Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3 Performance Review

The Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3 is the third iteration of Nike’s budget workout shoe. And with a budget price comes a budget performance. Right? I feel like I got what I paid for with this shoe, which is sometimes not even the case with more expensive sneakers in any sport or lifestyle category. I think this shoe is the classic case of having most of the things you need and nothing that you don’t.

The Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3 actually made our list of the best CrossFit shoes of 2022 and our list of the best weightlifting shoes.

You can check out all of our Cross Training Shoe reviews here.

Traction

Most of what’s in contact with the floor is rubber. The midfoot area and parts of the heel are foam. The rubber had no problem gripping the floor at my gym, whatever my workouts were. Lunges were not a pain because of the added flex grooves, so your foot moves more naturally while wearing the shoe. This helped in a lot of workouts. The tracks are also thick, so the rubber will last a while without sacrificing performance.

Cushion

Renew here is different from the Nike Renew Elevate 2. The Retaliation TR 3 does not feature a dual-density setup but instead uses a foam that isn’t too soft but isn’t brick-like either. I never felt like I was sinking into the foam, which is good since you want stability while lifting or doing HIIT. It does have some compression, though, so don’t worry too much about comfort. I didn’t mind walking around in these before and after workouts.

Materials

Basic is the word I’d use to describe the materials. The entire upper is a breathable textile mesh that has fuse overlays. The rear is a kind of micro-molded mesh. The lockdown piece found on both the medial and lateral sides is made of vinyl. Even with all the synthetic materials, these have no break-in time, so you can get these and work out in them immediately. Don’t expect them to be durable in the long-term, though.

Fit

True to size for most everyone. I feel like the length and width were just right. They weren’t too tight nor too loose. If you decide to do some jumping exercises in them or workouts with side-to-side movements, you’ll be good to go.

Support

Everything we’ve covered plays into the support. The foam isn’t too soft for over-compression. The synthetic lockdown pieces help keep your foot on the footbed, so you don’t accidentally slip out of the shoe on explosive movements. There is a lack of arch support. Because of this, I would not recommend running on the treadmill in these. Get a pair of aftermarket insoles or orthotics (we recommend Move Insoles) to support your feet adequately.

Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3 Overall

The Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3 is a decent workout shoe with all the basics included, except proper arch support, and none of the weird stuff that often gets put into workout shoes. If you’re looking for a good enough model to bring to the gym every day that won’t break the bank, the Retaliation TR 3 has you covered. You can also check our best cross-training shoes list for alternatives.

How to Buy the Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3

The Nike Renew Retaliation TR 3 is available now for $75 at Nike.