Under Armour Project Rock 7 Performance Review

Let’s not sugarcoat it, we weren’t big fans of the Under Armour Project Rock 6 training shoe and wondered how the Project Rock 7 would stack up in possibly the best year of training shoes we’ve ever experienced. From the Reebok Nano X4 to the TYR CXT-2 and so many more, there are incredible options for everyone.

Luckily, the folks at Under Armour happily sent us some pairs of the Project Rock 7 to put to the test. Are these the Fast and Furious trainers we want or did their performance go down in flames as quickly as the Rock’s Wrestlemania plans this year?

Please note that while Under Armour sent us pairs of the Project Rock 7, 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 Under Armour Project Rock 7?

Under Armour describes it as:

“Introducing our greatest evolution yet: The PR 7.

Sleek design. Seamless support. Unparalleled performance. The PR7 is our most versatile and lightest model yet, adapting effortlessly to your most intense workouts without weighing you down.”

The Project Rock 7 has a 6mm drop and weighs 12.5 oz, which is a full 2 ounce decrease from the previous version.

Training

Arune: Looking at the Project Rock 7, I was worried we were in for a repeat of the disastrous (at least to these two reviewers) previous model that I still blame for a knee injury last year.

I was very glad to be wrong.

My favorite Project Rock shoes ever have been the very first (the Delta) and the Project Rock 5, both of which felt made for a more functional fitness minded approach to training. There have been other models with varying virtues but the Project Rock line has been inconsistent. Are these shoes for training like The Rock or are they meant to transition to CrossFit or HITT training?

The Project Rock 7 feels like the first Project Rock shoe with a clear purpose. It’s meant for the gym and your traditional workout plans.

I was pleasantly surprised that the cushion under foot is incredibly comfortable and rarely (more on that) created any of the instability we experienced on the Project Rock 6. I’ve found that the Project Rock shoes often want to roll me onto my toes but the set up here, along with the 6mm drop, kept me balanced and connected to the ground. As is the case each year, UA TriBase tech is absolutely awesome at gripping a variety of surfaces without restricting your foot’s movement.

I put the Project Rock 7 through my typical functional fitness workouts and it was excellent. I put them on and went to work without thinking much about what was on my feet, which is a good sign. Full credit to what feels like a wider toebox that allowed for full toe splay along with an incredibly comfortable UA Clone upper that perfectly hugged but never restricted my hobbit feet. Usually these one piece uppers prove to be hard to get my foot into (and then get really sweaty), but this was an incredibly breathable shoe during some hot summer days. 

Similarly, explosive bodyweight training – from burpees to skaters to jump squats – all felt really great and comfortable. Stability wasn’t an issue, I transitioned between movements seamlessly and I felt confident in each rep.

That all said, while this shoe is going to be a great partner for nearly all your traditional gym work, I did find some instability issues when compressing that midsole for some PRs on barbell deadlifts and squats. It wasn’t as noticeable with goblet cyclist squats, lunges, and other lower body work, but those two lifts stood out as issues. Based on some limited work in the Project Rock 7 while doing step ups, cleans, and snatches, I wouldn’t advise this shoe for those either – it doesn’t appear to be how the Rock trains and it doesn’t appear this shoe was built for those lifts.

Overall, the Project Rock 7 performs like a shoe for the masses who want to get a sweat on at their local Planet Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness, which is a lot more people than the online fitness community realizes.

Drew: The Project Rock 7 did everything I needed it to do in the gym. The HOVR cushion is just enough for plyometrics and other jump-based activities. And while it’s not ideal for heavy deadlifts and squats due to the thick midsole and 6mm drop, the Project Rock 7’s UA TriBase outsole kept me centered and stable when getting most weights up.

Arune covered it well, the Project Rock 7 is great all around gym shoe. It’s going to show some weakness during olympic lifts and more nimble movements where the upper doesn’t keep you fully contained, but it’ll do almost everything a regular gym goer needs it to do.

Cardio

Arune: In a lot of ways, the Project Rock 7 feels like a more effective version of what so many brands are trying to do with their training shoes focused on HITT training and nominally on weight training, such as the Saucony Freedom Crossport…except this is also good for training too.

I ran a couple miles in this shoe and it was much more comfortable for me than most training shoes, though that bar remains incredibly low. If you’ve got some sprints programmed along with your lifting, you could do much worse than the Project Rock 7.

While this is fine for rowing, I found that the cushioning in the forefoot interfered with my form somehow – I wasn’t getting the same power with each pull and I felt like I was always readjusting my forefoot a bit. 

And it was acceptable for shadow boxing – this is a case where I’d probably just rather go without shoes than try in these, though that is such a specific cardio need that I don’t expect most training shoes to meet.

So, overall, I would happily use this on a bike, elliptical or stairmaster, but I wouldn’t say it’s especially excellent or disappointing in the cardio department.

You feel any differently, Drew?

Drew: The external heel counter on the Project Rock 7 is beefy and the UA TriBase outsole wants to keep your feet on the ground. For those reasons, the Project Rock 7 isn’t a great option for cardio. Whether you’re running outdoors or indoors on a treadmill, it’s not going to be a great experience.

However, as Arune mentioned, sprints are absolutely doable. Getting on your toes in the Project Rock 7 is neither hard nor clunky once you start moving. Similarly, jump rope is a smooth proposition.

So, in short, stay away from longer cardio sessions and focus more on the quick twitch stuff while wearing the Project Rock 7.

Comfort

Arune: I covered a lot of this in the training section, but th Project Rock 7 is an incredibly comfortable shoe in the gym and while running errands too.

Other than perhaps the Project Rock Delta (for which I have a deep love), I don’t know if my feet have ever been happier to wear an Under Armour training shoe.

I found myself finding reasons to keep this on even after the workouts.

Drew: The Project Rock 7’s integrated tongue is paramount to its success as a comfortable shoe. UA Clone has always been comfortable and stretchy and the forefoot benefits from it. But the tongue also benefits as the bottom half is UA Clone while the top section is a neoprene-like piece pocked with air holes. It’s a perfect thickness for dispersing lace pressure.

This is one of the better executed integrated tongues in recent memory and goes a long way towards the all day wearability of the Project Rock 7.

Fit

Arune: In times past, the Project Rock shoes felt like a sizing guessing game – either go up or down a size in each model, hope you can deal with an imperfect fit, and then say “they’ll get it right with the next model.”

Luckily, it seems like sizing has become more consistent since the Project Rock 5 and so I went TTS (true to size) with my regular 9.5 in the Project Rock 7.

Given The Rock’s broad appeal, I’m surprised we don’t get a…broader array of width options for his signature shoe line. I may have found these comfy but there are many folks with much wider feet and training shoes overall seem to neglect this audience.

Drew: I too am surprised that the Rock’s signature shoe doesn’t come in wide. Given the Rock’s pacific islander heritage, and the prevalence of wide feet in that group, I don’t understand not offering a wide option.

The forefoot of the Project Rock 7 is wider than previous models and gave me some really nice room for toe splay, but the midfoot and heel are fairly narrow. Keep that in mind if your wide feet need extra room in the back half of shoes.

If you’re not a wide footer, you’ll enjoy the fit in your typical shoe size as the length is perfect.

Aesthetics

Arune: While I’ve mentioned the Wife Test before, this time I unpacked the shoes in front of my parents and thus the Mom Test was born – she loved the look of the Black/Vivid Magenta pair that I received.

While aesthetically the Project Rock 7 is distinctly a training shoe, Under Armour has taken advantage of the design changes to really add some fun colorways – of the three available, two feel like the kind of thing I’d see folks in LA wear from Equinox to Erewhon to Barnes & Noble. They provide enough color and personality without being too over the top.

Drew: The Project Rock 7’s look is understated but modern. It feels like Under Armour took a look at the way On doesn’t shove logos in your face and toned down the branding. As a consumer, I always love when big brands do that. There’s still enough when you look closely to know exactly what this shoe is, but it’s not a billboard. That makes me more comfortable wearing the Project Rock 7 in all sorts of situations.

Price

Arune: Coming in at $150, this is right at the median for big brand premium training shoes and I think it’s fair given the excellent performance. 

This can be the one gym shoe for most people and that means it’ll be worth the investment given the generally decent durability of Project Rock shoes.

I don’t know that I’d ever recommend this as your shoe if you’re primarily in CrossFit, specialized HITT classes, or anything outside a traditional gym.

Drew: While the $150 price tag isn’t a bargain, it’s right in line with what you’d expect given the feature set. And with it being a signature shoe, it’s nice that Under Armour doesn’t increase the price $10-20 so they can pay the Rock his cut. It shows restraint and an understanding of the market. I wish we saw this sort of pricing discipline more often in basketball shoes, a category where prices for signature models are getting out of control.

Under Armour Project Rock 7 Final Verdict

Arune: We were skeptical about them but the Project Rock 7 is not only the best training shoe ever from the Final Boss but may be my favorite ever from Under Armour.

This is the kind of training shoe that makes the gym fun and that means it’ll be a great option for the masses. With this kind of development over last year, I can’t wait to see what progress we see in the Project Rock 8 in 2025.

Drew: For me, the best Project Rock ever is the Under Armour Project Rock 7. Fit, comfort, and usability all reached a new level and the line has chosen a good direction for the mass market. If you don’t have specialized gym needs, the Project Rock 7 will provide you everything you need in a great looking package.