Adidas Samba Review: Can You Work Out In Them?

There aren’t many things that are as nostalgic as a fresh pair of Sambas. All the way back to my indoor soccer days and early days of strength training, the Sambas hold a special place in my heart.

Though, like most do, I transitioned early into Converse and Vans for training before diving headfirst into the world of training shoes.

Sambas seem to be back in the zeitgeist these days, and it got me thinking: how do they really hold up for training? Can you lift in them? Are they any good for cross-training?

Put on those basketball shorts. Grab your discman. Throw on an early 00’s playlist, that one with Headstrong on it. Let’s take a closer look at the Adidas Samba OG.

Who Should Buy the Samba for the Gym?

• Athletes in past lives: These are a great training shoe for someone with a soccer or athletic background that’s looking to recapture that old-school athletic shoe feel.
• Lifting-focused folks: If you’re looking for a shoe primarily for lifting and little to no cardio, these are for you.
• Narrower feet: Anyone with a narrower foot that’s turned off by how every other minimalist shoe is too wide, you’re in luck.

Who Shouldn’t Buy the Samba for the Gym?

• Warm weather dwellers: If you live in hotter climates, these simply do not breathe well and for training they can run hot.
• Wider foot folks: If you have wider feet, anything 2E wide or bigger, you’ll want to pass. Grab a training shoe that’s better for wide feet.
• You do a lot of HIIT/take classes: If you primarily train HIIT or circuit training, anything with more of a cardio focus, these aren’t the shoes for you.

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. 

Fit Breakdown:

• Narrow feet: True to size. 
• Medium (D) and E width: True to size.
• 2E+: Skip altogether.

These fit exactly how I remembered them, and are more narrow than I remember at the same time. Length-wise, they were perfect in my size 10. After years of wearing wider shoes though, I was caught off guard by how narrow they were. Between the narrow toe box and the aggressive mid foot taper, I’m not sure even sizing up a half size would give me enough room.

If you have a 2E+ width foot, I’d suggest passing on these altogether. For everyone else, stick true to size. Size how you would your other shoes from Adidas or any of the other big names.

Performance Breakdown

Lifting: 8/10

This is where the Samba OG’s excelled. Their stability and grip are solid. They’re perfect for your more static lifts like squats and deadlifts. And thanks to the heavier leather and suede materials of the upper, they have zero issues with security and lockdown. I pushed these through some decently heavy cleans without any spillover or slippage.

If your training tends to lean more strength and hypertrophy focused (powerlifters and weightlifters) with a good mix of dumbbell and machine accessory, these are going to be great. Provided you have a narrow foot that is.

One thing to note here, be careful if you’re doing any movement where you’re going into deep ankle flexion. Think deficit split squats and sissy squats. The raised heel will rub into your achilles. A good pair of crew or half-crew socks will provide some protection, but you’ll still feel it.

Cross-Training & CrossFit: 7.6/10

This is where things start to get a bit iffy for the Sambas. I ran these through a metcon with kettlebell swings, suitcase carries, and calories on the ski-erg. That’s about as far as I’d want to take them into the cardio realm. 

They’re just not breathable enough for anything that gets the body temp up. That’s the trade off for looking good and having all that upper stability, the suede and leather trap heat in the shoe.

If you like to occasionally mix in some cross-training movements, or if your gym programs more strength work than cardio work, you’ll be fine. Once you start getting into cardio-heavy metcons with thrusters and lunges, you’ll be second-guessing your decisions.

Short Runs: 5/10

I’m not going to lie to you, I didn’t run in these for my review. They’re too narrow and too hot for me to run in. To be fair, I didn’t love running in them when I played soccer and I doubt much has changed there.

Could you get away with some light intervals occasionally? Maybe. I wouldn’t recommend it though. If you’re looking for a pair of shoes for short runs, keep looking.

Daily Wear: 7/10

I remember a time in my life when I would have worn these all day, everyday. This is not that time. As much as I love the nostalgic vibe of the Sambas, they’re too narrow and it’s too hot here in Arizona for me to wear these out and about.

That said, if you live in a more mild climate and have narrower feet, you’ll love these. They strike a great balance between minimalist vibe and low stack height with a decent heel drop and comfort.

Construction Details

The Sambas have a suede overlay on the toe box that wraps around before terminating near the mid foot on either side. Underneath, the upper is leather and runs from the forefoot through to the heel.

There is an Adidas 3 Stripe leather overlay on both the lateral and medial side of the mid foot, more ornamental than functional. And the heel has a raised leather tab to help you pull them on. The boot itself is a padded mesh with a single external leather overlay running vertically.

The mid foot features 6 core eyelets with two additional eyelets at the top for lace lock. The tongue is a thicker leather tongue with a lace loop for added security.

The midsole is a gum rubber and runs throughout the shoe. The outsole is a gum rubber that runs the entire length. It has a scale pattern under the mid foot and heel. The tread switches to a triangle pattern under the forefoot with pivot points.

Final Thoughts: Would I Keep Using Them?

I do love the nostalgia of these shoes.

They absolutely get my stamp of approval for lifting. I probably won’t be buying them again though based on fit and feel for me personally.

But for the right (narrow footed strength) athlete, they’re going to be an amazing shoe.