Adidas Powerlift 4 Review (Look, Fit & Performance)
I recently picked up a pair of Adidas Powerlift 4s. If you know me at all you may ask why would someone who primarily Olympic lifts get a pair of powerlifting shoes? Well, I got a great deal on them ($70 straight from Adidas) and I’m a psychopath who loves to try out anything and everything lifting-related.
I’ve been wearing them for about six months now and I’m going to share with you my complete Adidas Powerlift 4 Review. The good and the bad.
The Powerlift 4s are the newest iteration of Adidas’ “Powerlifting” line of shoes. I use Powerlifting in parenthesis because I imagine the majority of people using these shoes are using them to squat and perform Olympic lifts as much if not more so than strictly powerlifting.
They have a complete canvas upper that looks great, is comfortable yet stable and feels super durable. They have a raised heel slightly less exaggerated than a typical weightlifting shoe (.6″ vs .75″) and is made of an EVA foam that is solid and compression resistant.
They really shine when you start to compare the price versus a traditional lifting shoe, especially when you take into consideration the quality of design and construction that they possess.
I’m going to walk you through a complete breakdown of the Adidas Men’s Powerlift 4 from the look, feel and performance.
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Adidas Powerlift 4 Review
Adidas Powerlift 4
The Adidas Powerlift 4 is the perfect shoe for beginners getting started with weightlifting and for any lifter looking for a cost-efficient shoe that performs extremely well.
Overall Look
The look (along with the price) of the Powerlift 4 is what first caught my attention. Call me old school or maybe even boring, but I like a clean look and design with simple color schemes when it comes to shoes. This shoe definitely has a super clean look. The color schemes consist primarily of blacks and grays with small infusions of color.
Upper
The first and most noticeable aspect of the Powerlift 4 is the upper, including the tongue and the strap, is made entirely of canvas. The material has a similar feel to a heavy-duty backpack type of material. This gives the shoe a unique combination and has a really high quality, durable feel while also giving a good amount of give and flexibility.
This flexibility could be a pro or con depending on what you’re wanting from your lifting shoe. If you want a specific lifting shoe for Olympic Lifts and Squats and you like the rigidity and stability of a traditional weightlifting shoe, then you might not be a fan of the canvas.
However, if you are a beginner and this is your first lifting shoe or even if you want a lifting shoe that is versatile enough to do other movements (ie Crossfit style workouts) then you’re going to love the added flex and comfort of the canvas upper.
Don’t get me wrong, these shoes are stable. The heel has reinforced padding that keeps the heel and ankle snug in the shoe and I’ve never felt off-balance on a lift. What I’m saying is they are not quite as firm and rigid as an Adipower or Romaleo.
Heel
The Adidas Men’s Powerlift 4 Weightlifting Shoe has a heel height of 0.6″. This is slightly less than the 0.75″ heel height that you generally see in a weightlifting shoe. Having said that, you do notice that it is a raised heel. If you’ve never worn a weightlifting shoe, the lower heel height may be a good first shoe to get you used to lifting on a raised heel.
On the flip side, if you are used to (and really like) a higher heel height, then you may have a hard time adjusting to a lower heel. However, I have a few friends who have switched over to the Powerlifts because they’ve never been a big fan of the raised heel in weightlifting shoes and this shoe has given them a different option.
The other aspect of the heel that is different than a traditional shoe is the heel is made of a high-density EVA Foam. Most weightlifting shoes come with a TPU heel. So, what’s the difference? Without getting too technical a TPU heel is denser and is completely resistant to compression.
Squat 1000 pounds and the heel of your shoe won’t give an inch. The fact of the matter though is that most of us are not squatting 1000 pounds.
An EVA foam heel is going to resist compression up to about 600 pounds. So, while an EVA is as dense and compression resistant as TPU, you’re most likely not going to have any issues. If you are squatting over 600 pounds, Cheers!
Fit
The Adidas Powerlift 4 run pretty true to size. I wear a 13 pretty much across the board when it comes to shoes and my Powerlifts are a 13 and I think they fit great. The shoe runs a bit narrow and hugs my foot pretty well which I love. However, because of the material, I think they would give well to fit the size of the foot in them, even if it was a bit wider.
The toe box also has a good amount of room. There is a small issue that I’ve seen pointed out when the laces are pulled really tight which causes the material in the toe box to collapse down toward the toe box. This hasn’t been an issue for me whatsoever, but I did want to point it out.
Performance
I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how much I’ve really liked these Adidas Powerlift 4s. The lower heel takes a few lifts to get used to, but once I made the adjustment they’ve been amazing. I’ve been really impressed with the quality of the design and construction of the shoes. The midsole is on the narrow side, which fits my foot perfectly. The shoe fits snugly and the support is top-notch.
I’ve been using them for all my Olympic lifts and for squats and lunges. The only lift where I feel like I miss the higher heel is snatches and overhead squats. My flexibility in the bottom of those lifts isn’t as good as it used to be and a higher heel helps me hide that flaw. Having said that, they’ve been great for all my other lifts.
After the first month of trying them out, I seem to now gravitate towards them on lighter days. The comfort of the shoes along with the lower heel is a nice change on lighter days. It helps build the mindset of heavy days as well. When I pull out the Adipowers for a heavy day I know it’s time to start getting my mind right.
Price
If I’m being honest, this is the main factor that piqued my interest initially. They retail for $100 (check for the most current price) which is already a great deal for a pair of lifting shoes, but being able to get a pair for $70 was something I couldn’t resist.
Most weightlifting shoes are going to run you in the neighborhood of $200. So for less than half that, you can pick up a pair of shoes that are going to fill the needs of most lifters.
There are very real differences between the Powerlifts and say, a Romaleo, Adipowers or Do-Win, but if you’re good with those differences then the price on these is something that is really hard to pass up.
Final Thoughts
Calling the Adidas Powerlift 4 a good “entry-level” lifting shoe I think is a bit of a slight to how good of a shoe these actually are. Are Powerlifts a great first lifting shoe for someone who hasn’t worn a lifting shoe before? Yes. Are Powerlifts a great price point for someone wanting to purchase their first lifting shoe? Absolutely.
But, these Powerlift 4s are better, in my opinion, than just an “entry-level” shoe. I’ve been wearing lifting shoes for over 20 years and I really enjoy lifting in them. If they can perform well against my level of “shoe snobbishness” then I think almost anyone will really enjoy these shoes as long as your expectations of the shoe are correct.
Hopefully, this Adidas Powerlift 4 Review has given you a solid idea of what to expect if you decide to purchase a pair of Powerlift 4s and if you do, I hope you end up enjoying them as much as I do.
