Adidas Amplimove Review: Great Shoe for Budget Shoppers?

Who Should Buy the Adidas Amplimove?

Despite, or maybe because of, its cheaper build, the Amplimove performs better than it has any right to. It’s what you get when you take Adidas’s years of experience in sport-specific shoes and pour that knowledge into a generalist trainer made with cost-conscious materials.

1. Budget-focused buyers who want a capable training shoe that doesn’t feel like trash.
2. Fitness generalists and beginners who mix light lifting, HIIT, short runs, and gym classes into their week.
3. Folks who like a bit more structure and arch support in their shoes. This shoe provides a solid wider platform for the narrow and medium width foot crowd.

Who Should Skip the Amplimove?

For all the areas the Amplimove overdelivers, it still has its limitations. It’s still a budget shoe at the end of the day.

1. If you have wide feet (2E+) or thicker feet, the aggressive mid foot and toe box taper can be too restricting.
2. If you have a flat foot or require custom orthotics, the high arch support combined with the lack of a removable insole, make this a pass for you.
3. All the heavy lifters out there, skip this model and go find the Adidas Dropset Trainer 3 (or, if you can find it, the GOAT-ed Dropset Trainer 2).

Sizing and Fit Suggestions

About My Feet: I have a normal arch/instep and my feet come in at an E/EE width. The length of my left and right foot are consistent with one another, and I size as a true US 10 for most companies’ sizing charts.

Ampimove Fit Breakdown:

• Narrow feet: True to size
• Medium width: True to size.
• E and EE feet: True to size, a bit snug
• 3E+ width feet: Honestly, pass on this model, it’s too snug and the taper is too aggressive

The Amplimove fits true to size for narrower foot widths. Even for my E/EE foot though, it started to feel snug and the high arch support started to be noticeable the longer I wore it. I’ll go more into that in a bit though when I break down how it performs for daily wear.

The midfoot taper and shallow toe box can feel restrictive, especially out of the box. Again, if you’re a 3E+ width, have a flatter foot, or thicker instep, this shoe just won’t cut it. As much as I’d love to recommend this shoe for everyone, you’ll have to look elsewhere for a budget friendly shoe that fits your foot.

It is worth noting that the insole isn’t truly non-removable. It is glued down and trying to rip it out reveals that glue layer that becomes more hassle than it’s worth. Could you rip it out and put your custom orthotic in? Sure. Is it worth it in the long run? Probably not.

So unless you love everything else about the shoe and removing the insole would make it the perfect fit for you, I’d leave it where it is.

Performance Breakdown

Good General Lifter: 7-7.5/10

The Amplimove holds its own in the weight room for the most part. It features a medium-density EVA foam midsole that provides decent feedback under moderate weight and doesn’t compress too easily. I felt solid and stable in these doing some hang cleans with 225 lbs. Once you start to get up to 275-300 lbs, the thicker midsole starts to become less stable and more of a hindrance than a performance boost.

For your general hypertrophy and machine work, though? This shoe performs with the best of them. The full rubber tread grips tight to machines, there’s no sliding around doing a hack squat or leg press. The reinforced upper did a great job preventing any spill over when I was pushing laterally. It really doesn’t feel cheap under load, unlike a lot of budget shoes.

If your workouts are mostly hypertrophy, strength machines, dumbbell work, and some lighter barbell work, this shoe does more than enough to hold its own and earn a spot in your go-bag.

Above Average Cross-Trainer: 8/10

This is where the Amplimove really shines for its price.

The reinforced mesh upper contributed greatly to multi-directional work and quick cuts and lateral moves. Combined with its snug midfoot, the shoe creates a locked-in feel, once it’s broken in that is. The full rubber tread on the bottom gripped the floor wonderfully during quick pivots and box jumps.

Compared to other budget shoes, the Amplimove breathes very well, largely in part to the mesh layer upper. Once the break-in period is done, it starts to feel surprisingly flexible and reactive in fast-paced HIIT workouts..

You won’t confuse it for a more purpose built shoe like Nano X5 or Metcon 9, but for HIIT classes, light circuits, and general cross-training? It punches way above its weight class.

A Subpar, What You’d Expect Runner: 7/10

Let’s be clear: this is not a running shoe. This is where the budget-friendly materials start to show their limits.

That said, for 400-1,000 meter warm-ups to a mile cool down, or short treadmill sprints, the Amplimove is serviceable. The medium EVA foam midsole offers enough rebound without feeling too unstable.

Don’t mistake that rebound for plush, though. It’s definitely not designed for high-mileage running. But it works for short cardio bursts on the treadmill. And if you’re more of a stair-stepper or rower person, it gets the job done.

In a Pinch Daily Driver: 7/10

The comfort is decent once you get past the break-in period. Expect that to take a week or two unless you speed it up by manually working the upper and outsole.

Still, that high arch, aggressive taper, and narrow forefoot start to wear on you over long hours. If you’re planning to wear these all day for errands or standing shifts, you’ll probably notice the quirks. It’s doable, just not ideal for prolonged daily wear.

Construction Details

My US size 10 weighed in at 11.15 oz. Not the heaviest shoe when it comes to general use trainers. Adidas also doesn’t advertise the heel-to-toe drop on their site for the Amplimove. If I had to guess, it’s between 4 and 6 mm, likely on the 6 mm side.

Again, there is no removable insole so if you do have thicker feet or wear custom orthotics, take that into consideration and maybe look at a different option.

There’s a synthetic overlay on the toe box and an extended outsole lip on the bottom of the forefoot for extra protection in case you catch your toe on something solid. The mesh upper runs throughout the fore and mid foot, with some textile overlays on both sides showcasing the Adidas 3 Stripe branding. At the back, it has a faux leather wrap on the boot with a heat stamped brand.

The tongue is a wider padded mesh with no gusset. Not my favorite, and unfortunately common among budget shoes. With the right lace pattern, compliments of the 6 core eyelets (and a 7th for lace lock), you can mitigate the tongue slide.

The bottom of the shoe features a full length rubber outsole. There are breaks in the tread at the fore and mid foot that aid in its flexibility.

Final Verdict: Would I Buy Again?

The Adidas Amplimove is easily one of the best gym shoes I’ve ever reviewed under $70. It’s not perfect, and it won’t work for everyone. It is a budget shoe after all.

If you’re just getting into training and don’t need that hyper specific shoe or want something that’s a bit more budget-friendly that can still perform when you want it to, this shoe fits that bill.

Adidas clearly made compromises to hit this price point, and, kudos to them, they did it smartly. None of the trade-offs kill the shoe’s performance. They’re just things to be aware of. It’s basically a budget Rapidmove ADV 2, with cheaper materials and a bit less refinement.

Bottom line, if I were on a strict budget and wanted the most well-rounded shoe I could find, I would absolutely pick this one up. 

And for a less than $70 price tag? Come on, you can’t beat that!