Brooks Glycerin Max 2 Review
Specifications & Fit
Shoe Specs
| Weight | Men's: 11.1 oz (size 9) | Women's: 9.9 oz (size 8) |
| Stack Height | 48 mm (Heel), 42 mm (Forefoot) | 6 mm Heel-Toe Offset |
| Terrain | Road |
| Stability | Neutral |
| Sizing | True-To-Size |
Our In-Depth Look
The Brooks Glycerin Max 2 is for you if...
You love plush, comfortable uppers
You're seeking an exceptionally protective underfoot experience
You want a shoe for standard daily mileage, not necessarily long runs
What is the Brooks Glycerin Max 2 made for?
The Brooks Glycerin Max made a big splash when it hit the max-stack scene. Piled with soft, bouncy, protective foam and a clean aesthetic look, this shoe made for a fun ride on daily training runs, and it kept people talking.
Now, the Glycerin Max 2 returns as Brooks’ latest max-cushioned daily trainer offering. It pushes stack heights and weight up from the previous model, but in exchange, it seeks to offer a premium experience with enhanced bounce and plushness to show for the additions. With a boundary-pushing amount of DNA Tuned midsole foam and a continuation of their dual-cell technology (featuring larger cells in the heel for softer landings and smaller cells in the forefoot for springier toe-offs), the Glycerin Max 2 spares nothing.
But if that seemed to be the intent, then how was the execution?
We found that the shoe had a great, premium feeling upper, and that it felt well-tuned for certain paces. It offered that protective, comfortable ride that Brooks was targeting, but its lack of versatility and a firm midsole foam limited some of our love for the shoe. Let's dive into the details.
Comfort
Starting with the underfoot experience—there's no mistaking these for anything other than a max-cushion shoe. With one of the largest, heaviest stack heights on the market, the Glycerin Max 2 fully commits to its "Max" branding, but we found the result to be a bit firmer than we expected. A comfortable, positive initial step-in experience didn’t carry over to the later stages of our runs, and the toe rocker was aggressive enough that the shoe felt unstable beneath some of our testers’ feet when walking or when picking up the pace too fast. There is an ideal pace and range for these shoes where they feel great, but issues arose quickly when we strayed past the wrong ends of that range.
The upper, on the other hand, gets nothing but glowing remarks. A soft, wide tongue and stretchy upper cradle the foot nicely, while a roomy toe box ensures a comfortable fit all around. The heel collar feels non-invasive when standing and doesn’t irritate the back of the heel when striding.
Performance
The Glycerin Max 2 is a wonderful shoe for easy/standard daily training runs. The GlideRoll rocker kept our easy mileage pace comfortable, and the shoe’s dimensions felt perfectly catered to keeping us rolling.
However, we found that the shoes became less forgiving on longer or faster runs when we wanted a bit of extra energy return. We found our legs wore down quickly when tired, and the combination of the weight and tall stack height caused us to scuff the ground repeatedly when tiring. We didn’t feel like we were going to trip over ourselves, but the shoe was noticeably more cumbersome than competitor models later in our runs.
There was some conflict between the aggressive toe rocker, which seemed to encourage us to pick up the pace on our runs, and the lower energy return foams/heavy weight of the shoe. Despite the propulsive geometries, we had a hard time running farther or faster in these shoes.
Fit
The fit is the classic, amazing Brooks fit. We had no issues and no hot spots. The upper feels premium, and the lockdown is great, while the toe box allows room for our toes to spread out. Length and width were true to size, and the heel fit was not too deep or overly tight.
Individual Thoughts
I had a lot of great runs in the Glycerin Max 2. The premium upper delivers great on-foot comfort, and the aggressive toe rocker kept me moving when grinding out daily miles at a steady pace. There’s a lot of protective foam underfoot, which is quintessential for a max-cushion shoe. However, the midsole is firmer than my usual liking, which would start to tire out my legs on longer runs. My only other issue is that the heavy weight of this shoe caused my feet to audibly scuff the ground every several steps, although I didn’t necessarily feel unstable on my feet. If the midsole foam were just a bit softer and lighter, that would really bring these shoes to the next level.
I wanted to love these shoes, but I was having a hard time finding a place for them in my rotation. I can see the potential in this shoe, but version two missed the mark for me. The weight is heavy, even for a max-cushion shoe, to the point where I found myself tripping if my legs started getting tired. For a max-cushion shoe in the Glycerin line, I was surprised that the foam was not sink-in, cloud-like soft, and did not give much energy back. There is a significant toe rocker that propels you forward, which added to my tripping problem because the weight of the shoe could not keep up.
However, the fit is 10/10. It has the classic Brooks fit that you can trust, and the upper is extremely comfortable and luxurious. If you are mindful of picking up your feet, this shoe does feel good. But with the weight and toe rocker, I want to reach for other max-cushion shoes for now.
The Brooks Glycerin Max 2 is made for daily road miles, with a unique rocker shape and plush cushioning that makes easy miles feel even easier. As one of the heaviest daily trainers available, its pace versatility is limited, though that’s to be expected for a max-cushion shoe. Despite the weight, the shoe offers a true-to-size fit that stays secure and comfortable from start to finish, even on longer runs. The GlideRoll rocker delivers excellent efficiency and keeps your stride rolling smoothly for steady, moderate paces.
