We revealed Project X a week ago and the hype is real. We received over 1000 comments on our Instagram, a new record, and in this e-mail today I want to give you ALL the details you've been asking about. Get comfy, it is a lengthy (but worthwhile read).

What Is Project X?

Project X represents Raskol's official entry into the shoe game. Our first shoe, the Raskol Lifting Shoe, is inspired by classic shoes like the Converse Chuck Taylors & PF Flyers and they drop on July 1st.

This style of lifting shoe is heavily popular amongst lifters because of the flat, low to the ground sole which makes it ideal to do deadlifts, squats and just about any gym lift. Regular running shoes have a thick foam underneath them and especially while doing squats, it can feel too squishy and uneven.

The no nonsense style of old school Chucks have made them THE default shoe for most hardcore lifters for decades.

Our Raskol Shoe Is It's Own Beast

While inspired by these classic shoes, we've added our own twists. For starters, the sole of our shoe is SLIGHTLY thinner, meaning that your foot will be lower to the ground when doing deadlifts (lifters prefer this). The insole (inside of the shoe) is still super comfortable, but we know for lifters being low to the ground matters.

Secondly, we've made our shoe with an extra sturdy canvas for the top of the shoe. This functions in two ways. One, the top of the shoe that hugs around your foot will feel more secure, a nice feeling when you are loading up 500lb to squat. Secondly, an additional benefit of this reinforced canvas is that there is no “break in” period with the shoe (unlike with Chucks), they're good to go. You can hit a PR on day 1.

Third, we've decided to make our shoes stand out (this is Raskol after all) and we added a highly detailed version of our All Pain. No Gains design onto the shoe. The design itself is sublimated into the canvas, it won't wash off. The text at the bottom is 3D, popping out of the shoe. You want to show off your new kicks, don't you?

And perhaps most importantly, the biggest difference is SIZING

Our Shoes Fit Differently

LENGTH
We'll have a whole e-mail about this but our shoes do NOT fit like your Chuck Taylors. This is because Chucks run a lot bigger than what is called “Standard Size”. The majority of shoes run on what is referred to as standard size. Nike, Adidas, Reebok, they all produce their shoes according to what is known as Standard Size.

Raskol Lifting Shoes fit like a Standard Size shoe. Meaning if you are a US Men's 10 in a Nike shoe, you'll very likely be a 10 in our shoes (whereas with a Chuck Taylor shoe, you would be a 8.5-9).

To make things easier we will have each shoe size measured also in inches/cm so you can simply measure your foot to get an accurate estimate for your size! This is by far the most accurate way. Now one more thing to note is...

WIDTH
These shoes have the same width as a Chuck Taylor shoe (meaning they run regular/a little narrow compared to your average shoe), and we currently don't produce a “wider” version. I totally feel everyone who wants a wider shoe (it WILL happen) but for now, our shoes are the standard width. It is recommended for those seeking a slightly wider fit to go up 1/2 a size from your standard foot size.

How Much & When Can You Get Them?!
Our Raskol Lifting Shoe launches NEXT Friday July 1st and are limited at 1500 units. These shoes WILL sell out within the first few days.

I feel especially confident saying this because we're priced our shoes to be affordable. A boutique custom shoe like this can run $100-$120, however we plan on making this THE go to shoe for lifters and want them to become popular. To be the people's shoe. For our 1st run, our Raskol Lifting Shoes will be just $80.

And I can tell you this, if they become as popular as we anticipate, we'll keep them affordable (within the $75-$90 range). We're here to take over the lifting shoe game.

If you've made it all the way to the end, I'm quite frankly impressed. We've been extremely excited about these for months and it is nice to finally be able to talk about them.

Set your timer, we'll be seeing everyone next Friday.