Hyperice - Hyperboot by Nike x Hyperice- Small - Black

After just one week of using the Hyperice Hyperboot (twice daily), I can already feel a huge difference. My ankles feel noticeably stronger, and the tightness in my hamstrings has released enough to eliminate the everyday pulling discomfort I used to live with. This has truly been a pain-saver as I restart my jogging and running routine after more than a year away. The fit is secure, the design feels premium, and the recovery benefits are undeniable. What impressed me most was how quickly I noticed results — it’s rare for a product to deliver this kind of impact so fast. If you’re looking for a tool to support training, recovery, or to move without nagging pain, the Nike x Hyperice Hyperboot is worth every session.

Sort of underwhelming. The compression and therapeutic effect is there but it’s contained to arch and heel… not toes and whole foot massage experience. Still like them a lot.

As an aging Gen-Xer I’m realistic that my PR days are over. These days my goal is to preserve my original parts so I can keep on running and maintaining my activity level in general. And, so, more than ever, that means doing a meaningful warmup. I don’t know anyone who enjoys the warmup exercises but it’s preferable to an injury and necessary for a comfortable run, especially in cold weather. I thank my percussion massager and vibrating roller daily for making my routine less annoying and monotonous. But until now the ankles and the Achilles tendon were left out. Enter the Hyperboot by Nike x Hyperice (Hyperboot or boot). It’s a wonderful companion to my other warmup gadgets and a respectable 4-stars in my book. As a 1st generation premium product there is room for improvement and refinement which is why I can’t say it’s a complete 5-stars. FIT AND FUNCTIONALITY The Hyperboot caters to the ankles and is unique on a couple levels. Most obvious is it’s styling, maybe lack thereof. I won’t sugarcoat it, when I first eyeballed them the cartoonish appearance reeked gimmick to me. They are big, clunky, and ridiculous looking. You may agree, but the reality is they do their job brilliantly to loosen up the Achilles and make warmup and running more comfortable and effective. You may have noticed too that Nike’s Swoosh is all over them. But these are not athletic shoes. You probably won’t be wearing these outside, I know I never will. It’s exclusively a warmup (and to a degree recovery) device. For that reason, worry not if Nike shoes and your feet are not besties. My current running shoes are New Balance, Brooks, and Asics but the fit and feel of these Hyperboots is on point. By example, I wear a men’s size 7 to 7.5 and bought size Small. Size Small covers Men’s 6-8 (and comparable Women’s sizes), so my foot is in the middle of the range. The three hook and loop fasters ensure an “OK” fit on the ankles but, more importantly the heel cup hugs me comfortably. I don’t have wide feet and there is ample room in the toe box and mid-foot. Like other motorized warmup devices, the Hyperboot is powered by an internal rechargeable battery. Each boot has a USB-C charge port and a dual charger plus two cables are included. That’s great, but I’m disappointed the charger is USB-A. I’m trying to rid USB-A in my life. The charger comes with adapters to fit wall sockets around the world. Still, I doubt I’ll be traveling with Hyperboot due to its weight, nearly 1.7lbs each, and size. As a motorized device, battery life is as expected. I get about 1 hr. at medium heat and high compression before I reach the last bar on the app’s battery icon, though the icon seems to be more of a suggestion than accurate. I wish it displayed “% remaining” rather than a vague bar. My average session is 12 minutes. The Hyperboot’s more esteemed distinction is (to my knowledge) being the only motorized device around dedicated to the ankle region. In a nutshell, it applies constant heat and short intervals of compression at the back of the ankle to relax it and get blood flowing in the area. Sadly, even though your entire foot is in the Hyperboot no other area of the foot is heated or “massaged.” Controlling the Hyperboot can be performed two ways, either the on-boot physical buttons or with Hyperice’s app. Registration is required to use the app, but you can use Apple or Google’s single sign in service for this if you don’t want to provide your actual email. Pairing the Hyperboots to the app is zero configuration. The app found my pair automatically. With Hyperboot being footwear, the app is a “must use” unless you like bending down to hit the physical buttons. App control offers a timer and expanded adjustability of pressure and heat options. That’s it. I’m disappointed there is no option to set individual pressure and heat levels for each boot or to save a custom presets. And while you can pause the Hyperboot in app, powering on and off is on the boots only. I’d like to see the option to power on/off in app so I don’t have to fiddle with the physical buttons. 120 DEGREES OF WARMUP With the basics out of the way, you are probably still wondering if the Hyperboot is for you (or someone you love as a gift)? Of course I can’t answer that, but I offer my Hyperboot experience to-date as a data point for your decision. As mentioned, I’m a late 50-something in good health and trying to stay that way so I can continue to enjoy a good run for years to come. I run almost daily but usually max at 5K to avoid overuse injuries or worse. This is important in my evaluation here because I’ve come to think short distance running, and by extension, leg day in the gym or other workouts with footwork, is where using the Hyperboot seems especially beneficial. Once on foot and activated the Hyperboot cycles compression along the ankle and Achilles tendon. It feels like a blood pressure monitor on your foot. Compression can be set from gentle to aggressive and that applies to both boots. It grabs an area for a few seconds and then slightly moves to a new area. I found it especially noticeable around the bottom of my Achilles where I could feel muscles twitching from stimulation. Overall, the feel it’s in line with the “hurts so good” sensation warmups tend to be. One “price” for this constant roving compression is the inflator motor is frequently buzzing and when it’s not there is the “whoosh” of the compression tube being deflated. At its peak the humming is in the mid 40dBs. At first, I found the noise jarring but ultimately it morphed into white background noise. It’s not a distraction for me anymore, be it in a quiet room or streaming music or video. Phone calls are a different story. You’ll need to hit pause in that situation. While the boots are compressing on the ankles it’s applying heat there too to assist in the warmup. Like the compression, the heat is adjustable from none to a toasty 125 degrees F. Heat and compression level can be adjusted during a session. Hyperice cautions long socks must be worn with the Hyperboot. I get its need to warn, but it gave me pause because I run with no-show socks in the summer. The last thing I want to do is put on long socks for warmup then exchange for no-shows for my run. So, in the name of “science,” I tested no-show socks in the Hyperboot. My own tolerance found the heat at low setting was fine, even nice. Hotter settings clearly need long socks to insulate the skin, especially for extended sessions. So, keep this in mind if you don’t like socks. While I wouldn’t wear Hyperboots outside they are mobile enough to walk around the house during use. On foot they feel inflexible, somewhere between ice skates and a pair of clodhopper shoes. They are plenty stable though and I can multitask while wearing them. On removing the boots my feet feel remarkably loose and flexible, like nothing I could accomplish myself with just my usual warm up stretches. I then move into doing stretches – calf raises, standing calf stretches, and such. The Hyperboot session gives me a head start with these exercises and makes doing them pleasant – but still not enjoyable. Finally, my run. Forgive me for the cliché, but it’s like I have an extra spring in my step. I’ve long suspected my ankle warmup routine was incomplete because I often experienced stiffness there and my calves for the first ½-3/4 mile of my runs with my upper leg muscles compensating. But that disappeared after incorporating the Hyperboot into my routine. To some this might equate to a faster run. For me it means more comfort and less chance of bad things happening to my Achilles. This gets me back to why I think the Hyperboot is so well matched to short runs. The 3/4 of a mile my Achilles needed to naturally loosen up after a run start is a significant percentage of my 5K run time. That’s not good for the body and, by extension, performance. In my situation the Hyperboot clearly aids in turning my imperfect warmup perfect. RECOVERY AND OTHER USES Pre-Hyperboot, my recovery program was admittedly the bare minimum. A few heel raises, calf stretches and the like and done. Maybe five minutes total. But now I slip on my boots for a few minutes first just to warm my heels back up. It’s during this time I wish Hyperboot warmed the entire foot and could do some gentle underfoot massaging too. Regardless the warming and compression pulsing helps greatly with my recovery stretches, same as during warmup. I’m writing this at the start of the fall season and that’s helped me appreciate the heat more than if it was July. In that light, in addition to the Hyperboot’s true purpose, it’s going to be great slipping these on just when I have cold feet after being outside for a while. I wouldn’t buy them as foot warmers alone but it’s a nice bonus. SO, WHO IS IT FOR? By any calculation, the Hyperboot is not budget priced so I’m sure many wonder “is it worth it?” The best I can say is, maybe. It performs great, that’s not at issue. But at its premium price I think they are most ideal for the runner who has “everything.” I don’t think its usefulness hinges on one’s experience level as much as just being a committed runner. Every runner is going to get utility out of these regardless of their PR. Also, running is an example I use because that’s my primary exercise activity. The Hyperboot’s utility extends to any activity that has demands on the foot and leg muscles. Still, the Hyperboot is not the first, or even second piece of expensive warmup equipment I’d buy if I had none. It makes most sense for those who already have a nice collection. In that context it’s a complementary addition that surely will be enjoyed and appreciated.

My daughter works out every morning. She wanted these for Christmas. She said they are amazing and they have really helped with her knees. She said she would never work out a day without them.

For the price they really did nothing more than your ankles my wife had an injury to her foot and we were hoping this would help but they did not