The Under Armour Flow Dynamic is built to boss all your training – from sled pulls and deadlifts to HIIT and treadmill sessions. I tested this jack-of-all-trades to see if it really could master every workout.
Men’s Fitness verdict
Best suited to dynamic HIIT workouts and mixed-drill gym classes, this shoe is a versatile all-rounder offering a comfortable fit alongside a durable and grippy sole.- Great versatility
- Responsive enough for short runs
- Comfortable hugging fit
- Lacks stability for heavier lifts
- No protection for rope climbs
Like the Swiss army knife of the best gym shoes, Under Armour says the Flow Dynamic combines the bounce and cushioning of a running shoe with the support and grip of a weightlifting shoe. The aim: to pack enough versatility to handle everything you can throw at it. From the gym floor to the treadmill and beyond. I’m often sceptical about jack-of-all-trades fitness kit. My tests would show if it was a killer all-rounder or a lacklustre compromise.
Why you can trust Men’s Fitness
At Men’s Fitness we pride ourselves on delivering information that serves a singular purpose: to improve some aspect of your health, fitness or wellbeing. For almost 20 years, we’ve been publishing authoritative health and fitness content – written by our expert editors and contributors. We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. The Under Armour Flow Dynamic was tested by experienced fitness product tester Kieran Alger. Find out more about how we test.
Under Armour Flow Dynamic features
The Under Armour Flow Dynamic Training Shoe is pretty ambitious. It’s built to be an all-rounder that can handle everything from explosive plyometrics to weights work and all your cardio efforts.
It features a running-friendly one-piece midsole with an 8mm drop made from the same lightweight but durable supercritical Flow foam that you’ll find in Under Armour’s running shoes, the Velociti Wind 2 and Velociti Elite running shoes.
Flow is a little firmer than some super-foams, so it’s a good option for training shoes where you need some stability. But it’s also responsive enough for more dynamic drills, too.
It’s also durable and grippy, so the Flow Dynamic features the same rubberless sole as the Velociti running shoes and the Under Armour SlipSpeed. That saves on weight, helping the Flow Dynamic come in at 9oz / 255g. Pretty mid-weight for a training shoe.
The booty-style mesh uppers are pretty dense and foot-wrapping with big, plush padded heel collars and some lateral TPU overlays for additional support. An internal shank also adds extra underfoot support during explosive movements.
Under Armour Flow Dynamic performance
In testing, I threw a lot of different challenges at the Flow Dynamics. That included lower-body weighted strength sessions (back squats, deadlifts, weight lunges). I also put them through lots of plyometric exercises (box jumps, jump lunges), sled pushes plus a few hour-long runs on the treadmill and the tarmac.
If you do a lot of dynamic drills and you need a responsive training shoe, this fits the bill.
It’s more stable than a running shoe but has enough running shoe DNA to be comfortable when you kick into cardio mode. It’ll handle runs up to 10km and is much happier when you’re turning your feet over fast.
The Flow midsole was also pretty good for absorbing landings on the gym floor so it handled jumps and plyometrics well. That sole-less grip was also reliable on most surfaces, though I suffered a bit of slipping doing sled pushes on turf. If you’re heaving heavy loads you might need more traction.
Under Armour Flow Dynamic verdict
When it comes to strength sessions, there is enough stability for lighter lifts, but the stability of the Flow midsole foam has an upper limit when it comes to lifting big weights.
If I had to pick a sweet spot for this shoe, I’d say it’s best for dynamic bodyweight HIIT workouts and mixed-drill gym classes where you might mash up treadmill intervals with basic lifts and plyometrics. If you’re looking for that kind of all-rounder then it’s a solid option.
| Materials | UA Intelliknit upper; Flow midsole |
| Weight | 255g |
| Colors | Black; Grey mist; Downpour grey; Gilded yellow |
| Sizes | 6 – 13 |
How we test the best gym shoes
Our team of reviewers are experienced testers of all manner of fitness kit. They put each gym shoe through its paces in a variety of workouts, from cardio to strength training to heavy lifting, assessing them in terms of fit, comfort, and performance. They also paid close attention to the materials used throughout the shoe, the sizes and widths available, and the shoe’s total weight.
Related content:
