Adidas Power Perfect 2.0 and the Revelation of Weightlifting Shoes
When someone is serious about running, they buy running shoes. When someone is serious about football, they buy football boots. When someone is serious about tennis… okay, you get the idea.
So why is it so many, who are of the strength training inclination, neglect to use the right footwear?
Form and technique goes hand in hand with performance. The correct form not only provides the most mechanically advantageous movement, pushing the most weight in the most efficient manner, it also protects you from injury. The positioning of your feet is often at the heart of generating the most power, and not only in the lifts that would seem obvious, such as the squat or deadlift, but is just as important in the bench and overhead press.
Just pop “leg drive” into Google and you’ll come across a plethora of articles and videos on how driving your feet hard into the ground on the bench press can help you push more.
So with your feet being so important, it’s often perplexing to see so many people lifting in inadequate footwear. Have a look around the weights room and you’ll see a vast array, from running shoes to fashion trainers to the favourites of old school lifters, the Chuck Taylors.
The latter has been a popular choice due to the distinct lack of any compressible heel, which is where any feet issues typically arise from. On a lift like the squat or deadlift, where much of the power is generated through the posterior chain, and you are schooled to “push through your heels”, you can see how much of the power is lost when you’re pushing through what can be compared to a squishy sponge underneath your feet.
As such, you’ll have many preach the benefits of Chuck Taylors for squats and deadlifts, or to go barefoot completely. For a long while, I was a member of this school of thought, although not wearing Chucks. Instead, for the longest time, I opted for a £3 pair of plimsolls from Primark which, like the famous Chucks, featured very little in the way of heel support.
Due to their low price and disposable nature, I’ve gone through a considerable number of pairs. But during that time my squat has approached nigh on two and a half times bodyweight and my deadlift is nearly at three times – so they must have been doing something right.
But after you’ve been lifting as long as I have and the gains slows down, it leads you to consider if you’ve reached your current genetic and equipment potential. This led me to consider investing in my first pair of weightlifting shoes to see if it could help me push through the current plateau (pun absolutely intended).
After considering a number of pairs and price ranges, I opted for the Adidas Power Perfect II which is available for around £90 in the UK. I decided these would be a good entry-level pair from which I can decide if I need to upgrade down the line. Other reviews stated they were quite versatile as well in terms of being functional for squats, deadlifts and power cleans.
In my three weeks of using the Adidas Power Perfect 2.0s, I can safely say I have no plans of going back to the £3 Primark plimsolls. For me, the first time wearing weightlifting shoes was on a par with the revelation of using liquid chalk for the first time. Good shoes does for your feet what liquid chalk does for your hands and grip.
The Power Perfects feel robust and sturdy, featuring what Adidas describe as "integral rear-foot heel support for superb lightweight stability”, which means the all-important heel is well supported. The shoes are light weight partially due to the material used for the heel, which isn’t wood as some weightlifting shoes may feature, however.
Whilst squatting, the first thing I noticed was how anchored I felt to the ground. My feet moved very little and there was very little “wiggle”. I take quite a wide foot stance for squat and felt solid as a rock, even with 145kg across my shoulders.
The squat movement suddenly becomes very mechanical feeling. Now, I’ve been squatting for going on three years now, so the number of reps I’ve squatted must number in the thousands, so muscle memory is certainly there when it comes to technique, but the efficient and mechanical nature has only been magnified since I started wearing weightlifting shoes.
Due to the raised heel, it feels more comfortable and stable to “sit back” into the squat and with a solid heel it’s easier to drive power back through the heels. Even with a heavy load I feel very little heel compression, which is of course positive. My numbers have only increased marginally during the period I’ve been wearing the shoes, adding an extra rep to my personal best, but I wasn’t expecting a silver bullet solution.
So far, my only complaint is that while the Power Perfects feature a “hook-and-loop instep strap for rear foot integrity”, meaning there’s a Velcro strap you can tighten to lock your rear foot in, the front foot is not given such importance. On more expensive pairs of shoes, like my friend’s Nike Romaleos 2 which retail at closer to the £150 mark, these feature double straps – one across the mid-foot and one across the front foot. In the Adidas pair, I find my toes still move around within the shoe which can be an issue if you find yourself leaning forward at any point (which you should be trying to avoid). I can see how a second strap would benefit in this regard.
In terms of sizing, I opted for my usual trainer/football boot size and they were spot on.
I would have loved to have taken the Nike Romaleos 2 for a test drive for a direct comparison but unfortunately I have larger feet than my friend – and you know what they say about big feet*.
Needless to say, the Adidas Power Perfect 2s have been a worthy investment and I can see myself wearing them for a long time before I consider upgrading. Even for lifts like the standing overhead barbell shoulder press, having your feet anchored to the ground, with no movement, means you can push with greater efficiency.
For any serious lifter out there, I would heartily recommend the Adidas Power Perfect 2 as a good starter pair or, at the minimum, for you to consider investing in good footwear in general.
*those with larger feet are unable to wear the Nike Romaleos 2 belonging to a friend who has smaller feet.
