Nike Zoom SuperRep 4 review

This training shoe from Nike is suitable for you if you:

• are on the lookout for HIIT or include HIIT-inspired exercises in their programs
• seek shoes that you can use not only for workouts but also in casual settings
• want a shoe that has a very high twist resistance
• appreciate shoes that deliver a good deal of containment

The Nike Zoom SuperRep 4 does not have a lot of flexibility. The Metcon 9 from Nike instead is a better pick for those who want flexible shoes. Or, if you are willing to go and try training shoes from other brands, the Nano X3 from Reebok is surely worth the try.

We see the stack height of this trainer causing problems for some exercisers. The Reebok Nano X2 TR Adventure might be a better alternative.

Right upon wearing it, we already felt a (very welcome) uptick in height! The midsole of this Nike trainer is just thick!

Using a caliper, we measured the heel to be 29.5 mm thick. This number makes the heel area 22% thicker than average. 

Just like the heel, the forefoot is on the thicker side. We measured it in the lab, and the caliper gave a reading of 27.7 mm. The forefoot, therefore, is 54% thicker than average!

While we liked that this shoe made us feel a lot taller, we have to admit that this much stack height made lifting a bit of a challenge. The Nike Metcon 9 is still the better cross-trainer when it comes to weightlifting.

With a drop of only 1.8 mm, the Nike Zoom SuperRep 4 surely felt flatter than most shoes that we have exercised in. 

Such flatness would have been good news for lifting if not for its insanely high stack height. While having more material in the midsole increased impact protection while running, it also increased the risk of wobbles during lifts.

Speaking of impact protection, we experienced a lot of it while wearing the Zoom SuperRep 4 from Nike. Hence, we didn't mind wearing it for long periods of standing and walking. 

Our HA durometer pegged the softness of the material at 21.8, making it roughly 21% softer than average.

There is not much to gush over the insole. It's just as thick as the average insole at 3.7 mm. But it surely complemented the very soft midsole well.

When doing agility exercises, light lifting, and even HIIT exercises, lateral stability was not a problem. 

The sidewalls and the heel counter were responsive enough to keep our feet in their place. There were problems, though, when we started to lift heavier weights. The soft and high platform just didn't do a good job of keeping the wobbles at bay.

For a shoe with a soft midsole, the Nike Zoom SuperRep 4 was surprisingly resistant to twists. When we gave it a good manual twist in the lab, we were so amazed by the resistance that it had that we gave it a perfect 5 for torsional rigidity.

Given such observations, we think that using this shoe for prolonged runs won't be such a bad idea. We also enjoyed some level of springiness for our jump ropes and box jumps because of the stiffness of this trainer's base.

Garnering a score of 3 out of 5 for stiffness, the heel counter does a noteworthy job of keeping our rearfoot in place. 

In the lab, we used a digital force gauge to measure how much energy was needed to bend the SuperRep 4 at 90 degrees. We found that this shoe needed as much as 33.7N! This number makes this Nike trainer 76% less flexible than average.

We surely felt the inflexibility during our workouts. Doing exercises like planks and burpees that demand a certain level of linear flexibility wasn't so easy with the Nike Zoom SuperRep 4.

In all fairness to the Nike Zoom SuperRep 4, it delivered just the amount of breathability we needed. As long as our socks weren't thick, we did not have problems with too much sweatiness.

During our breathability test, we saw smoke rise through the upper material. We also saw a moderate amount of light pass through without much issue.

When examined under our microscope in the lab, we saw that while the upper is closely knit, vents still allow ventilation.

This shoe feels as well-ventilated as the Nike Free Metcon 5, which we hail as the trainer that provides the most impactful experience overall.

Truly, this Nike trainer deserves a solid 3 out of 5 ventilation score from us.

Yet, fitness enthusiasts who have especially sweaty feet might find this shoe lacking. We think that the Nike Zoom Metcon Turbo 2 suits them better.

Just by touching it, we already had a hunch that the SuperRep 4 was going to be more durable than many of the trainers that we tried. This initial assessment was confirmed by our Dremel test, where it got a score of 3 out of 5 when most trainers don't get anything better than 2.

As can be seen in the picture below, the Dremel cut through the uppermost layer. Yet, it did not poke a hole in the layer after that. This result proves once again that layered uppers do enhance protection from bumps and other forms of physical trauma that we commonly experience while working out.

The heel padding didn't fare any worse or any better than the average. It garnered a score of 2 out of 5 from us.

On the feet, the soft padding felt soft and comfortable. We did not experience it biting into our skin, even if our socks weren't that high to cover the area. 

When it comes to the hardness of the outsole, the Nike Zoom SuperRep is also just around the average. It got a rating of 86.5 on our HC durometer.

We performed the Dremel test on the outsole and we saw that it's as durable as the majority of the trainers available on the market today. Our in-lab measurements revealed that our Dremel drilling poked a dent only 1.1 mm deep.

We used it for a couple of sessions outdoors, and it held up quite well. With proper care, we think occasional outdoor usage won't hurt. However, if the program calls for a lot of outdoor work, we think it's better to switch to a more durable pick such as the Nano X2 TR Adventure from Reebok.

To the touch, the outsole did not feel too soft nor was it too firm. We had so much fun jumping rope and doing moderate runs in the Nike Zoom SuperRep 4. We just know that these exercises won't put the longevity of the outsole in jeopardy.

Our caliper measured the outsole to be 3.8 mm thick.

The shoe's traction worked as it should. We did not have problems stopping when we needed to.

The tongue of the SuperRep 4 is just as thick as the average at 5.2 mm. It felt comfortable on top of our foot and it surely helped in securing it (the foot) during shifty movements.

The shoe's bootie structure surely helped with lockdown. We never felt the shoe loosening its clasp on our foot even if we were already doing HIIT exercises.

The laces further enhanced the shoe's clasp on our feet. Containment was surely not a problem with this trainer.

Like many training shoes that we tried, the Nike SuperRep 4 does not have a heel tab. Fortunately, the opening is wide enough to welcome the foot so no problems were putting this shoe on and taking it off.

The insole is of average thickness and it's removable. Hence, it was easy to get rid of it to make way for orthotics or to replace it with something softer or firmer, whichever was needed at the time.