Adidas Powerlift 5 Review
The Adidas Powerlift 5, the latest innovation in lifting footwear that promises to take your training to new heights. Whether you’re a seasoned lifter looking to push your limits or a beginner eager to improve your form, this shoe is designed to provide the stability and support you need for optimal performance. In this , we’ll dive into the features of the Adidas Powerlift 5 – Review, explore how it stacks up against its predecessors, and help you decide if this powerhouse shoe is worth adding to your gym bag. Get ready to unleash your full potential with every squat, deadlift, and snatch as we dissect what makes the Adidas Powerlift 5 a game-changer in the world of weightlifting footwear.
Squatting
Outside of people who haven’t yet discovered who they “really are”, the world’s population falls into two camps:
People who prefer to squat in a heeled shoe(!) and those who prefer to squat in a completely flat shoe (?)
As you might imagine from my improperly-placed punctuation above, I fall into the “heeled shoe” camp.
Thankfully, the Powerlift 5 rewards this preference. If you are also in this (better) camp, they should make the cut for your preferred squatting shoes.
However, there is something about the Powerlifts that have led them to quickly become my “go-to” squat shoes. I really like them for squatting.
It’s possible that it’s the somewhat unusual 16mm heel drop. For reference, my next favorite (also known as my previous favorite) shoes for squatting are my old Romaelos 3xd. These have a 20mm heel drop. It’s not uncommon to come across Olympic weightlifting shoes and other squatting-engineered shoes up into the high 20s.
I also think it might have something to do with the somewhat distinctive separation between the “shoe” portion (where you actually put your foot and what surrounds your foot) and the “heel” portion (the hard plastic that actually touches the ground). When there is less separation between the two (like in most lifting shoes), I think its more difficult to really use the heel to push through.
Normally, I really wouldn’t like this, fearing that my foot would feel too far removed from the ground. However, when squatting in the Powerlifts, I think it works; I still feel connected to the ground while also feeling better able to push through the “shoe” portion and into the “heel”.
Ultimately, their squat-facilitating capabilities are where the Powerlift 5s shine the most. For those who prefer to squat in an elevated heel, but don’t think their current preferred shoes are quite right, they might just do the trick.
Squatting Score: 90
Deadlifting
You know how I talked about those two camps the world’s squatting population falls into? Well, you also got two camps for deadlifting shoe preferences.
I don’t think there are nearly as many people who fall into the “heeled” camp when it comes to deadlifting shoes, but I know they definitely exist. If this is you, you’ll probably appreciate the combination of the elevated, hard flat sole.
For some reason, when I try (and I don’t very often) to lift in a heeled shoe like my Romaleos, I feel like my feet are pointing at some type of weird angle. Some may prefer this (if they even notice it); I don’t. In the Powerlifts, the heel feels especially flat during deadlifts. I still don’t think I’m ever going to prefer lifting with an elevated heel, but if I did, this would be my preferred heel.
Another thing that heeled deadlifters will probably prefer is the perfectly wide toe box the Powerlifters offer. I wouldn’t say my toes feel like they’re dangling, completely free from the confines of an overly cramped shoe, but they’re definitely not cramped in there, either.
As you can probably tell, the Powerlifts are a low-top shoe. As someone who prefers a low-top for just about all types of training (and for almost all casual wear, as well), I’m more than willing to sacrifice the increased ankle stability that a high-top lifting shoe (particularly one with legit ankle-stabilizing prowess like most Sabos) provides.
If you really like high-top shoes and/or really benefit from the added ankle stability and support during deadlifts that they provide, the Powerlifts probably aren’t going to be your preferred deadlifting shoes.
Overall, I think the Powerlift 5s are certainly capable deadlifting shoes, but are just not my preferred type of “tool” for facilitating these lifts. Here is our research about best deadlifting shoes.
Deadlifting Score: 75
General Training
Now…this is where things get interesting!
You’re never going to confuse the Powerlifts with a typical training shoe, “functional fitness” shoe, etc. However, I have found that I’ve been able to wear them for the duration of (or close to it) a number of different CrossFit metcons I’ve performed since I started wearing them.
Obviously, you’re not going to want to run in these and they’re gonna do nothing for your higher-skilled gymnastics movements. However, the fact that they’re not overly heavy or awkward has allowed me to use them, with a pretty decent amount of success, for certain types of workouts.
An example of one would be a recent Echo Bike/Overhead Squat couplet:
50 cals on the Assault Bike, 30 Overhead Squats at 135 lbs, and 50 more cals on the Assault Bike.
Truth be told it felt slightly odd pushing through the heels on the pedals, but this didn’t hinder my efforts at all. When I got to the overhead squats…let’s just say I was much happier to be in my Powerlifts than in my Ballistic Trainers or something similar. Not only were my feet better leveraged to snatch the bar up (which we’ll discuss in more detail in a minute), but the squats themselves were easier with the elevated heel.
Another workout consisted of heavy-ish back squats (from the rack) followed by high (and I mean high…36 inches) box jumps.
Granted, if the box jumps would have been at the more standard 24-inch height (instead of being 3 feet!) these would have been a lot easier to perform. However, after a few warm-up reps to get used to the height, these worked fine and didn’t really bog my legs down. Of course, I really appreciated the leverage on the squats.
As alluded to above, the biggest surprise with the Powerlifts is that, in my opinion, their name isn’t the most appropriate. By this I mean that something like “Weightlifts” would have been more accurate since I actually find myself performing more Oly lifts in them (snatches, cleans, deadlifts) than I do powerlifts (squats).
For sub-$90 shoes, you could do a lot worse for your Olympic lifting shoes!
I actually prefer a lower heel when Olympic lifting (I sometimes even perform my dedicated lifts in regular training shoes) so actually opt for these a lot of the time instead of higher-heeled shoes. However, purists will likely not appreciate how subdued the heel noise is when you’ve landed properly (beginners would also bemoan this as this noise is important for learning).
As far as other general training purposes go, the Powerlifts’ utility is pretty limited. There is absolutely no reason to be walking around the gym in a heeled shoe and the extra heel drop does you no favors when performing tricep pushdowns or upright rows.
Don’t press your luck; the Powerlifts already do a much better job in the crossover department than the vast majority of other dedicated powerlifting (or weightlifting) shoes do. Just make sure they’re appropriate for the specific WOD programmed.
General Training Score: 85
Stability
The Powerlifts find themselves in an interesting place when it comes to overall stability.
On one hand, for movements like deadlifts (or anything where ankle stability is prioritized), they are always going to be at a disadvantage against high-top shoes, particularly those with heavily reinforced and padded ankle areas.
As a low-top lifting shoe, there is nothing that can be done about this.
On the other hand, the interior of the shoe combines a good deal of top and lateral foot padding while also still leaving a generous amount of space in the toe box (music to the ears, I’m sure, for the millions of lifters out there who love them a wider toe box). Because of this, the foot itself is quite stable within the shoe both under load and when pulling a heavy load.
The second important aspect of stability unique to heeled shoes is the degree to which you continue to feel connected to floor through the duration of a lift. I don’t care how secure my foot feels in a shoe if the sole is sliding all over the place during a lift.
The Powerlift 5s provide this stability and I can even somewhat feel my weight and force being transferred through the sole of the shoe during lifts (particularly when squatting). I’ve also yet to find my foot shaking above the heel, creating a potentially dangerous lifting situation.
You’re never going to actually feel the ground in these like you would in most zero-drop shoes, but when you’re dealing with a heeled shoe, this is pretty much assumed.
Stability Score: 90
Construction & Materials
I may have been out of the loop for a while, but it seems that in recent(?) times, Adidas has been on more of a recycle materials kick with their products. The Powerlift 5s are no exception as the company’s commitment to incorporating these materials into their shoes’ construction is proudly displayed on the shoe box as well as with a message inside each shoe.
In my review of Adidas’ The Total, the Powerlift series’ heel-less cousin, I noted how these recycled materials were adequate, but felt a little cheap…or, in other words…like recycled materials.
The Powerlift 5s must have gotten their materials from a higher-quality recycling facility because they feel like they are much higher quality than The Total’s do.
The midsole and upper materials are nothing special, and feel slightly less robust than your typical Olympic weightlifting shoe. However, given that most of those shoes are two-to-three times as expensive as the Powerlifts, the trade-off isn’t too bad.
To be more specific, the upper materials are constructed of canvas materials that almost feel closer to what you would find in a casual or “lifestyle” shoe than they do to a serious lifting shoe. This might be a personal preference thing, but I don’t mind it.
As much as I have raved about the Powerlifts’ heel, it is the cheapest-feeling portion of the shoe, especially when you actually touch it with your hand. It’s hard, solid (and more importantly, stable) rubber (surrounded by a plastic ring), but nothing screams “quality” about it.
Regardless of how “slightly above average” its materials are, the Powerlift has withstood some pretty consistent abuse of all kinds from me. They don’t show any signs of significant wear or give the impression that they’re suffering from the strain.
I would dare to say that they are engineered quite well for their “intended” task, but when you look at the shoe’s description on the official Adidas website…man…they’re just trolling us.
One caveat…that tightening strap.
It does help to give your shoes that one last bit of snugness before getting started, but I’m always leary of these. If that thing rips, catches, etc., you’re in trouble.
To be fair, the strap itself doesn’t feel flimsy and because it sits higher on the shoe, it’s less likely to catch on something…but be careful.
Construction & Materials Score: 85
Price
The bad news: the pricing for the Powerlifts is kinda all over the place. You look on Rogue and the difference between the lowest-priced color and the highest-priced is more than 1.5x.
The good news: the most “normal” colors (plain black, plain black and red) are the cheapest offerings (at the time of this writing ~$85 and $95 each, respectively). Very affordably-priced speciality shoes.
More bad news: the most inexpensive colors have the least diversity of sizing options available.
More good news: these sizes are some of the most common (male) sizes in the Western world.
Conclusion: if you have more-or-less a “normal-sized” foot and you’re cool with a classic, plain black Adidas shoe, you can usually snag a pair for less than $100. This price doesn’t compare with some of the no-name, no frills offerings you can find on certain retail sites. However, in the grand scheme of powerlifting/weightlifting shoes, these are a good deal.
Price Score: 90
Customer Reviews
One of the interesting qualities with the Powerlift 5s is that they actually have a lower cumulative customer review score on the Adidas website than they do on one of their main secondary retailer’s sites (Rogue).
On the main page, they’re still rocking a very respectable 4.6 out of 5.
Of the (few) negative reviews, the most common complaints are with the sizing (3 or 4 customers advised to order a size up) while a few others lamented the company’s return policy. Fair enough.
Overall, the 1-to-3-star reviews constitute roughly 1/20th of the total reviews on the Adidas main site.
While there are only 11 reviews for the Powerlift 5 on Rogue, they’re all really good. There are only two 4-star reviews (there are currently no reviews lower than this) with one discussing a completely unrelated product and another from “Old Pat” in Aggieland, Texas:
“It was time to replace my old Adipowers, which were always great to squat in but were so narrow in the toe box that I dreaded wearing the shoes more than I dreaded lifting all that weight. These fit the bill for me and my old-man wide feet. The lift from toe to heel in the show is a little less than with the Adipower, but I’m good with that.
I’m taking off a star for the “END PLASTIC WASTE” message inside the shoe. When I can see that message, I’m either about to lift, or I’m tired from lifting, and I don’t need eco-preaching from some goober at a shoe company; I’ve got the internet for that. May I suggest, “Don’t be a wuss.” or “Only the strong survive.” You know, something appropriate for what I’m doing with these shoes.
Also, Rogue was great to work with through some shipping issues. Buy here with confidence.”
Can’t you just imagine its actually Rippetoe saying that second part (although I think his language would actually be a bit more graphic!)
Overall, the Powerlifts are getting a lot of love across different platforms. I feel vindicated in my assessment!
Customer Reviews Score: 92
Customer Service
I’ve never spoken to someone associated with Adidas in my life. This is a good and a bad thing:
I’ve never had such a problem with a purchase that I needed to contact them for support…good.
I’m unable to discuss what the company’s customer services is like in this review…bad.
Can’t win ’em all!
Frequently Asked Questions
As somewhat of an enigma of a shoe, there are sure to be follow-up questions. We’ll cover a few more of these here:
Are the Powerlifts appropriate for use during an ENTIRE squatting workout?
Do they offer any advantage for bench pressing?
Do you have durability concerns…wearing them throughout an ENTIRE lifting session?
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Adidas Powerlift 5 is a top-notch weightlifting shoe that offers excellent stability, support, and durability. Its breathable upper and secure fit make it comfortable for long training sessions. The responsive feel and solid platform provided by the shoe enhance performance and help lifters reach their goals. With its stylish design and reliable construction, the Adidas Powerlift 5 is a great investment for serious weightlifters looking to improve their technique and strength. Get your pair today and experience the difference in your lifting game!
