Brooks Glycerin Max
We began with the Hyperion Max, then we got the Ghost Max; finally, we have the Glycerin Max and it does not disappoint! This newest iteration of Max series shoes is built to be the most versatile of the 3.
The Breakdown
Men: 10.5 oz
Women: 9.5 oz
Drop: 6 mm
MSRP: $200
The Outsole
We’ve got a solid amount of outsole coverage here to create a lot of durability for a shoe that is designed to do a little of everything. I’ve tried taking this shoe into as many weather conditions as possible and it has held its grip very nicely throughout. The rubber shows very little wear for the mileage I’ve put in on the shoe, so I fully expect to get to my max mileage with rubber to spare.
The Midsole
Brooks introduced DNA Tuned with the Glycerin Max. The basic concept behind this midsole is that when you are creating a super critical midsole foam like this, you can determine how soft/plush or how responsive you make it by adjusting the cell size of the foam.
The Glycerin Max features a midsole with larger softer foam cells in the heel to create a softer landing, while the forefoot has denser, smaller cells to create a more responsive push off. To my foot, this creates the sensation of a plated shoe without the plate. It’s not as aggressive as a full carbon plate, but feels in line with the sensation of some of the nylon plated option.
As with most Brooks shoes the arch is higher relative to brands like Asics or New Balance, but not intrusive.
The Upper
This is a shoe made to go for distance and it features an upper that is made to keep you comfortable while you’re out there. The heel collar is plush and the upper material is very breathable. The tongue has plenty of cushion as well to avoid any lace bite.
Running and Walking
I said in the intro that I think this is the most versatile shoe in the Brooks Max line and I meant it. This shoe is going to thrive as a long run shoe, but also has the ability to move into some tempo level pickups.
The DNA Tuned midsole can benefit runners and walkers of all pace levels, and it doesn’t matter what your strike position is because no matter where you land, it will be a softer landing and move forward into a more aggressive toe off. In this way we get some of the sensations of a plated shoe without the strain on the body that some people deal with when they use a plated shoes. Where some might argue that benefit with me is the weight of the shoe, but this is made to be a solid training shoe, not a racer; while it had characteristics and benefits that some plated shoes have, it’s not meant to be a “racer”. I will add another qualification that if you’re racing for completion and self satisfaction, this can be an excellent race shoe as well!
Within my shoe rotation I reach for this most often for my long runs, as I think it shines best in that category. My coach always throws some pickups into that long run though, so the Glycerin Max ability to move through paces comes in very handy.
While this shoe doesn’t have any corrective elements, if you normally train in a stability shoe, this could provide an excellent race alternative as well. The width in the base of the shoe and the resiliency of the DNA Tuned midsole create a remarkably stable ride.
This is one of the first shoes Brooks has released that I feel can solidly fit into that super trainer category and go head to head with shoes like the Superblast etc. I think that any runner could easily take this through their whole training cycle and into race day and have an excellent time running.
The Gym
While this isn’t the first shoe I grab when I head to the gym, it certainly isn’t at the bottom of the list either.
It is a max cushion shoe so if you’re lifting heavy, I recommend looking toward a lower stack shoe like the Ghost or Launch.
If you’re doing auxiliary work to supplement your running, then I have no real issue using this shoe in the gym.
Daily Living
This is an incredibly comfortable shoe and definitely lives in max cushion world, so I fully support this shoe for daily life. The cushion and structure in the shoe are very supportive and while I don’t think you get the full benefit of the tuned midsole standing still, if you’re moving around a lot I think it could still be quite beneficial in a work environment.
Depending on your professional situation the limited color choices could be an issue, but they have done a good job of releasing the initial run in a fairly neutral color palette.