Every few sets in the Metcon 5s, in the heat of summer, I’d take off my shoes briefly, or unlace them to “breathe.” I have yet to do that in the Metcon 6s. Since donning the Metcon 6s, I’ve noticed a tremendous difference. These play a key role in keeping you cool, leaving plenty of room for air to vent. The Metcon 6 features an upper filled with tiny holes and perforations, never large enough to compromise fit and lockdown, yet big enough that they’re obviously visible. Since the Metcon 6s arrived, that problem’s been completely eliminated. I actually loved last year’s Metcon aesthetic, with the 3D haptic print, but it left little room for air to reach my feet. I’d head out for a leg workout in my Metcon 5s, and in a matter of minutes, I’d feel my feet overheating. And around May and June, when it started getting sweltering outside, my feet certainly felt that sweltering. Thanks to the pandemic, I’ve been training at home since March-often outside. This is something I’ve realized throughout the early summer. If there was an issue with last year’s Metcon, it was a breathability story. But the end result is a superior training sneaker-and my new favorite training shoe to date. That means subtle changes, not massive ones. So how does Nike follow all of that? Answer: With the Nike Metcon 6, a sneaker that builds on last year’s design in only the smartest of ways. It quickly became my go-to sneaker for every non-running workout. Little flourishes helped me perform in other areas, delivering a grippy rope climbing experience, and the tight fit I need to add just a bit of cutting and change-of-direction work into my workouts. It delivered everything I needed in a training shoe, from a super-stable platform for squatting, deadlifting, and cleaning to just enough flexibility in the mid- and forefoot areas to allow me to sprint and box jump solidly. Last year, Nike released the Metcon 5, an ultra-well-rounded training shoe that was my favorite training shoe from Nike to date.