The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is the cheapest variant in Inov-8’s weightlifting shoe range. But don’t let the price fool you, the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 are seriously good weightlifting shoes for the price and are well worth considering if you’re in the market for a mid-level weightlifting shoe.
If you are new to weightlifting shoes, then I highly recommend reading my article, “What are Weightlifting Shoes?” where I answer many of the most commonly asked questions about weightlifting shoes.
Inov-8 Fastlift 335 | General Review
Quick Stats
The following stats were taken from a US size 10.
- Weight 360g
- Length 287mm
- Toe Width 103mm
- Heel Width 75mm
- Heel Height* 32mm
*The Heel Height measurement is the overall measurement from the floor to where the insole and heel meet, and not the effective heel height or drop, which is smaller than most at around 0.65″ (16.5mm).
Looks
If you’re familiar with weightlifting shoes, the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 design won’t come as a shock to you. It features the usual raised heel with one midfoot strap and an elevated Achilles pad at the rear to help hold your heel inside the shoe.
The Fastlift 335 comes in a wide variety of colors. The shoe I am reviewing is the black variant, however, much more dramatic color choices are available from bright blue and yellow variants through to more unassuming color choices for those like me who prefer a more modest-looking weightlifting shoe. The women’s weightlifting shoes also come in a bright pink and a lime green variant.
Color choice aside, all shoes feature a canvas upper which is overlayed by what I can best described as an abstract cage pattern that wraps around the whole shoe.
A further ‘cage’ surrounds the lower heel of the shoe, presumably for heel support and is made from hard plastic. Inov-8 refer to this as the heel cage.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is the design of the midsole, which unlike most other weightlifting shoes, supports the foot via a series of individual pillars which Inov-8 refer to as the Power Truss system.
This Power Truss midsole is made from TPU, which makes the Fastlift 335 perhaps one of the cheapest weightlifting shoes I have reviewed to utilize this material in their design.
By utilizing this Power Truss design, I suspect that it saves on a lot of material costs which is what allows Inov-8 to use the more expensive TPU in the design.
Overall, the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is a perfectly good looking weightlifting shoe with nothing in particular looking out of place. I particularly like the uniqueness of the Power Truss pillars on the midsole.
My only gripe when it comes to the looks of the Fastlift 335 is that I would have preferred to have a white color option to choose from. The Fastlift 360 comes in white with a black trim design which I think looks particularly smart.
But then, I’m just a sucker for white shoes in general!
Overall – 8/10
Fit
The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 fit very well out of the box. I have heard of some others complain that the shoe runs narrow but I didn’t find this to be true.
Starting with the toe box, and the space available was perfectly fine. I had plenty of room for toe spread, however, there are definitely weightlifting shoes with wider toe boxes available, such as the Adidas Power Perfect 3.
Space in front of the toes was just right too and at no point did I feel my feet were squashed in.
Towards the middle of the foot, the shoe gets a bit narrower, this fit my foot shape well, which I would consider to be fairly average.
There is very subtle arch support present, which I feel should suit the majority of lifters, from flat feet through to those with medium arches. Those with particularly high arches are the only people I feel this shoe may not fit well.
At the back of the shoe, the heel cage does a solid job of holding your foot in the shoe, however, I feel there are better systems out there such as Reebok’s band design that is featured on the Legacy Lifter and Legacy Lifter 2.
The overall design of the shoe fits my foot shape well. My only complaint is a lack of adjustability, primarily concerning the lacing system. If the shoe doesn’t fit your foot out the box, there’s not a lot you can do to fix it.
Overall – 8/10
Comfort
The comfort of the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is pretty standard for weightlifting shoes. If you’re familiar with weightlifting shoes, you’ll know what to expect.
There’s an adequate amount of padding surrounding the foot, which gives a snug and supportive feel, however, this padding only covers certain sections of the upper, with the rest of the material being quite thin.
The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is an extremely lightweight weightlifting shoe. In fact, of all the weightlifting shoes I have reviewed, only the Adidas Adipower 2 was lighter.
This makes the Fastlift 335 very easy and comfortable to walk around in.
Further to this, the Fastlift 335 features what Inov-8 calls Meta-Flex technology. In simple terms, this allows the shoe to bend and flex easily at the toe joint, making walking around much easier as compared to other weightlifting shoes where this area can be quite stiff and inflexible.
I mentioned that large areas of the upper were very thin, and although this takes away from snugness, it does make the Fastlift 335 very breathable, so those with particularly sweaty feet will find this to be particularly beneficial.
There are several areas where the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is lacking when it comes to overall comfort, it’s by no means an uncomfortable shoe but a couple of tweaks here and there would improve it significantly in this department.
If comfort is a really important feature for you, I cannot recommend the Adipower 2 enough as an alternative weightlifting shoe to consider.
Rating – 6/10
Straps & Lacing
The straps and lacing on the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 don’t offer anything you haven’t seen before in a weightlifting shoe, with the usual solitary midfoot strap present.
The strap does its job well to hold your foot down, however when unfastening I did notice that the stitching holding it to the shoe was starting to lift at the edge. Over prolonged use, I would wager that this would eventually come loose.
The strap itself also felt a little thin as compared to other weightlifting shoes so again, longevity would be my main concern.
Concerning the lacing, I really liked that all eyelets were reinforced with inserts. I’ve seen too many weightlifting shoes with a hole punched through the upper material and that’s it.
With repeated fastening and loosening this is always a quick way to wear the shoe or laces down. However, as the Fastlift 335 has inserts for every eyelet, I have no doubts that these will stand up over time.
I was not overly fond of the laces themselves, however, which felt a bit thin and not too robust. This is easily fixed though by just buying better laces.
Overall, the strapping and lacing on the Inov-8 Fastlift works fine, for the most part, I do worry about its longevity though.
Rating – 6/10
Grip/Traction
The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 scored 0.71 in the Powerlifting Perfection Grip Test.
This score is about average for all the weightlifting shoes tested so far.
In practical use though, there were no issues with grip whatsoever. I particularly liked that the Fastlift 335’s outsole was completely flat, adding to the traction available.
Rating 7/10
Inov-8 Fastlift 335 for Squats
When it comes to squatting, the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is a very solid performer.
Obviously, the Fastlift 335 does not feature a full 0.75″ effective heel height or drop, so as someone who likes to get as much additional flexion support as I can, this is a limiting factor.
Of course, you may be someone who doesn’t benefit from a bigger heel and weightlifting shoes may not be the best choice for you in squatting. Check out my article on flats vs heels to learn more if you are unsure of the best shoe type for your squat style.
As mentioned, the Fastlift 335 utilizes TPU in the midsole so, technically offers better resistance to compressibility.
In reality, neither of these actually makes any appreciable difference, but as a Powerlifter, I’m always looking for every minute advantage I can find!
As far as features I can actually notice, I found the toe box to provide just enough room for toe splay or toe spread. I mentioned that there are wider toed weightlifting shoes out there, but the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 does the job well enough here.
The Meta-Flex technology was a helpful feature when it came to walkouts and re-racking. Allowing me to move a bit more freely and set up a little easier.
Once in position to squat, the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 provides a very flat and supportive base to push from.
I would have liked to have seen the outsole flair out a little more at the heel however to give some further lateral support. Given the Power Truss design, this would be very easy for Inov-8 to implement, I feel.
That said though, I never felt that I couldn’t lean on the shoe for balance and stability so this alteration certainly wouldn’t be a ‘must-have’ on my list.
Overall, I rather like the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 when squatting. For a midlevel weightlifting shoe, it performs exactly as you would expect, it’s not the best out there, but it’s very far away from being the worst too!
Rating 7/10
Inov-8 Fastlift 335 for the Bench Press
The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 performs well enough in the bench press.
Similar to the squat, although there’s no tangible difference to the amount of weight I can lift, having a heel that is smaller than the standard 0.75″ is, technically, going to affect bench performance, albeit only a tiny amount.
Alongside this, the sole is incredibly thin at the toe, which further increases the distance of my foot from the bench, making my arch that little bit less effective.
This is, of course, splitting hairs but something to bear in mind all the same if you prefer to utilize an arch when you bench press.
Beyond the obvious effects on the arch. The Fastlift 335 performs perfectly well on the bench press, with their grip and tough TPU heel providing excellent resistance that translates well for leg drive.
Rating – 7/10
Inov-8 Fastlift 335 for Weightlifting
I previously mentioned that the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is incredibly lightweight, and I particularly like this when performing weightlifting movements I.E. the clean & jerk and the snatch.
Unlike the Adipower 2, which I felt was a bit unstable as a consequence of its lightness, the Fastlift 335 manages to couple ease of maneuverability when executing the lifts with stability when catching the bar at the end of a movement pattern.
If you’re someone who prefers a split jerk, the Meta-Flex toe design is a great feature as it provides a lot less resistance to landing with your back leg extended and forefoot flexed.
I found no issues with heel slip either throughout all movements, with the combination of the heel cage, straps, and Achilles pad doing their job well to hold my heel in place.
Of course, I can’t ignore the lower heel height here, which is my single biggest complaint with the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 when it comes to all lifts, not just the Olympic lifts.
If you’re comfortable with this though, the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 could well be the weightlifting shoe for you and overall it performs very well in the Olympic lifts in spite of this.
Rating – 7/10
Inov-8 Fastlift 335 Price
The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is considered a mid-priced weightlifting shoe and in general, I feel the price is right on the money (excuse the pun)!
Prices of weightlifting shoes are always changing, so I would recommend you check the latest prices of the Inov-8 Fastlift 335 on Amazon below. Both the Men’s and Women’s variants are available to view and purchase should you wish:
Rating – 7/10
Final Thoughts on the Inov-8 Fastlift 335
The Inov-8 Fastlift 335 is an excellent mid-level weightlifting shoe with several unique features that set it apart from other weightlifting shoes on the market, namely the Power Truss and Meta-Flex technologies.
The Fastlift 335 provides everything you would expect from a weightlifting shoe, however, doesn’t quite set the heather alight. Instead, I would describe the Fastlift 335 as a no thrills weightlifting shoe that will still get the job done.
The Fastlift 335 is a very safe option to consider if you are looking for a mid-level weightlifting shoe and are comfortable with a slightly smaller heel height and should suit the vast majority of lifters looking for a good, but not great, weightlifting shoe.
