Nike MC Trainer 4 review

We believe the Nike MC Trainer 4 could be a solid match for people who:

• want a cheap but capable entry-level gym shoe
• prefer a low-drop platform with a grounded feel

Its shallow toebox and lack of breathability can ruin the MC Trainer 4 for many gym goers, so you might as well consider the Nike Flex Train as an alternative. It also proved to be lighter and more flexible than the MC Trainer.

And if you can catch a discount on the Nike Free Metcon 7, you will get next-level comfort, stability, and gym versatility for the same cost!

Going for a more grounded platform in the MC Trainer 4, Nike also reduced the trainer's shock absorption to 82 SA in the heel and 63 SA in the forefoot.

But on a positive note, this is still on par with the training shoe average, offering good impact protection for general gym training.

We didn't experience any tangible springback in this Nike trainer, which is no surprise given its below-average energy return of 50.9% in the heel and 49.5% in the forefoot.

You can expect plantedness and control, but not a bouncy ride, in the MC Trainer 4.

The brand shaved as much as 8 mm off the previous MC Trainer's heel stack height, reducing it from 30.6 to 22.6 mm in the new iteration!

The shoe's forefoot stack also lost 3.1 mm, going from 21.8 mm to 18.7 mm, and putting the ball of the foot much closer to the ground.

This helped the MC Trainer 4 earn some stability points but detracted from the cushioning it provided for high-impact cardio sessions.

We also registered a significant reduction in the shoe's heel-to-toe drop. With 3.9 mm instead of 8.8 mm, the 4th edition puts the foot in a flatter, almost parallel position to the ground.

On the one hand, this update made the shoe's platform even more grounded, but on the other hand, it may pose a challenge for people with tight Achilles and calves, especially during squats and lunges.

The shoe's product description also promised 'a softer foam midsole' for improved comfort, so we used the same Shore A durometer to measure the foam softness of both trainers.

At 40.8 AC, the MC Trainer 4's midsole is indeed 8.3% softer than the MC Trainer 3 (44.5 AC), and it is also 17% softer than the category average. But please note that it's not plush cushioning by any means!

There is just enough give to keep this Nike trainer comfortable for walking, running, and jumping, but that compression is rather moderate and controlled.

Looking at the Nike MC Trainer 4's one-to-one gel cast, we can clearly see the generous horizontal space it provides in the forefoot.

In the ball-of-the-foot area, we recorded an above-average reading of 99.8 mm, which is fairly accommodating for a training shoe.

Despite its slightly tapered shape, this trainer's toebox doesn't get too narrow towards the toes. Our caliper measured its width at a standard 72.9 mm in the big toe area.

But despite the shoe's relatively average toebox dimensions, its shallow vertical space made the fit quite restrictive around the toes.

So much so that it showed the absolute lowest toebox height of 21.5 mm on our caliper! While it gives the MC Trainer 4 a sleeker, more glove-like fit, it can easily cause pressure points or even aggravate black toenails and other toe-related issues.

We are happy to report that the MC Trainer 4 can accommodate some intense action on rubber, hardwood, artificial turf, and other common gym surfaces thanks to its dependable outsole traction.

With a solid friction coefficient of 0.36, it provides a strong, confidence-inspiring bite on the floor.

The shoe features a straightforward outsole design with triangular lugs that are raised in the forefoot to provide a stronger bite where it's most needed (i.e., during sled pushes, jumps, and lunges) and recessed in the midfoot and heel for improved stability and connection with the floor.

The MC Trainer 4 also retained the same three flex grooves in the forefoot, which enhance the shoe's pliability there.

With less material underfoot, the new MC Trainer can bend much more freely.

Measuring the force it takes to bend this Nike trainer by 30 degrees at 10.5N, we found that it is a good 15% more flexible than its predecessor.

Bending our feet during lunges, planks, burpees, and other exercises felt natural and unhindered.

We expected its reduced stack height to shave some ounces off the Nike MC Trainer 4, but, unfortunately, that was not the case.

Despite the lower stack, its reinforced midsole tooling and stronger upper material kept the shoe at the same weight of 10.7 oz (303g). But the good news is that it's not heavy per se, falling squarely within the average.

Its lowered stack, redesigned midsole, added heel clip, and other smaller updates all helped strengthen the MC Trainer 4's stability.

Of course, they didn't turn the shoe into a Nike Metcon, but we felt we could trust this budget-friendly trainer for light-to-moderate lifting exercises with machines and dumbbells, as well as slightly heavier barbell work up to 265 lbs (120 kg).

With its lower-sitting platform, the MC Trainer 4 no longer relies on the pronounced midfoot sidewalls and rubber lips as much as the previous version did.

That's why its torsional rigidity measured a moderate 13.2 Nm, putting it on par with the category average. It has enough structure to resist lateral pressure to keep the foot in place for general training.

However, the heel of the new MC trainer got significantly more supportive thanks to a stiffer heel counter inside it and a rubberized heel clip on the outside.

Both raised the shoe's stiffness score to the maximum 5 out of 5, locking the rearfoot securely in place.

The lower stack allowed Nike to trim the MC Trainer 4's midsole width slightly without compromising stability. We measured the widest point of the shoe's platform at a standard 112.6 mm.

The shoe's heel width also measured a narrower 85.8 mm, making it a bit more streamlined than the previous version.

Another welcome update to the MC Trainer 4 is its sturdier, more tightly woven upper fabric. Unlike the previous version's open mesh, it proved impressively wear-resistant, showing minimal wear and tear in our Dremel test.

An excellent result for a budget-friendly shoe, it earned a high toebox durability score of 4 out of 5.

The shoe's interior lining also improved its durability in the new iteration, landing a more solid heel padding durability score of 3 out of 5.

Sadly, the shoe's outsole rubber didn't see any improvement in the MC Trainer 4. Our Dremel ground away a substantial 1.4 mm of material, but perhaps that's not too surprising for a training shoe priced under $100.

At least Nike made sure there was a good amount of rubber on this MC Trainer to avoid its premature outsole wear.

What's the downside of a more hard-wearing upper material? Ventilation took a major hit in the MC Trainer 4.

Not allowing a tiny hint of smoke to pass through its toebox, this trainer can get sweaty and stuffy pretty quickly in a hot indoor gym. Thus, we couldn't rate its breathability any higher than 1 out of 5.

We also noticed a slight reduction in interior padding, particularly around the collar and in the tongue. The latter showed a moderate thickness of 5.1 mm, which is just enough to protect the instep from lace pressure but not plush enough to make the step-in feel particularly cozy.

The tongue stays non-gusseted in the new MC Trainer, which can cause it to shift and bunch during intense training sessions with lots of side-to-side movement.

Underfoot, a 3.9 mm foam insole adds a touch of padding to soften the contact between the foot and the platform. Not too cushy, it is on par with the typical training shoe insole.

The insole is removable in case you want to go for a more raw underfoot experience or get a little more vertical space in the toebox.

We wouldn't recommend inserting an alternative insole into this Nike trainer due to its unusually shallow toebox.

There is no pull tab or finger loop on the MC Trainer 4, but its stiff heel counter and wide shoe mouth make it easy enough to slide inside.

None of the shoe's components reflected light in this Nike trainer.

The Nike MC Trainer 4 remains one of the cheapest training shoe options from Nike. And we are happy to see some quality updates in this iteration with just a minor $5 price hike.