TYR CXT-2 Performance Review

Earlier this year we excitedly let you know that the TYR CXT-1 was one of our favorite training shoes we’d worn in 2024 (coming to it a bit late after its release), continuing a trend of really enjoying the shoes that the company was bringing to the market in quick succession.

That success out of the gate was a pleasant surprise from a company best known for swimwear but it certainly wasn’t a surprise to TYR, who clearly feel good about their prospects if they’re choosing to open more retail stores at a time when many others are scaling back on locations.

So, when we first saw the TYR CXT-2 reveal – complete in a stunning red colorway that we’ll discuss more – we knew that this was a shoe we had to try as soon as humanly possible. Did it live up to our lofty expectations?

Luckily, TYR sent us pairs to test and answer our questions. It’s worth noting that while they sent these to us, 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 42, 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 TYR CXT-2?

TYR describes it as:

Peak performance, redefined – Building on the success of its predecessor, the CXT-2 Trainer boasts an array of advanced features designed to elevate your training experience and take on the most rigorous competition and training regiments. Athletes will have the ultimate base for any movement, with responsive and durable support that reacts to the energy you put in.

Training

Arune: I loved the CXT-1 more than I’ve loved any training shoe in a long time – especially a debut model – and I can’t tell you how many times I asked Drew if we were getting a pair.

(Editor’s Note: way too many)

I put the TYR CXT-2 through my usual barrage of at home lifting and bodyweight metcons, even taking it on the road with me to San Diego for a week long business trip to see how it performed in a variety of situations.

The verdict? Everything you love about the CXT-1 is here…and even better. In a lot of ways, this is what I think Nike and Reebok have wanted to do with their respective Metcon and Nano lines as they’ve added some bulk to them, but haven’t fully figured out yet.

I’m not one who usually notices most changes in the heel-to-toe drop on training shoes (except when it hits 0mm) but once my feet slid into the TYR CXT-2, I could feel the change from 9mm to 7mm. I felt closer to the ground and immediately more stable (which we’ll discuss a bit later too).

But that was just the start of the improvements.

A more plush heel foam and wider toe box mean that the TYR CXT-2 is incredibly stable when you’re going for PRs with squats, deadlifts or any lower body movement – a super power that extends to single leg movements like elevated split squats or single legs RDLs. As good as the CXT-1 in this regard, I felt even greater stability here as the TYRTAC outsole gripped every surface like a champ (except when I encountered a bit of dust, which did impact things). Your foot will perfectly sink into that heel foam and be very, very happy as you go to set PRs.

Is it a coincidence that I finally put on some leg mass while training with these shoes? Yes, probably because we know chicken legs like mine don’t grow that quickly.

The engineered mesh upper is also quite flexible and accommodating (which we’ll cover more later), which means the TYR CXT-2 never feels like it’s working against you. I went through some intense supersets as part of my prescribed training (thanks Coach Joshy G) and never once did these shoes ever fail me. I felt close to the ground, locked in and didn’t think about the CXT-2 till I got ass-to-grass on some goblet squats where I was reminded that these shoes are very, very comfy.

That’s also true in your bodyweight movements too – I was bouncing around with burpees like I didn’t have a care in the world and found myself getting deeper in cossack squats than I had before. While the shoe can feel a bit heavy on foot at times due to that heel, the SURGENRG foam offers a lot of wonderful responsiveness that’ll shoot you right back up really quickly.

I can’t speak to CrossFit performance in terms of box jumps, rope climbs, or really that programming, but I knocked out plenty of Olympic lifts and everything from benching to snatches was better in the CXT-2 than any training shoe in recent memory.

The TYR CXT-2 is a shoe made for me.

Drew: While I won’t be as flowery as Arune (Editor’s Note: you never are), the TYR CXT-2 is a slight upleveling in a shoe that was impressively good for training across a variety of use cases. The CXT-1 earned a spot on our lists for the best gym, best cross-training, best cross-fit, and best jumping shoes. It will soon be replaced on all those lists with the even better CXT-2. For all the reasons Arune outlined, it just outperforms the original.

My personal favorite aspect of the TYR CXT-2 is how the stability somehow got even better. I didn’t even think that was possible. The subtle tweak from a 9mm to 7mm drop, combined with the reworked TPU Stability Wrap that supports the wearer from lateral to medial midfoot, makes the CXT-2 the most stable workout shoe I’ve tested. It’s more than enough for the average gym goer and will even fulfill most of what olympic style lifters need.

With stability this strong, TYR has taken aim at high end lifting shoes and given many gym goers reason to ask if they even need a platform lifting shoe anymore.

Cardio

Arune: While I love the TYR CXT-2 even more for picking up heavy things, I gotta highlight the one area where I truly liked it less: running. There’s something about that heel area that drags down my foot when I run and makes me think way too much about my gait.

Most training shoes aren’t awesome for running but the CXT-2 feels like a step backwards (pun intended) in this regard, though I don’t use it for running so it’s not an issue.

Conversely, I enjoyed this even more for rowing because of the same heel unit – the SURGENRG helps with the leg drive in a way that has me hitting PRs while being more drenched in sweat than I have been in a long time.

The TYR CXT-2 was also fine for shadow boxing, though if given the option, I prefer barefoot over this shoe.

It’s better than most training shoes for my cardio needs and that’s enough for me. How about you, boss?

Drew: I don’t feel like the TYR CXT-2 was a downgrade in the running department because the original was clunky AF when it came to running. But the best shoes in the gym are just not built to be good running shoes so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

I still think sprinting from the toes, jump rope, agility ladder work, and defensive slides are all both doable and comfortable in the TYR CXT-2. It’s responsive, with just enough SurgeNRG foam in the forefoot to not cause any pain or discomfort.

Just do yourself (and your entire lower body) a favor and leave these bad boys on the sideline when the workout of the day calls for an 800 meter or 1 mile run.

Comfort

Arune: One thing I’ve loved about every TYR shoe we’ve reviewed is that they’re all incredibly comfortable.

And the TYR CXT-2 is no exception.

The more natural foot shape of the CXT-2 makes it incredibly accommodating for Hobbit-footers like me with a wider forefoot. Then add in the increased heel foam to reduce any friction on your achilles and the wider toe box to boot? No notes.

The rope laces here also stay tied through vigorous activity, meaning the CXT-2 feels perfectly snug and secure throughout your workouts. It feels like a glove around your feet.

But, I should add that I found my feet sweating like crazy in the CXT-2 – maybe it’s just the Los Angeles heatwave, but I’d love a bit more ventilation in the next model.

Drew: We finally hit the area where TYR needs to improve the CXT line. The CXT-1 wasn’t that breathable and the CXT-2 is even worse. There’s just too many unnecessary layers to the engineered mesh.

If your workout location is a sweatbox with big garage doors letting the outside heat in, you may have to think about this trade off. But, for most people working out indoors, it won’t really be an issue. It is, however, something I want to see TYR tackle in the next model. TYR could shave some weight and increase breathability for outdoor exercising. That’s worth exploring.

Everything else on the upper works great. Big kudos to TYR for increasing the forefoot width by 4mm. That extra room for toe splay is so helpful when recruiting every part of the body to get those heavy weights up high.

Fit

Arune: I wear a Men’s 9.5 in nearly every kind of athletic shoe and that’s been my go to size with TYR – it’s the right choice with the CXT-2.

See, Drew, I can be brief!

Drew: Arune, ever heard the phrase, “the exception that proves the rule”?

Arune: insert angry face emoji (Editor’s Note: 😡)

Drew: You have no idea the restraint it took him to not say anything back to that quip. Maybe he’s learning. As far as the sizing of the TYR CXT-2, it’s right on with my usual shoe size and much more wide footer friendly than last year’s version.

Aesthetics

Arune: Let me take you behind the scenes: this red colorway looks so good that Drew and I were both actively anxious about receiving that colorway instead of the other ones (which look good too, but aren’t as striking).

At the time of writing this review, the red colorway is sold out for Men and I’m hoping it gets restocked soon because that shade, combined with the translucent midsole, is an absolute head turning shoe that will get folks looking differently at TYR.

I also appreciate that TYR removed their name from one side of the CXT and replaced it with the wings-esque logo – it feels right for the brand and it’s the kind of seemingly small detail that shows the thought put into the design.

Honestly, this is an exceptional looking training shoe in red and while I won’t be wearing to lunches at Sugarfish, it fits in perfectly with the Erewhon and Equinox aesthetic so you won’t mind doing your chores in it after the gym. And like me, you might get some folks asking about the shoes too.

Drew: LA reference overload in that last paragraph. Gross. Never change Arune.

My colorway of the TYR CXT-2, seen in most of the accompanying images, was Lime/Multi and it was solid, but not spectacular. I’d recommend going with one of the solid colorways available online. There’s a Purple/Gold Lakers-esque colorway that is arguably better than the all Red colorway that’s sold out. For whatever reason, a solid blanket of color looks fantastic on this simple, yet good looking shoe.

Price

Arune: At $150, the TYR CXT-2 got a $10 increase over the CXT-1 and ultimately it won’t make anyone ditch the shoe even if that price creep is a bummer.

The price is in line with other top trainers and, as you can tell from the review, I’d put this above them all.

So, worth every penny.

Drew: If you buy the TYR CXT-2, you’ll get $150 worth of value in terms of performance and durability. You won’t regret paying full price for a shoe this good.

TYR CXT-2 Final Verdict

Arune: We’re getting spoiled with great training shoes this year and it means it’s hard to sometimes remember where these all rank.

However, the TYR CXT-2 is my favorite training shoe of the year and in recent memory, delivering unrivaled performance in my workouts and I’m waiting for the next must have colorway so I can have a second pair in the rotation.

This is now my default daily training shoe and the only other shoe that’s anywhere close is the CXT-1.

Drew: The TYR CXT-2 took one of the best cross training shoes on the market and made it even better. It’s got a couple of small flaws that are easy to overlook because of the overall performance and value (no shoe is perfect). The TYR CXT-2 will do everything you need it to in your gym or CrossFit location.