Brooks took its time getting here. Every other big running brand jumped on the max-cushion trend years ago — Hoka basically built a whole company around it — and Brooks just... waited. Kept putting out the regular Glycerin, solid but unremarkable, while everyone else raced to stack more foam under people's feet.
Then the Glycerin Max showed up, and it's not a half-hearted attempt. It's the most high-heeled, most cushioned shoe Brooks has ever made. Whether that's worth your money depends a lot on what you actually run.
What's different about this one
Most Glycerin shoes use Brooks' standard DNA Loft foam. The Max doesn't. It runs on something new called DNA Tuned — nitrogen-infused, like a few of Brooks' other recent shoes, but built with a dual-cell setup. Bigger foam cells sit under the heel to soak up impact on landing; smaller ones sit under the forefoot to give a bit more pop on toe-off. Whether you can actually feel that distinction while running is debatable, but the stack height difference is not.
We're talking somewhere around 45mm under the heel and 39mm under the forefoot, depending on which lab measured it (Brooks' own marketing number runs higher than most independent tests found, which happens more often than shoe brands would like to admit). Either way, it's a genuinely high-heeled shoe. Tall enough that a few reviewers said it added a visible inch to their height when standing in it.
Weight sits around 10.5oz for men's, 9.5oz for women's — not light, but not the heaviest max-cushion shoe out there either. You feel the size of it more than the weight, honestly. It's a chunky-looking shoe, and it feels chunky underfoot, in a good way if that's what you're after.
What it's actually like to run in
Plush. That's really the one-word summary everyone lands on. Step in and there's an immediate "oh, that's a lot of foam" moment, then it settles into something closer to a firm cushion than a mushy pillow — Brooks clearly didn't want this feeling unstable, and mostly they succeeded. It doesn't wobble the way some tall stack shoes do.
Where it falls short is energy return. If you're chasing a bouncy, springy ride, this isn't it — several independent testers measured its rebound as actually lower than the regular Glycerin, which is a bit of an odd result for a shoe marketed around "new foam tech." For easy runs and recovery days, that barely matters. For anyone hoping to pick up the pace in these, it'll feel like running with the parking brake half on.
That's not really a criticism so much as knowing what this shoe is for. Nobody's racing a 5K in a Glycerin Max. It's built for long, slow miles — the kind where your legs are grateful for extra protection by mile 15, not the kind where you're watching a pace watch.
Who should actually buy it?
If you're a heel striker doing most of your training at an easy, conversational pace, this is a strong option — the extra heel cushion is doing real work absorbing impact before it reaches your knees. Same goes for marathon training blocks where the goal on recovery days is just getting the miles in without adding fatigue.
It also comes up a lot in recommendations for plantar fasciitis and general foot pain, for the same reason the Hoka Bondi does — more foam between your foot and the ground generally means less daily impact working its way through tired joints.
Skip it if you want a shoe that can flex between easy days and faster workouts. The Glycerin Max is a one-trick shoe, and the trick is comfort, not versatility.
Check the current range in the men's Brooks Glycerin Max collection — five colourways in stock, $70. Women's Glycerin Max is available too; [link to the women's collection here once confirmed].
The price question
At full retail, this sits around $200, which is genuinely expensive for a running shoe, max-cushion or not. It's worth going in with realistic expectations — you're paying for the new midsole tech and the tall stack, not for a shoe that'll also help you run faster.
Common questions
Is the Brooks Glycerin Max good for walking, not just running? Yes, quite a few buyers use it primarily for walking or all-day standing. The tall, protective stack works just as well off the run as on it.
Is the Glycerin Max too heavy for daily training? It's on the heavier side for a road shoe, but most runners don't notice the extra weight much once they're a mile or two in — it's more obvious picking the shoe up than running in it.
Does the Glycerin Max suit plantar fasciitis? It's commonly recommended for this. The high stack and soft landing reduce the impact reaching the heel with each step.
Is there a Glycerin Max 2 now, and is it different? Yes — Brooks released a Glycerin Max 2 with a narrower underfoot platform and a slightly more aggressive rocker. Stack height stayed roughly the same, though some testers found the ride feels a touch different despite similar foam.
For a proper lab breakdown with actual measured stack heights and cushioning scores, RunRepeat's Glycerin Max review is thorough, and Solereview's write-up covers fit and sizing in more detail than most.
Bottom line
The Glycerin Max isn't trying to be a fast shoe, and it shouldn't be judged as one. Judged as a comfort-first daily trainer for easy miles, recovery runs, and long marathon-training days, it does exactly what it promises — plenty of cushioning, a stable ride despite the height, and enough foam to make tired legs feel a little less tired. Available now at FW Sports Shoes, shipping to the UK, US, and Canada.
