Nike romaleos II vs adidas adipure trainer

[al bundy5]

Hello fellow niketalkers.
I'm on the hunt for a good shoe for my weightlifting workouts. The only exercises where I really need good shoes are squats and deadlifts. Obviously I don't really care about the shoes when I'm benching or doing chin ups. 

I'm looking at the adipure trainer and the nike romaleos II. The romaleos looks good but is seems more geared towards olympic lifts, whihc I don't really do. I lift for muscle mass, not to compete. Plus I can only find them in the US or Australia, so the $200 retail jumps to 280 when you add shipping to London and taxes. And if I don't like the fit, I'm out $280.

The adipure looks decent and I can get it here for about $120. But I'm not sure if it performs well or is just a marketing gimmick.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[vood99]

A few of the guys in my gym are running the Adipure Trainer - they do look funky and they haven't beeen running them for too long so they don't have much to say. Based on looks alone it is definitely as close as you're going to get to training barefoot.

I had a look at the Romaleos and they are significantly higher off the ground and they look like they slope downwards. Might offer stability when doing squats, but at the same time - it may not feel natural and may not develop your stabilizer muscles correctly.

I personally run Nike Frees at the gym - an aging 5.0 V2 but I'm going to make the switch to the 3.0 in the near future. If you had to pick between the 2, I'd say go with the Adipure Trainers but give the 3.0 Frees a shot too.

 

[al bundy5]

Thanks for the advice vood99.

The raised heel does look problematic when doing deadlifts. And as you said might not be ideal for squats.

My personal preference is training barefoot but I go to this sissy gym and they don't allow it.

I'll have a look at the nike frees also

 

[ed2324]

I'm using this pair http://www.roguefitness.c...ner-black-royal-blue.php and I love them.. I dont O-lift, focusing more on the powerlifting movements. It does the job for squats and overhead presses, but the slightly raised heel makes me feel awkward when doing deads.
I guess you could go with these or try the New Balance Minimus http://www.newbalance.com...us_zero,default,pg.html. I've held the NB Minimus, they're a hybrid of Vibrams barefoot feel with the support of a NB runner.
OR.. get a pair of Converse Chucks
I have a pair of Nike Free Run+, they're terrible for squatting and overhead pressing; feels very wobbly and not stable. I only use them for sprint training and upper body training sessions.

 

[al bundy5]

Thanks ed2324.

Chucks could be good, no cushioning and flat.
I currently use the puma future cat lows. Flat, low cut and comfortable

I ordered a pair of the adipure, but later found out that they have a cushioned midsole. I thought it might be ok if the cushion is hard and doesn't compress, but it's soft and compresses a lot; There's no way I'm squatting or deadlifting in these. Plus, I hate the sizing. Got the same size I wear in nike's, the fit's ok but getting my toes into the spacing is hell. I still haven't been able to do it. Back to the store they go

 

[vood99]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy5

Thanks for the advice vood99.

The raised heel does look problematic when doing deadlifts. And as you said might not be ideal for squats.

My personal preference is training barefoot but I go to this sissy gym and they don't allow it.

I'll have a look at the nike frees also

Dunno if Al Bundy would go to the gym, but that sounds like something he'd say! Apart from the fit, is the cushioning on the Adipure really that significant? I would also stay away from Chucks - those shoes always hurt the soles of my feet. I've never had any stability issues with my Free 5.0s or any of my Air/Zoom shoes. Max Air and Shox are slightly unstable though - the former due to softer air units and the latter due to the Shox height.

  

 

[al bundy5]

Lol. He looks like he does. His upper body looks big, and he actually did play college football in real life.
I miss Married with children. This new show he's on just sucks

They say it's only a small amount of cushioning, but the shoes compressed significantly just from walking in them.
I saw this video on youtube with Adidas' head trainer. He did a whole song and dance about how great these are for training, but he would say that. I checked some of his videos, they're geared more towards aerobics than weightlifting.
Now, I'm a bit confused about what to get. I might just stick it out with my pumas

 

[watermelonbro]

If you're serious about olympic weightlifting, the Nike Romaleos 2 is, in my opinion, the best shoe out there. It's kind of a hefty investment though, so if you're just looking for squatting shoes, the shoes made by Rogue Fitness should suit your purposes for about 60 bucks less. The Romaleos 2 offers better lateral stability in my opinion, though.

 

[cowed77]

get the romaleos if ur squatting, the higher heel makes it easier for u to go low. not alot of ppl have the required flexibility to get down properly without the back rounding.
should have no probs deadlifting as well.

but in a pinch, nike frees will work.

just not air maxes, like how those crazy peeps at the other thread are all suggesting.
makes me think they have never lifted in their life, and yet are giving advice.

 

[flutacris34]

I use a pair of Romaleos for my deadlifts, squats and olympic lifts. I love them. They slant down so your heels are a little bit higher than your toes and ball of your foot. it really helps me keep my weight back and heels on the ground when I'm squatting. They're are built pretty well too, in my opinion.

 

[al bundy5]

I'm starting to like the romaleos more and more. Now I just got to find them for a decent price. I can squat low but I have to set my legs really wide to get low, so I end up working my legs biceps and glutes more than my quads. I balance it out by doing leg extensions for the quads

Yeah, those guys recommending air max shoes for lifting sound like they either don't lift or do 20 sets of biceps curls and bench presses every workout and never train their lower body