On Cloudpulse Pro Performance Review

Over the years, On has become a juggernaut in the footwear space – establishing itself as one of the fastest rising brands on the market. But while the company has ventured into the training shoe space, their first true gym shoe was the On Cloudpulse, a shoe that we deemed “solid” but wasn’t a standout.

On returns to the training space with the On Cloudpulse Pro, a premium version of the aforementioned trainer, and one borrowing a naming convention from Apple that can’t help but raise expectations.

Are these the dream cross trainers we’ve been looking for from On? We’re about to find out thanks to the folks at On sending pairs to stately WearTesters Manor for us to review.

Please note that while On sent us pairs of the Cloudpulse Pro, the company had no involvement in this review, didn’t receive an advance look at it, and has not attempted to influence it.

How do the Authors Train?

Arune Singh (age 43, 5’11”, 210lbs): Trains daily with functional fitness programming provided by Deadboys Fitness, founded by Colby “Seth Rollins” Lopez and Josh Gallegos, along with logging 30-40 miles of running per week. He also has a medical history of Sleep Apnea and Myasthenia Gravis, meaning Arune’s focus is on lean muscle mass.

Drew Whitcomb (age 42, 6’6″ 195lbs): Trains daily with a focus on running, strength training, and mobility. He writes the majority of our running shoe reviews and runs a lot of miles due to testing needs and his growing affinity for long-distance races. He regularly competes in marathons, half-marathons, 10k, and 5k races. His strength training and mobility regimen center around maintaining flexibility and lifting heavy to build power as a counterbalance to all the running he’s doing. His number one focus is staying injury-free so he can keep up the sweet gig of reviewing shoes for a living.

What is the On Cloudpulse Pro?

On’s website uses the following marketing-heavy description to sell the On Cloudpulse Pro:

“Unlock your strength training goals with our stable gym shoe. Offering grip, control and a grounding sensation.”

The first part is extremely BLAH as that’s darn near the goal of every training shoe. The second part, focusing on what we’re supposed to feel while wearing the On Cloudpulse Pro, has our attention.

Training

Arune: It’s always been hit and miss for me with On’s training shoe, from the Cloud X 3 to the Cloudpulse, as it never seemed like they were meant for the kind of functional fitness training I do.

But the first time you put these on, it’s clear the On Cloudpulse Pro is meant for more serious daily training than On’s past shoes.

The first thing that impressed me was the shoe’s stability – I went straight into single legged movement like variations of split squats and RDLs without any of the leg shaking I feel in other trainers. The heavy heel keeps you from rolling onto your toes (like with previous On trainers) and the Missiongrip outsole really does work on every surface I tried. Based simply on lower body lifts like squats and deadlifts, I’d pick the On Cloudpulse Pro over many other brands’ signature training shoes.

However, the CloudTec midsole doesn’t have the energy return I’d like for the more explosive movements like burpees, skaters, or even thrusters (where I don’t necessarily want to bounce but I would like to feel my shoe returning the energy I put in). This isn’t a dealbreaker for me as I’m not doing HIIT workouts where I’m bouncing on my feet or using these shoes to jump rope, but it is something worth noting in regards to versatility.

If you’re focused on more traditional workouts or Olympic lifts, I think you’ll find a lot to like about this shoe.

Drew: Underfoot, the On Cloudpulse Pro doesn’t deliver any form of softness, but the overall build and shape are comfortable nonetheless. Which meant I liked it for lifts, weight work, the exercise bike, and the rower but as soon as I needed to walk any distance in it, I was out. It’s a fantastic shoe, but it has a narrow use case, which we’ll talk more about in the next section.

Cardio

Arune: On very clearly positions the Cloudpulse Pro as a strength training shoe and I’m glad they don’t try to sell this as a do-it-all trainer – because it’s not, which is okay.

I chased my little Frenchie girl Taylor around the house as part of my warm up, getting to nearly a mile of movement, and let me be honest: the On Cloudpulse Pro was absolutely terrible. The weighted heel and stiffness of the shoe absolutely work against any running intentions. I even tried a treadmill to see if that made a difference and the results weren’t any better.

However, the On Cloudpulse Pro performs much better on the rower where it aligns more naturally with the movement of your feet. The forefoot cushioning felt a bit thin after 30 minutes of rowing and my feet were a bit sore after, but that improved with each session and overall it wasn’t a bad experience.

I didn’t get to try any other cardio with the shoe, but I imagine this wouldn’t be too bad on an elliptical or stairmaster. How about you, Drew?

Drew: Even the elliptical and stairmaster are a bit clunky. The On Cloudpulse Pro is a shoe for moving weight around with very little in terms of cardio use cases. I don’t even like walking more than to and from car and gym with it. Running is an abomination of clunky and uncomfortable footsteps. Keep it in the gym and the Cloudpulse Pro shines. Elsewhere, not so much.

Comfort

Arune: “This is stiff” [Editor’s Note: that’s what she said]  is gonna be the first thought of every person who slides their feet into the On Cloudpulse Pro.

That seems international to help with stability and it might be related to the Focusboard tech (instead of the typical Speedboard integration), but it does take a couple of sessions for the Pro to mold to your foot.

Once that adaptation happens, you’ll find the shoe really comfortable compared to many other trainers – and honestly this is no worse than most of the recent Nike Metcons that made my feet want to scream in discomfort.

As I’ve noted elsewhere, it is a heavy shoe – especially in the heel – and if that’s something that affects your comfort with other shoes, you’ll probably feel it here too.

Drew: I enjoyed wearing the On Cloudpulse Pro in the gym and, as Arune mentioned, it molds to your foot. During deadlifts and squats they felt like an extension of my feet. Well, an extension of my foot that helped my poor balance stay absolutely rooted to the ground. But, as long as I stuck to walking around the gym the Cloudpulse Pro fit nicely and felt very good.

Fit

Arune: This is complicated for me.

Over the last year I’ve become a regular runner and my shoe size varies in most brands – I used to be a solid 9.5 but now I often oft for a 10.

So, thanks to Drew, I received a Men’s size 10 of the Cloudpulse Pro and it fit me perfectly, though I previously would’ve worn (or tried) a 9.5.

For comparison, I could wear a 9.5 or 10 in the Nike Metcon 10 and have been wearing a 9.5 in the Reebok Nano X5.

Drew: The On Cloudpulse Pro fit true-to-size for me. They run a touch short, but not enough to change things up from your normal On or cross-training size.

Aesthetics

Arune: One of the core reasons for On’s success is that people love the look of their shoes, from the midsole seemingly designed to attract tiny rocks (though admittedly that’s better now) to the lines that couldn’t be more perfectly suited for tech bros to wear from work to the gym.

The On Cloudpulse Pro looks like the kind of training shoe that Bruce Wayne would wear, with a tactical aesthetic complimented by the different materials that add texture even with the all black pair I received (complimented by a gum sole).

In short, this is a good looking shoe and that will take from the gym to Erewhon to a whole lotta lunch (and maybe dinner) meetings in a place like LA.

Drew: If you’ve seen any of the social media videos about Erewhon, you know that On and Erewhon are a match made in heaven. In fact, when I eventually visit the place, I expect to see On and Balenciaga everywhere. I actually love the way this shoe looks with jeans but it’s just too stiff for long term casual wear. On just continues to create very aesthetically pleasing shoes.

Is the On Cloudpulse Pro worth $180?

Arune: It depends.

Are you looking for a new training shoe? This is certainly a solid trainer and the first from On that I would argue is competitive with signature models from other companies.

But it’s also a good $25-30 more expensive than those shoes and for many of us, that is a tipping point.

I imagine anyone who routinely buys On shoes is used to the “On Tax”, which is the fact that their shoes are often a good 10-20% more expensive than comparable models from other brands.

And if you’re an On die-hard, this is the training shoe you might want to keep a consistent look from gym to everyday life. Is that worth the extra charge? Depends how much On you want in your rotation.

Otherwise, I highly recommend the TYR CXT-2 or Nike Metcon 10 as less expensive shoes that are two of the top trainers on the market with much greater versatility in lifting and cardio.

Drew: While the On tax can feel onerous [Editor’s Note: STOP] it’s not a dealbreaker here. The main complaint is the price to usage ratio. The in-gym use case of the On Cloudpulse Pro is so limited that $180 represents a very steep price point for most people. If you are constantly in the gym looking to sling around hundreds of pounds, you’ll get your money’s worth. But most gym-goers need something just a big more well-rounded to justify spending $150+ for their cross training shoe.

On Cloudpulse Pro Final Verdict

Arune: On seems to be committed to taking over gyms and the On Cloudpulse Pro is a promising new trainer that could be a real shoe of the year contender in future iterations. 

I’m really excited to see where On takes this shoe in the future as they feel on the cusp of something standout – if not ubiquitous – for the gym.

Drew: This is a great step in the right direction. The On Cloudpulse Pro is a great performer, but with a limited use case. If On’s next cross training shoe broadens the use case and is more useful to a larger gym going crowd, we’ll have a cross training shoe of the year candidate on our hands. As it is, weightlifters will really enjoy what it has to offer.