Hot on the heels of its Energy Boost, Adidas announced a new running shoe on Monday that the company says puts more bounce in your step. The Adidas Springblade features 16 plastic "blades" that make up the shoe's foam-less midsole. The goal is for the shoe to spring back with each step and propel a runner forward.

Those blades underfoot are the most attention-grabbing component of the shoe, but they are simple plastic leaf springs, which get compressed with each footstrike and recoil as you proceed through the gait cycle.

"Six years in the making, Springblade provides one of the highest energy returns in the industry," said Mikal Peveto, director of running at Adidas America.

Traditionally, running shoes have used a foam midsole, which rebounds only in a vertical direction. For example, see the "ball drop" demo from the Energy Boost introduction. But the blades on this new shoe have different thicknesses and angles, which can influence the amount and direction of that energy return. Each blade is "tuned" differently to correspond to its position on the shoe, as well as to take into account body mass; men and women will get shoes with the appropriate amount of flex and response.

But what, if anything, does that mean for a runner? Nobody really knows yet, as Amby Burfoot highlighted in a piece earlier this year about the Energy Boost. In that article, Amby wrote, "Most exercise physiologists believe that increased energy return has meaning only if it decreases the amount of oxygen you use while running."

Based on the information available at the shoe's launch, it's not clear whether such a benefit exists. In fact, it's possible any gains from energy return may be offset by the added weight of the shoe. Several studies have shown that heavier shoes increase a runner's oxygen consumption--about 1 percent for every 100 grams (3.5 ounces). The Springblade is expected to weigh 12.8 ounces--a full three ounces heavier than the Energy Boost.

A note: Runner's World has not yet thoroughly tested the Springblade. Our customary shoe-testing process involves making mechanical measurements in the RW Shoe Lab in Portland, Oregon, as well as recruiting runners of different abilities to put the shoe through its real-world paces on the pavement.

The Springblade will be available on August 1 and retail for $180 at stores nationwide including Dick's Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, Finish Line, and select specialty running shops.

Jeff Dengate Runner-in-Chief Jeff is Runner-in-Chief for Runner's World, guiding the brand's shoes and gear coverage.

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