The first iteration of the Adipower Weightlifting Shoe has proven to be very popular with lifters and Adidas have aimed to follow on from that success with the Adipower 2s. It may be a surprise to hear that this shoe doesn’t really continue where the Adipowers left off though, but rather, these shoes perform and feel like a whole different animal altogether.
If you hate the stiff, heavy design that’s typical of most Weightlifting Shoes then the Adipower is well worth its weight in gold.
Adidas needs no introduction. After Nike, they are the largest manufacturer of sportswear in the world and, being founded in Germany, also the largest in Europe. Adidas started life as the Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1924, before becoming known as Adidas in 1949.
The Adipower 2s are one of several different Weightlifting Shoes that Adidas offer and in this article we’ll take them through their paces to give you an idea of what to expect.
Adidas Adipower 2 General Review
Quick Stats
The following stats are based on a US size 10.
- Weight – 462g
- Length – 299mm
- Toe Width – 99mm
- Heel Width – 84mm
- Heel Height – 38mm
Looks
Starting with looks, the Adipower 2s offer a pretty minimalist and clean design. As someone who doesn’t like their shoes to be too flashy, this design really worked for me. I particularly liked the white with black Adidas stripes.
As shown, the design I was able to review was the Signal Pink color variant. At first, I wasn’t a fan of the pink color, however, I have to admit it has grown on me. I particularly like that it seems to change color ever so slightly depending on how the light hits it, transitioning from pink to a vibrant orange.
Overall, the design of the Adipower 2s is probably one of my favorites as far as Weightlifting Shoes go. Given the choice, I would opt for the white variant though.
Rating – 8/10
Fit
I wear these in my usual shoe size and I feel that the fit is spot on. The heel feels snug and there’s no major heel lift as the material comes around the Achilles area sufficiently, holding your foot down.
The Adipowers are an extremely flexible shoe, so much so that they feel like a regular trainer. As a result, the fit is generally very good, with the flexibility allowing the shoe to conform easily to your foot shape.
The flexibility of the upper material allows lacing to be pretty customizable to your preferred method and the single strap does its job well to hold down the midfoot.
Sticking with the midfoot, there is a noticeable lack of arch support, which is great for those with flatter feet, but for those with higher arches, this could be a slight downside.
Moving to the toe box, and it was a touch on the narrow side, but only just. I feel that if this shoe had been a bit stiffer then this could have been a bigger issue, but the overall flexibility made this perfectly manageable.
Rating – 7/10
Comfort
The Adidas Adipower 2s are by far the most comfortable Weightlifting Shoes I have ever worn.
The flexibility is very noticeable in this shoe overall, this leads them to be really comfortable to wear and great for walking, running, or jumping if you are so inclined to do so. It’s certainly not a bad thing, but I like to wear my Weightlifting Shoes for Squats and Bench Press predominantly, so flexibility isn’t something I look for, personally.
The Adipowers are also very lightweight, further adding to the overall feeling of comfort.
Those with narrower feet are likely to find the Adipower 2s pretty comfortable as well as those with a flatter foot as the shoe runs quite narrow (but not overly so), while there is minimal arch support built into the insole.
Finally, the textile material does get warm very quickly. I am not someone who sweats from their feet much but I can see the Adipower 2 causing issues for those who do.
Overall, comfort is the Adipower’s strongest feature, perhaps Adidas were targeting Crossfitters more with this shoe. My only complaint is that the toe box can feel a little tight and the shoe has the potential to be quite warm.
Rating – 9/10
Straps & Lacing
The strapping system is pretty average for a Weightlifting Shoe with the standard midfoot strap. one thing that was quite apparent was that the strap and the strap buckle were not sized correctly. The strap was just ever so slightly too wide for the buckle so I could see tightening and loosening really wear down the strap over time.
The laces were very noticeably flimsy, I didn’t feel comfortable tightening the shoes as a result, for fear they may snap. It’s an easy fix though, a good set of laces are pretty cheap so I would just buy a new set.
Rating – 5/10
Grip/Traction
In general, the grip was perfectly fine on the Adipower 2s and I can’t see many finding fault in real-world use, however, compared to other Weightlifting Shoes in their price range, they fell quite a bit short of expectations, scoring very low in the Powerlifting Perfection Grip Test.
To see how they stack up, take a look at the Powerlifting Perfection Grip Test Leaderboard.
Rating – 6/10
Performance
Adidas Adipower 2 for Squats
The Adidas Adipower 2s held up very well for me during the Squat. The raised heel does its job well but isn’t drastically different to most other Weightlifting Shoes out there, I particularly appreciate that the TPU sole comes up and cups the heel, I felt a lot more secure and stable because of this.
Although not a huge deal, I wasn’t a big fan of the flatter mid-sole. My arch is probably around average for most people and I didn’t feel I got the support I would have preferred here. This was only a minor complaint though.
The narrow toe box, as previously highlighted wasn’t ideal, I didn’t really have the room to spread my toes and screw into the floor as I would have liked but again it wasn’t a massive problem. Given the overall flexibility of the shoe, it was possible to push my toes out if I really wanted.
Overall, there were no major complaints to speak of. The shoe behaved as would be expected and I felt suitably stable and rooted to the floor. I just don’t know if I’m the biggest fan of how lightweight and flexible the Adipowers are, this is, of course, personal preference, and some may prefer this.
Adidas Adipower 2 for the Bench Press
Moving to the Bench Press and its another shoe with a solid raised heel, another good choice for the Bench Press, in my opinion.
There were no issues for me in this lift and the narrowness around the shoe worked very well. I had no noticeable issues with my foot sliding forward in the shoe too, which is a big plus in the Bench Press, the metatarsal strap and fit overall seemed to keep my foot in place well enough to prevent this.
Although I don’t typically lift my heel to Bench Press, it’s worth commenting that the flexibility of this shoe does allow you to do so if you choose. In the same vein, the flexibility also made it a bit easier to set up and pull my feet back into position. So, given that the flexibility of the shoe posed no cons for me in the Bench Press and it allows for a bit more versatility, the Adipower 2 scores very well here.
Adidas Adipower 2 for the Olympic Lifts
I’m not entirely sure what to think about the Adipower 2 when it comes to the Olympic Lifts. As much as I felt the lightweight and flexible construction was great for these more dynamic lifts, at the same time, I did feel a bit unstable when catching the bar.
This was particularly noticeable when in the Split Jerk, my back foot was a bit more prone to wobbling side to side. Compare this to a shoe such as the Reebok Legacy Lifter 2 or the Nike Romaleos 4 and it was night and day, with the Legacy Lifter in particular just offering so much more stability.
Overall, it’s not a bad effort from the Adidas Adipower 2. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that a lot of people respond to the flexibility and weight and, to be honest, Adidas has done an outstanding job of making a Weightlifting Shoe that feels like a normal trainer yet still performs as well as it does.
For me though, I prefer my Weightlifting Shoe to feel a bit more weighty on my foot.
Rating – 6/10
Adidas Adipower 2 Price
You can check the latest prices for the Adidas Adipower 2 here.
At the time of writing, the Adipower 2 was about as expensive as they come. As a result, I would class this shoe under the premium Weightlifting Shoe category.
Is it worth the premium price tag though? Arguably, this will depend on what you need from a Weightlifting Shoe. If you hate the stiff, heavy design that’s typical of most Weightlifting Shoes then the Adipower is well worth its weight in gold, there are very few Weightlifting Shoes that come close to its performance whilst being as comfortable and light.
It’s just not for me though unfortunately, so it’s hard to justify the high price tag.
Rating 6/10
Final Thoughts on the Adidas Adipower 2
The Adidas Adipower 2 is an incredibly versatile Weightlifting Shoe and is perhaps the first Weightlifting Shoe that could realistically be worn outside of the gym, it really is that comfortable!
Somehow, this comfortable design doesn’t take away too much from its performance in all the main lifts, however, this will depend largely on your foot shape. It’s likely those with wide feet or high arches may find the Adipower too cramped with not a lot of arch support.
Overall its a very solid effort, and probably one of the most uniquely designed Weightlifting Shoes available currently.
