Gear Review: LALO Bloodbird Crosstrainers

LALO, which many of you may not know stands for Light Assault Operator, has been putting out quality tactical boots for year, favored by special forces operators.

But that has changed. They started putting out a new line of footwear called the BUD/S line, inspired by grinder workouts in Coronado.

I tested out the Lalo Bloodbird Black Ops Cross Trainer, which offer a tremendous amount of mid-foot stability, and touts to shine in workouts with less dynamic movements, such as weight training, where the focus is on the ground.

You don’t want to be unstable when you have bodyweight plus overhead with Clean and Jerks, and you definitely want to be stable when you’re deadlifting or squatting. In this regard, this shoes are on point.

Super lightweight, they offer an anatomical lacing system, the LALO OCF Fit System, ceramic-coated SUPER FABRIC™ toecap; bottom line, they are comfortable, and fit to your feet. Even out of the box, they fit like a proverbial glove.

No wiggle room, no play, and I did several workouts in them, ranging from box jumps to some sandbag work, to weighted step ups. I can wholeheartedly attest that they are as stable as they say they are. And, I may add, pretty damn stylish. I had several people ask me what they were, since I usually rock Inov-8’s or Oly shoes when I’m WODing or lifting. With this, they fit the bill for both.

The Lalo Bloodbird Black Ops Cross Trainers are highly stable, and from I can tell so far, made with superior quality.

No more “talking soles” after a couple brutal workouts, I can tell I will give out before these do in a workout. They also dry super fast, which is a plus if you don’t want a foul gym bag, or decide to wear them out in the street or in the woods (not recommended, but you’re all big boys and girls).

The only shortcoming, and it’s really not a shortcoming as it’s intentional, is the fact that it’s not recommended to use these shoes in workouts with rope climbs. When LALO was designing these with Operators, they needed three main criteria: Lightweight, breathable, and packable. Check, check, and check. Another requirement was a silent or stealth outsole, which again – big check.

Before they developed the BUD/S line, they noted that Operators also needed added stability in the arch area, which helps engage more sensory receptors in the foot, resulting in both better balance and a more stable surface.  For that reason, they added some more “meat” to the arch, and that would be the area you use to brake when climbing. You could do rope climbs, but you would tear up this meaty part (seen below).

Overall, I give these 5 stars across the board. They are comfortable, stable, quiet, lightweight, breathable, and fit the bill for basically any workout.

Check out the Lalo Bloodbird Black Ops Cross Trainer at Amazon.com.

Check out the LALO shoes at Cabelas.com

Question: How do these tactical shoes fit? I have a wide foot and they have plenty of toe box and fit my feet well.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alex Castiglione lives in Atlanta, and is an avid outdoorsman and competitive shooter. Wher-abouts include getting after it in his garage gym, practicing martial arts, hitting the trails, or running CrossFit and Strongman competitions for his non-profit, Barbells for Bullies, which holds fundraiser fitness competitions dedicated to aiding Bully breed rescues, dog rescues, or other non-profits with similar missions.

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