, we gave it the highest torsional rigidity score of 5 out of 5.

Our heels also felt safely locked in thanks to the shoe's stiff and substantial heel counter. Manually testing the heel counter, we confidently gave it the highest rigidity score of 5 out of 5!

Paired with foam collar pads, it made sure that our ankles were not going anywhere.

Nike also updated the midsole shape of the Alpha Trainer 6, adding a pretty sharp lateral flange for enhanced stability.

Leaning on it made us feel quite surefooted considering how tippy the shoe's tall platform can get otherwise.

We also discovered that the shoe's heel got a few millimeters wider reaching 91.1 mm in the widest part.

With a broad landing area like that, we felt quite stable squatting, box jumping, and performing one-legged exercises in this Nike trainer.

In its product description, Nike mentions that the Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 features flex grooves that help the shoe bend more naturally for lunges. However, our own experience revealed that it is one of the stiffest training shoes we've tested!

Using a force gauge, we found that this Nike trainer requires as much as 30.4N to bend to a 90-degree angle. That is almost 70% more than it takes a gym shoe on average!

It felt like we had to negotiate with this shoe when diving into a lunge or a plank. So, if your workout routine involves a lot of foot bending, it makes sense to choose a more forgiving option - the Nike MC Trainer 3 (20.2N) or even the Nike Flex Control 4 (13.6N).

Putting the Nike Air Max Alpha Trainer 6 on the scale, we were glad that the number was smaller compared to the previous version.

But even though the Trainer 6 got 0.7 oz (20g) lighter, it is still notably heavier than the average gym shoe at 13.2 oz (373g).

The shoe's substantial Air Max heel seems responsible for the bulk. We noticed that it made this Nike Trainer feel bottom-heavy and held us back during the more agile portion of the workout.

If a light and number experience is your priority in training footwear, consider the Nike MC Trainer 3 instead.

If you are worried about getting hot and sweaty feet, the Alpha Trainer 6 will literally evaporate all your concerns.

Its porous mesh works wonders channeling fresh air in and expelling the heat out of the shoe. As you can see, all the smoke we pumped into the Alpha Trainer escaped straight away.

A close-up microscope shot of the shoe's mesh speaks for itself. Plenty of pores for unobstructed airflow.

Happy to see another airy trainer in our lab! Breathability is 5 out of 5.

On the downside, a lacy mesh like that cannot promise longevity.

In our standard Dremel test, we apply sandpaper to the top of each shoe's toebox for 12 seconds at 5K RPM speed to assess its wear resistance.

In the Alpha Trainer 6's case, the top mesh layer was gone completely. The only reason we gave it 3 out of 5 is because the underlayer remained in place.

If rope climbing is part of your regular training routine, this Nike shoe is a no-go. A single climb can leave its mesh upper severely torn.

We also expect some premature wear on the shoe's inner lining as it doesn't seem to hold up well to intensive friction.

Only 4 seconds of sandpaper drilling at 5K RPM speed left the fabric pretty bruised and battered.

The outsole, on the other hand, showed some promising durability signs, especially for a gym shoe under $100.

With the help of a Shore C durometer, we found that it is made of a rather firm rubber compound. At 88.5 HC, it is 20% harder than the average training shoe outsole.

The rubber also received a nod of approval from us after a demanding 22-second Dremel test.

Measuring the dent left by sandpaper, our tread gauge returned 1.2 mm which is common for most gym shoes.

Finally, as our caliper showed 4.0 mm of outsole thickness in the Alpha Trainer 6, we had no doubt about it - the shoe's rubber outsole would be the last thing to wear out on this Nike trainer.

As a budget-friendly training shoe from Nike, the Alpha Trainer 6 offers great value for money.

We found that the shoe provides everything a beginner gym goer needs plus a head-turning visible Air Max unit.

There is a good deal of padding inside the Alpha Trainer 6. Its tongue, for example, turns out to be thicker than average at 7.3 mm.

There are no gussets on the shoe's tongue so minor shifting is possible during intensive lateral movements.

A finger loop at the back of the trainer is quite handy for on-and-off.

This Nike shoe uses a rather basic insole but it can be easily swapped if you want to enhance the underfoot experience.