Adidas The Total review

Based on our lab measurements and multiple wear tests, we can confirm that Adidas The Total is a perfect shoe for athletes who want:

• a grounded, zero-drop shoe for deadlifting (an excellent replacement for your Converse Chucks)
• a lifting shoe that can also do cross-training
• a shoe with plenty of room in the toebox

The Total is optimized for deadlifts and is not a very versatile training shoe. If you need a go-to trainer for a wide range of cardio and strength training exercises, we recommend the Adidas Dropset 2 or the Nike Free Metcon 5 instead.

And if your lifting routine revolves around squats or you have poor ankle mobility, investing in the wedged Adidas Powerlift 5 would be more reasonable.

Just by looking at it, we could already tell that the midsole of the Adidas The Total was on the thinner side. Hence, we were not anymore shocked when our caliper measured the heel part of the midsole to be only 12.5 mm thick.

It is an exceptionally grounded lifting shoe that made us feel very close to training barefoot.

Just like the heel area, the forefoot part of the midsole was also quite thin. The caliper measured it to be only 12.5 mm thick. 

Based on our stack measurements, the Adidas The Total delivers on promise - 0.0 mm of heel-to-toe drop. This shoe is as flat as it can be.

In zero-drop shoes, your foot sits flat on top of the sole, just like it would on the floor. There is no heel elevation whatsoever. Paired with the shoe's thin sole, this setup allowed us to achieve greater stability by having a better ground feel.

The midsole of the Adidas The Total felt rather hard underfoot. But it was very helpful in maintaining balance as we hoisted weights off the floor and overhead.

Our HA durometer gave the midsole a softness rating of 40.0, which is way higher (therefore firmer) than the average of regular cross-trainers.

The removable insole was just as thick as the average at 3.6 mm. It succeeded in providing comfort to our feet buffering them from the firm sole.

Offering plenty of toe space, the Total allows for a very comfortable toe splay during the deadlift.

Checking the 1:1 gel replica of the shoe's interiors, our caliper showed an above-average reading of 96.5 mm in the widest part. Even in its standard width, the Total proved to be wide foot friendly.

There is absolutely no toebox tapering in the Adidas The Total! It comes with an unusually wide, ergonomically shaped forefoot.

Measuring its width in the big toe area, we got a very high reading of 77.7 mm. That makes it one of the widest and roomiest lifting shoes we've tested!

However, the vertical space of this Adidas trainer remains on par with the average at 25.6 mm. It's not very tall but it doesn't put any pressure on top of the toes either.

A Velcro strap further secures the lockdown. It is placed closer to the ankle for enhanced foothold.

The construction of the Total differs from other lifting shoes a lot. That's why it's a bit tricky to compare its lateral stability with other shoes in this category.

But on its own, this Adidas lifter provides just enough stability for what it's meant to do the best and that is deadlifting.

Unsurprisingly, the Adidas The Total has a highly flexible build. We twisted it manually in the lab and rated its torsional rigidity with the lowest score of 1 out of 5.

If you're coming from a stiff pair of lifters or Crossfit shoes, do expect an adaptation period in this Adidas trainer. The muscles and tendons of your feet and legs will have to work harder than usual. But that's the benefit of such minimalist shoe design - your whole body is properly engaged!

The heel counter was pretty dependable. Our rearfoot couldn't escape easily from its pretty secure grasp on it. 

We gave the heel area a good squeeze in the lab, and we gave it a well-deserved 4 out of 5 for its notable stiffness.

The footprint that the Adidas The Total left on the floor did not look particularly big or small. True enough, our caliper measured the forefoot width to tbe 110.8 mm, a number which is just around the average we have on record.

Like the forefoot, the heel area also had an average measurement. The reading that our caliper made was 84.8 mm. 

Just because there was nothing special with the platform did not mean that we had problems with it. Despite its averageness, the platform was still able to keep our feet in the footbed during our exercises. The fact that this shoe had a markedly low profile helped a great deal.

The minimalist construction of this Adidas trainer is surely reflected in its highly flexible nature. We were able to perform burpees and mountain climbers with much ease because of how much forefoot give we got from this Adidas trainer.

Our flexibility test revealed that the Total needed only 5.8N of force to bend by 30 degrees which is the least amount of force we ever needed to bend a lifting shoe in our lab.

We felt that the Adidas The Total weighed just like any other training shoe that we tried. Performance-wise, there was not much to be too mindful about.

Our in-lab weighing scale reported a weight of 11. 5 ounces or 327 grams, a number which is just around the average.

We hate to say this, but when we were gymming in the Adidas The Total, we looked forward to the time that we were finally taking it off. It was just so hot inside it!

As seen in the video above, the smoke that we pumped into the shoe couldn't escape easily through both the tongue and the toebox. The breathability performance of the The Total (which we ultimately rated 2 over 5) paled in comparison to that of the Adidas Dropset 2, which got a perfect 5 for ventilation.

To be fair, light was able to pass through the nine ventilation holes right on top of the toebox.

However, this never translated into the airiness that would have made our workout sessions a lot more enjoyable. 

We examined the toebox material under the microscope, and we noticed just how compact it is save for the ventilation holes. Maybe concentrating the holes just on top of the toebox was not enough to ensure breathability? Adidas should be more strategic with the placement of the ventilation holes next time.

The compactness of the toebox messed up the shoe's breathability. Fortunately, it came with some sort of saving grace: it led to notable durability. We accidentally bumped the toebox against some equipment in the gym, and it still emerged practically unscathed.

Our Dremel drilling against the toebox barely scratched the surface. We gave it a well-deserved 4 out of 5. As the picture below shows, the scratch left on the Adidas The Total is nothing compared to the hole that we saw in the Adidas Dropset Trainer, which we gave the lowest rating of 1 over 5.

The durability of the heel padding was even more noteworthy. Our Dremel test looked like mere child's play. We were confident that no amount of rubbing could lead to serious damage in this area.

As can be seen in the picture below, there was barely any trace that a high-pressure Dremel drilling tried to wreak havoc on the heel. The Adidas The Total truly deserved the perfect 5 we gave it. The MC Trainer 2 (pictured below) from Nike did not display as much resistance. Hence, it had to settle with a 1 over 5.

When it came to outsole hardness, there was nothing extraordinary with the Adidas The Total. True enough, our HC durometer gave it a rating of 85.5, a number that's very close to the average we have on record.

Just like its hardness, the durability of the outsole was just around the average as well. We do not think that this trainer is the best choice for outdoor workouts, but using it outdoors once in a while shouldn't be a problem, either.

Our Dremel drilling only left a dent that was 0.8 mm deep. This much damage was also what the average trainer would get.

Our caliper measured the outsole to be only 2.1 mm thick. This number makes the outsole of the Adidas The Total slightly thinner than average. 

We did not have issues with traction. Whether it was rubber or hardwood, the shoe performed brilliantly on both.

The Adidas The Total did not have any reflective materials on it. It was quite clear that this shoe should only be used in areas with good lighting.

Based on how the tongue was configured, we could say that this shoe was gunning for a more minimal feel. According to our caliper measurements in the lab, the tongue was only 1.9 mm thick! It felt barely there that there were times we forgot we actually had a pair of shoes on! People gunning for a more barefoot feel could go with the Adidas The Total.

The shoe's tongue is partially attached on both sides. We found it quite helpful for holding the midfoot firmly to compensate for the roomy toebox.

There was a finger-loop heel tab that allowed us to wear and take off this shoe with much ease.

The insole was removable, which was quite handy when we had to wear inserts to further improve our performance in the gym.