After a delayed launch, the PR3 shoes are here—and they can handle just about any type of workout
After a delay to show respect for Jacob Blake, the man who was shot seven times in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the latest Project Rock training shoe training is here. Now, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is ready to get to work in the PR3.
The action star stayed uncharacteristically quiet about his training over the past few months, as the pandemic has kept gyms across the country shuttered or below typical operating capacity. That’s not because he stopped lifting weights (his first superhero role in DC’s Black Adam is imminent, after all) or closed up his Iron Paradise gyms—he just didn’t want to “feel like an asshole” showing off his fully stocked fitness havens, according according to a post in April. With the shoe’s release imminent, however, Johnson broke his moratorium on training clips and shared a killer lat pulldown technique dropset video to give a sneak preview of the new gear.
After the planned release was delayed, which coincided with athlete-led activism that caused work stoppages in the NBA, WNBA, and MLB, the shoes are now available today.
I got a pair of the PR3 right ahead of launch and took the opportunity to put the shoe through its paces. The black and slate colorway I tested isn’t as flashy as previous debut versions of The Rock’s shoes—which initially dropped in patriotic red, white, and blue and blood orange—but the PR3 might be the most versatile and best performing of them all.
The design of PR3 is clearly indebted to its predecessor, the PR2, which was a huge departure from where the line began with the PR1. The newest model keeps the star’s Brahma Bull logo, Under Armour’s Hovr energy return foam, and Tribase outsole, but ditches the PR line’s ankle-hugging bootie for a lower cut one-piece upper. This is great news for wearers who want to run, cut, and jump in the PR3—at times, the previous iterations of the shoe felt clunky during athletic movements. Now, the shoes feel much more mobile, while still providing plenty of support and stability.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have much opportunity to get under much weight to test out how they perform during squats and other heavy loaded movements. That said, the soles feel similar to the PR2, which crushed in the gym—and I know I’m far from alone in making due with home workouts. The more versatile design of the PR3 make them ideal for training inside and outside of the weight room. I still wouldn’t take them out for a jog, but they work just fine for short cardio bursts like sprints or HIIT training.
