The Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 is Reebok’s follow up to the first Legacy Lifter. But can this new iteration live up to the first? With the original Legacy Lifter being one of my favorite Weightlifting Shoes of all time, its a hard act to follow.
The Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 is an outstanding Weightlifting Shoe and well worth the investment. The shoe manages to balance the need for stability and rigidity whilst also achieving comfort and flexibility better than any other Weightlifting Shoe.
It has a perfectly flat outsole with plenty of grip, making it ideal for most Powerlifting and Weightlifting movements and the heel cup provides unrivaled security for the foot.
The Legacy Lifter does have its downsides, namely the overly large toebox, however, this is a very minor issue in an otherwise perfect Weightlifting Shoe.
Overall, the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 is well worth its price tag and should satisfy the majority of lifters.
Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 | General Review
Quick Stats
The following stats were taken from a US size 10.
- Weight – 620g
- Length – 305mm
- Toe Width – 106mm
- Heel Width – 90mm
- Heel Height* – 47mm
*The Heel Height measurement is the overall measurement from the floor to where the insole and heel meet, and not the effective heel height which is the standard 0.75″.
Looks
Let’s start with looks. I get the impression that the Legacy Lifter 2 will be a very polarizing design, many will love it, many will hate it.
I’m torn on which side of the spectrum I sit, I was able to try it in the white variant and for the most part, it’s pretty unassuming. Maybe that’s part of the problem, there’s just nothing about it that really stands out.
Of course, there is one glaring feature that does stand out, the weird speckled paint pattern running up the back and sides of the shoe, I just don’t get the thinking behind it and would have much preferred that they didn’t add it at all.
Who knows though, I may be in the minority and I could well imagine plenty out there will love it!
The Legacy Lifter also comes in a few other colors, namely a black and white variant which actually reminds me of a Killer Whale! We then have another black shoe but with yellow, pink, and blue detailing which adds a nice 80s retro vibe to the range.
And then my personal favorite, which annoyingly, is only available in the Women’s sizing, is a white shoe with pink, and blue detailing.
Overall, the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 has some ‘interesting’ color schemes to choose from, but ultimately, they don’t make up for the overall blandness of the shoe design. The white variant, in particular, suffers from that classic bowling shoe look that so many Weightlifting Shoes have.
There’s nothing particularly bad about the design, just nothing great either.
Rating – 6/10
Fit
The fit of the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 is one of its strongest features, but not without some minor problems.
Starting at the heel of the shoe, everything works in unison to provide a good snug fit around the heel joint. I’m a particularly big fan of the rubber band that wraps around the rear of the shoe, this is an excellent feature and adds an extra layer of security, preventing heel slip and providing an overall feeling of security.
The TPU heel cup also rises quite high around the sides of the heel further adding to the feeling of security and providing outstanding stability underfoot.
Moving towards the midfoot and the fit runs a little tight, but for me, this was just the right level of tightness.
Arch support was plentiful so flatter footed individuals may struggle, but average to high arched lifters should be right at home.
The toebox is where the fit of the Legacy Lifter 2 starts to run into problems. There is a lot of room here, I would say that the shoe runs long overall. in fact, I had approximately 1 whole inch of space in front of my toes!
The toebox is also very wide. This might work well for those with a wider foot but if your feet are on the narrow side it may feel very open in the toe.
This was just one minor issue though in an otherwise excellent fitting shoe, one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of trying. I would consider going a half size down to mitigate against this problem and I am very likely to do this myself to see if this solves the issue.
Rating – 8/10
Comfort
Given that the fit is very good overall, this translates well into comfort also being at a high level. The Legacy Lifter 2 is the heaviest Weightlifting Shoe I have tried, however, it doesn’t feel like it at all when I am wearing them and this speaks volumes for the amount of comfort that is present.
The overly large toe box also makes comfort extremely high at the front of the shoe. As you can imagine, there’s no material to squeeze or rub against your toes because it’s all miles away from touching them!
There is a touch of rigidity in the shoe, about what you would expect from a Weightlifting Shoe so walking and other general movements aren’t the most comfortable but this isn’t to the point that it is problematic.
There are much more flexible Weightlifting Shoes, such as the Adidas Adipower 2, and conversely, there are much more rigid Weightlifting Shoes, such as the Nike Romaleos 4. The Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 is right in the middle in this regard.
I don’t see many people running into problems with the Legacy Lifter 2, in terms of comfort, as previously mentioned, there is a degree of arch support present so flat footers take note, but everyone else should find these very comfortable indeed.
Rating 8/10
Straps & Lacing
The most noticeable feature of the strap system is that Reebok has returned to a singular strap design, which replaces the original double-strap found on the original Legacy Lifter.
Although it is a singular strap, it actually has a unique feature where it is separated into two individual pieces of material that can be tightened via two locations on either side.
Its an innovative idea and in theory should allow for a more tailored fit. I didn’t feel this offered any noticeable benefit, to be honest though, but I do appreciate the inventiveness.
Moving onto the lacing and for the most part, everything works as it should. The shoe features fabric eyelets along its length except for the final set which are surprisingly lacking.
Reebok has essentially just punched a hole through the material of the shoe here and made no attempt to strengthen it, which is disappointing as the majority of the stress from tightening the laces is going to be seen here.
Overall, I like that Reebok has tried to do something new and different with the strapping and the lacing provides a good level of control over the level of tightness. I had to drop points for the poor eyelet design at the top of the shoe though, which I think is very likely to impact the longevity of the shoe.
Rating – 7/10
Grip/Traction
The heavy weight of the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2, coupled with the wide flat sole design work together very well to provide an awful lot of grip. In normal use, I found no issues in this department.
In the Powerlifting Perfection Grip Test, the Legacy Lifter 2 scored a strong 0.91. This placed it roughly in the middle as compared to other Weightlifting Shoes.
Rating – 7/10
Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 for Squats
I loved the original Legacy Lifters for Squatting in and the Legacy Lifter 2 is no different.
They really manage to balance the need for stability and tightness with the need for comfort and flexibility so well. The additional TPU material at the sides of the heel goes a long way to providing that extra security laterally, and it gives something to push or brace against to really torque into the ground during the lift.
The single strap does provide all the support you will need but I think I would have preferred the added control of the double strap system, I’ve always felt the upper strap in particular in these designs helps so much in holding my foot down so its a shame it’s not included in the Legacy Lifter 2.
This is a very minor complaint though, and mostly me just looking for something negative.
If you are someone who Squats a lot, this shoe will not leave you wanting!
Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 for the Bench Press
Moving to the Bench Press, and as with its predecessor, its top marks again for the Legacy Lifter 2.
There are a lot of similarities to the Squat here, namely with the raised heel, which provides an excellent platform to push from and allows me that bit extra arch in my back without my heels coming off the ground, whilst the snug fit and general control over how the shoe fits around my foot creates a perfect base for leg drive.
One downside I mentioned with the original was for those who prefer to lift their heel during the Bench Press, there was a slight lack of flexibility at the toe joint. The Legacy Lifter 2 isn’t drastically different here, but I would say that it has a slight improvement in flexibility, making it a little easier and more comfortable in that position.
Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 for Weightlifting
I’m not the best when it comes to the Olympic lifts, and admittedly I’m still learning them for the most part, however, I will share my opinion, for what its worth.
It was very easy to get into the starting position for the Clean portion of the lift, the heel height and overall weightiness of the shoe helped me feel balanced and rooted to the floor here.
Going into the lift itself was no problem and the shoe had just enough flexibility to extend up to catch the bar in the front rack position while still having the stability I needed to keep balanced.
The Front Squat portion of the lift was pretty much as described in the Squat section above, everything felt good here and I was able to finish up feeling strong and stable, ready for the Jerk.
My Jerk is still a work in progress. One of my main issues at the moment is landing with too narrow a stance, which tends to throw my balance. Incidentally, this made for a good test of the shoe’s stability.
Again, the Legacy Lifter 2s had an excellent balance between flexibility and functionality. there was enough give to bend at the toes well whilst still having a strong stable base to help with regaining balance under the bar.
For the Snatch its a pretty similar story. as weighty as the shoe is, you don’t notice it interfering with the lift.
As far as performance goes, this is perhaps one of the most well rounded Weightlifting Shoes currently going.
I went into the review expecting the large toebox to cause a lot of issues, but honestly, I didn’t even notice it at all, the rest of the shoe holds together so well that Reebok may as well have designed an open-toed shoe and it would have still performed.
Overall, the Legacy Lifter 2 handles all the major lifts very well with really no complaints to speak of. I really enjoyed lifting in this shoe so for that I am going to give it a perfect score.
Rating – 10/10
Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 Price
Unfortunately, nobody’s perfect so there was bound to be at least one big downside to the Legacy Lifter 2 and that is, of course, the price.
The Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 is marketed as a premium Weightlifting Shoe and the price reflects this, although it still isn’t the most expensive out there.
In fairness though, I would be willing to go on record as saying that it is worth the high price. It really is that good!
I can understand though if this is still too much for some people so if you’re looking for the same level of performance and quality but at a cheaper price, I can’t recommend the Adidas Power Perfect 3 enough.
It’s not quite as good as the Legacy Lifter 2, but its a very close 2nd.
You can check the latest pricing for the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 at Amazon.
Rating – 8/10
Final Thoughts on the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2
The Legacy Lifter 2, like its older brother, is a fantastic Weightlifting Shoe that ticks so many boxes.
For those that already own a pair of the original Legacy Lifters, I don’t feel there’s enough to warrant upgrading. Both shoes are pretty much on par and any differences are very, very small.
If you’re someone looking at your first Weightlifting Shoe, however, or looking to upgrade from a more budget option and are comfortable with the price tag, then I cannot recommend this shoe enough. Buy it now!
