If you’re anything like me you’ll have lots of different shoes, one pair for off road, one for on road and one for the gym, as well as any other excuse you can find to fill up the shoe rack. The F Lites were designed as a lightweight versatile shoe that could be used on hard trails and off the trail into the urban setting.
They come in two weight variations 230 and 195, and like all Inov-8 shoes the number indicating the weight of the shoe. Both shoes have a low heel drop and are designed for those that want to develop a natural running style. The 195 is incredibly light and has a 3mm heel drop whereas the 230 is at 6mm. The 195 is for those that already have a natural running style and used to running with minimal support whereas the 230 is for those looking to take their first steps into natural running. The design of the sole, which is completely flat with little grip makes it designed for the road or harder surfaces and it’s built as a shoes for multi use. So these shoes aren’t just about running, they are an all rounder fitness shoe. The low heel on them gives a stable and flat profile, which is designed for gym work and in particular Olympic Lifts. These shoes aren’t just about running though. They are an all rounder fitness shoe. The low heel on them gives a stable and flat profile, which is designed for gym work and in particular Olympic Lifts. With weightlifting, Cross Fit or general circuit being close to the ground to remain stable will be important as it enables safety on lifts as you can use your toes and feet to feel the ground. As the toes are used for balance the shoes thin sole maximises the ability to control your movement. Similarly in CrossFit or any circuits you will be jumping about and in particular Box Jumps are when these shoes come into their own. When jumping onto the box and using the feet for balance these really do help. For running these are equally as good and I think you can get some good miles out of these. If you are transitioning into these shoe from the standard running shoes slowly wear them in as you will feel some soreness the next day around the calf and toes, until the muscles get used to such shoes. But in the longer term you will benefit. The comfort on these are really good too, as I find with all inov-8 shoes in general.