I was committed to CrossFit for over a year and a half before deciding to buy CrossFit shoes. The Reebok Nano 9 is my first CrossFit shoe and it was made specifically for me. Before these shoes came out, I might have thought shoes were shoes, but that's not the case at all. The construction of these shoes is solid and their main benefit is sheer balance on the flat gym/box floor. I immediately notice and enjoy the difference in stability for all types of lifts (squat, deadlift, cleanup, lunge, etc.) as well as no-weight versions (jump squat, lunge, etc.). Shoes. Immediately after putting them on, I noticed an amazing improvement in balance and terrible running results. Buoyancy and balance = better results than any shoe I've ever worn in the gym/boxing. Running = You have to buy completely different shoes if you don't want to walk more than a few hundred meters. This shoe is not a running shoe.