Review: "Toe Shoes" Adipure by Adidas

I have been testing out the Adipure "barefoot" trainers for the past few months and thought I would write up a bit of a review.

I am a big fan of barefoot training, in fact, as a young runner we were always encouraged to train barefoot on grass to strengthen our feet/ toes and legs in general.  Although I dont run barefoot anymore, I still always tried to train in the gym barefoot. Unfortunately this is often frowned up by gym operators!

The Adipure is basically designed to mimic being barefoot, with a little extra protection for the soles of the feet.  I was originally a Vibram Five Finger wearer, the originators of this type of shoe, but wanted to see how Adipures measured up. To be blatantly honest, one of the main reasons I wanted a change was the Adipure looks a lot cooler! Of course any shoe that looks a "foot glove" looks a little weird, and I am not ready to wear them out on the street just yet, but for the gym they work!

But the real question is, does it improve movement/ training in the gym? Structurally the Adipures are very flexible and do allow for very natural movement. The soles are a little more stiff than the Vibrams that I have worn, but I prefer this when I am doing heavy weight training as I get a quicker response via the nerve sensors in my feet and it also allows for a very good base of support.

The highlight for me in the design are the toes. With the Vibrams my toes felt slightly displaced, but the "wetsuit" like material in the Adipures are very comfortable (dont notice any seams) and I really feel good control of my toes.

All in all, I think Adidas have done a great job with these shoes and its great to see a major shoemaker get into this market. Their ability to promote "barefoot" training shoes will benefit many people who are currently training in heavy, cushioned  gym shoes and in turn suffering from a variety of orthopedic injuries.

So why dont I run in them long distances? I have progressed to "Free" trainers (little support and super flexible soles)  for running but after years of running thousands of kilometres in running shoes I am not ready to change. I have tried short runs but had some pain in my platar fascia (bottom of my feet) and Achilies tendons. Short bursts on soft surfaces are fine, but for longer running, for now, I will stick to the "free" trainers.

So all in all- I say five toes shoes are a great step in shoe develop! They definitely do improve training conditions and your body"s bio-mechanics.

 I encourage anyone wanting to make the transition to do so with caution- start slow! Gym training, walking, short jogs are a great way to allow your feet to adjust- after all, they more than likely havent worked right for decades!

Check out the Adipures here.

Yours in health,

Nathan
Tokyo Fitness Personal Training