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All You Need to Know About the adidas Energy Boost and BOOST Foam

Styrofoam, huh?

Far from Styrofoam… I will admit that it does look similar but trust me, its nothing like Styrofoam which is great for absorbing impact but horrible at returning the energy put into it.

A first in the industry, BOOST is a soft and lightweight cushioning technology that stores and releases energy like nothing else we’ve seen in the industry. BOOST provides the highest energy return we’ve ever tested. -Mikal Peveto

If you find this little snippet intriguing then you must head over to Counter Kicks & check out the rest of their interview with Mikal Peveto as he tells us all we need to know about the adidas Energy Boost & BOOST technology.

After the jump is a video I had made after running in the Energy Boost – in case you wanted to watch it. I never posted it here before because I didn’t think anyone would be too interested but I’ll let you be the judge of that.

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16 comments
  1. Highly intriguing concept and excellent innovation by Adidas. I personally am a Zoom Air fanatic…but Boost looks to be a new juggernaut in the industry. EVA is proven but has its weaknesses. BOOST looks to be like a new Superman…but this time Kryptonite-proof! Can’t wait to see BOOST in bball shoes. FIYAAAAAHHH!!! Great VLOG btw NightWing. Big thanks for updates! — Fellow Thundercat — Slinks

  2. Interesting to see which BBall shoe would benefit from this tech,

    D-Rose 4 perhaps…..

    I guess it all depends on the sale of the Running shoe, if the shoe becomes a hit with runners, it would definitely impact a Basketball shoe version of this BOOST Foam.

  3. Great video man! Looks like the hype was true. I hope they help out with shit splints cuz I hate when they creep up after not running for a while. I know how you said the big heel is their for a reason, for those who heel strike once the muscles from using proper forefoot technique are tired. I actually wish they would make shoes with less heel drop, because if you train using a minimalist forefoot strike you will find that you don’t have to heel strike as much. There are studies that show heel striking causes more impact on you knees. So it’s a good thing these have a lot of heel cushioning. The thing is shoes with bigger heels are harder to run with you forefoot because you have to lean in more and focus on not landing on you heel (This makes running more of a task rather than enjoyable). The bigger the heel the harder it is to land on you forefoot. I just wish Adidas, Nike, or anyone would listen to the growing minimalistic running community and make a shoe with less of a heel and even a true minimalist design by make the heel and the forefoot even in height which is what the running community calls “zero drop”. If boost cushioning is so amazing then having less foam in the heel should not make a big difference when heel striking. Nike has done a great thing with the Nike free line which come in three versions the 3.0, 5.0, and 7.0. The Nike free 3.0 line now has a 4mm heel to toe drop with is very comfortable and efficient to run in. Many are hoping Nike releases a Nike free shoe with a zero mm drop in order to finish the series. I also hope shoes with 4mm drop and zero drops make it to basketball. I actually think Nike’s lunarlon basketball shoes such as the Kobe 8 are very close to zero drop. I can say that having the kobe 8 the lunarlon insole is very close to zero drop and is a joy to play in. I think it is the phylon in the heel of the shoe that makes the heel feel a little higher that the rest of the shoe. Running efficiently is also very important in basketball and having shoes without a clunky heel will greatly benefit the game. What do you think Nightwing? Have you heard of the minimalist running movement?

    1. Adidas are going to come our with a lower drop running shoe with boost tech in the next few months.

      Also Adidas does have a minimalist line of shoes under the name adipure.

  4. Nightwing,

    does the rebound feel much like zoom air? how responsive is it? does it give you better lift than the zoom or just similar?

  5. *out

    ^

    I have a pair of the boost and they are basically a softer and more responsive version of Lunar foam.

      1. Yeah and if they do make a boost bball shoe I hope they redesign the sprint fame so they don’t have that tpu plastic that covers most of the heel. I really don’t like the feeling of something hard under my foot. That’s why I love my Kobe 8s so much.

    1. Yeah Adi-lee I have seen the adipure shoes but those have very little cushioning and are more fore barefoot training. I more interested in companies making cushioned zero drop shoes. I’m really hoping they make a zero drop boost shoe (i would buy them in a heartbeat) because I know there is a growing market for zero drop shoes. I have been running in brooks pureflow which is 4mm drop running shoe and have great cushioning. The pureflow is a good example of how a shoe and have a lower heel drop and have a good balance of cushioning for running longer distances. Just because a shoes is minimalist or has a low or zero heel drop doesn’t mean it has to have less cushioning. Different needs for different consumers. You can make one shoes with less cushioning like the adipure line or a cushioned low/zero drop shoe. Its a shame that there are so few zero drop shoes such as the New Balance Minimus Road Zero. I hope more companies can start trusting in the consumers and make shoes they want to run in. Once this starts happening companies can start implementing lower heel drops as well as zero drops into basketball shoes since they have very low heel drops already. This idea shouldn’t be far fetched since basketball used to be played in Converse chuck taylor’s which I’m pretty sure were and are still “zero drop” and while I’m not saying they are a great shoe, at the time everyone played in them so it was an even playing field when it came to cushioning and traction, and while I’m no historian and that period was before my time, I don’t think players really complained about balling in chucks. The human body can adapt with whats its given and any lack of cushioning can be balanced by training and improving your conditioning which makes you knees stronger and be able to handle shoes with little cushioning such as chucks.

  6. EpicballerEd I was referring to the adipure motion, gazelle, and adapt. These shoes start from 11mm drop to a 4 mm drop. Adidas has a liine like the adizero, supernova, and adistar series that offer different shoes for different purposes. For example the afizero line is dedicated to making apparel, shoes etc. with the lightest tech, materials, and fabrics possible. I believe the shoes you are referring to are the Adipure Trainer (five toe shoes) which are specifically made for gym training. Sorry for the confusion.

    1. ^^Oh yeah I was referring to the adipure trainer. Still I’m not not a big fan of adiprene even though I’ve only tried it on their basketball shoes its to firm for my taste. I’d actually prefer they used a more consistent full length cushioning such as EVA which offers more coverage. That’s why a lot of people enjoy the comfort of the Rose 3 EVA, Micro G, and Lunarlon. I think companies should make more full length cushioning and offer support by experimenting with outriggers such as the phylon wing that is on the kobe 8 which is offers amazing support. I can’t wait for an adidas boost basketball shoe but ill be disappointed if has a big heel drop like 11mm. Big heels can hinder movement and cause ankle instability which leads to injury in basketball related movements.

      1. I recently watched a press conference on the Energy Boost and found out they have an a more firm EVA layer in the midsole for support. It would be great if Adidas did the same for a boost basketball shoe but only on the lateral side where it’s really needed. Companies should definately try designing outriggers with firm foams instead of hard rubber or plastic. I think just having the outsole wrap up with a combination of rubber and foam like the kobe 8 is enough. Though I think the rubber on the kobe 8 wraps up a little to high (like where the kobe symbol is) and the shoe would be more comfortable with a the rubber coming up a little and then making the rest of the outrigger with a phylon wing.

        1. On second thought, I think the reason the rubber is raised was to contain the responsive lunarlon cushion in order to give them more stability. I think more firm phylon, flywire, or some other supportive material be used on the lateral side as well for stability.

  7. I hope that if Adidas does make a boost bball shoe they should make them with a 4mm heel drop. This would appraise the minimalist type consumer and give the average consumer a shoe with an experience that is similar to what the bball shoes that are out today. Still I won’t be happy until they start making zero drop shoes for all types of shoes: running, basketball, soccer, hiking, etc. Yes heel cushioning is important, but a couple of millimeters doesn’t mean it’s better, it all depends on the material and boost technology is no ordinary material. And yes big players like centers post up a lot and need heel cushioning that still doesn’t mean heel striking is good for you, it actually puts more stress on your knees.. And like I said before that big heel will also get it the way of proper running technique,, which is to run on your forefoot. I hope sneaker heads and ballers understand why I’m writing all this because I just want to help athletes, whether you play professionally or recreationally, stay healthy so they can continue stay active in whatever sport or activity they’re into.

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