Olympian-Tested Nike-Hyperice Hyperboot Launches At Retail

Ahead of the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, Nike and Hyperice introduced the new Hyperboot to athletes competing in France. Now the companies plan to make the mobile warmup and recovery boot available at retail on May 17.

The highly technical piece of footwear offers a collaboration between Nike and Hyperice to feature heat and air compression for feet and ankles in the form of a high-top boot. To make it work, the footwear features Hyperice’s Normatec bladders bonded to warming elements to push heat into muscle tissue, meant to assist with warmup and recovery.

It all happens on the go.

“Heat and dynamic air compression at the levels we are delivering within the boot have a multiplier effect, and really change how the body feels after use,” Anthony Katz, Hyperice founder and president, tells me. “The high pressures of the multi-zone compression drive the heat deeper into the body and amplify the effects of the heat on the tissue and fluid.”

Nike and Hyperice featured the product in Paris, which Katz says was a key part of the product development process. “Real-world validation happens when athletes actually start implementing the product into their warmup and recovery routines,” he says. “The Paris Olympics provided further valuable insight for us as we were able to get the product into the hands of more elite athletes.”

Feedback from the Olympians and athletes were “overwhelmingly positive,” Katz says. After Paris, the effort was about fine-tuning the electronics and updating the material selections of the upper all while optimizing the design for manufacturing at higher volumes. “The core technology remains the same, and we’ve refined the user experience through our mobile app to make it personalized,” Katz says. The Bluetooth connectivity allows the company to deliver over-the-air updates moving forward.

During the Olympics, Katz says the Hyperboot was used during warmup—which was highly visible to the public—but also during recovery. “After spending some time in the USA Basketball hotel, players were using the boots on trips to and from the arena, which for some of the tournament was played roughly two-and-a-half hours outside Paris,” Katz says. “This was a great use case.”

Sha’Carri Richardson, a Nike track athlete, says she was immediately impressed. “I felt the difference right away, especially the impact on my training,” she says. “While wearing the Hyperboot, I am able to start warming up and recovering while still being mobile. This is a huge benefit while traveling and being on the go.”

Katz says the move into retail gives everyday athletes access to the technology and he anticipates both fitness enthusiasts and those preparing for major events, along with those who spend long hours on their feet, will be eager to adopt the technology. The portability factor is key, as the boots are TSA-approved. “Unlike traditional recovery equipment that requires you to be stationary, the Hyperboot moves with you,” he says, “making it accessible for busy professionals who need recovery on the go, travelers who want to maintain their recovery routines while away from home and anyone looking to incorporate more effective warmup and recovery into their daily routine.”

The Hyperboot’s system of dual-air bladders coupled with heat feature sequential compression patterns. The design is meant to push the heat into the muscle tissues in the foot and ankle, helping athletes move, perform and recover faster naturally. The shoes can synchronize to each other and are powered by battery packs in the insoles. Athletes choose from three levels of compression and three levels of heat.

The product creation came about by combining Nike’s knowledge in footwear with Hyperice’s recovery technology. Katz says the Nike knowledge and resources in materials and pattern making were crucial to incorporating the Normatec technology into the product. Tobie Hatfield, senior director of Nike athlete innovation, tells me that the trickiest part in creating the product was the merging of footwear with technology in such a small space. “We were taking the Hyperice Normatec technology and stuffing it into a small area with curvatures,” he says. “Electronics like a lot of room and flat, straight lines. You don’t see that on shoes very often.”

The companies made it work, first for the Olympians in Paris and now for athletes everywhere.