Brooks Hyperion Max 3 Review
Specifications & Fit
Shoe Specs
| Weight | Men's: 10.2 oz (size 9) | Women's: 8.9 oz (size 8) |
| Stack Height | 46 mm (Heel), 38 mm (Forefoot) | 8 mm Heel-Toe Offset |
| Terrain | Road |
| Stability | Neutral |
| Sizing | True to Size |
Our In-Depth Look
The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is for you if...
You’re seeking a max cushioned trainer that handles tempo paces well
You’ve been waiting for the Hyperion Max line to commit to a MAX stack height
Other max cushioned trainers have felt too soft, and you want something more taut
What is the Hyperion Max 3 made for?
Now in its third iteration, the Brooks Hyperion Max lineup has consistently offered a more cushioned, higher stack option for their Hyperion lineup. The Hyperion Max’s stack heights have never really lived up to their names. The Hyperion Max 2s only had 3 mm more cushioning than the Hyperion 2s. But despite the misnomer, the Hyperion Maxes have always been a reliably good shoe, living somewhere between cruiseable daily mileage shoes and honest-to-goodness performance trainers. They ended up providing a solid bridge between worlds and made a decent name for themselves in that lane.
Well, with the introduction of the Brooks Hyperion Max 3, Brooks has responded wholesale to critiques of their naming conventions. Injecting a whopping 10 mm of additional foam to their stack heights, it seems like Brooks has embraced the MAX part of their name and have thrown the entire kitchen sink at this foam midsole. The effect is about what we would have expected. The shoe is heavier, but it’s designed well enough that it still wants to go fast. Our reviewers tried to reconcile what versions 1 and 2 taught us to expect from this lineup with the newer, taller direction that Brooks has taken the model.
Comfort
The shoe’s midsole offers good compression under load, and while the Hyperion Max 3 doesn’t offer a soft feel, we found the midsole to be balanced and compliant enough to remain comfortable throughout our runs. We appreciated how the 10 mm of added foam in the max stacks worked together with the SpeedVault carbon plate to provide a protective underfoot feel. It is a shoe that breaks in a bit as you run, with the carbon fibre plate initially standing out against our big toes, but settling in after a few miles and becoming comfortable.
We also appreciated how the upper was breathable, especially around the toes. Still, the Hyperion Max 3 has a lot of cushioning around the heel collar that could lead to the shoe feeling stuffy, especially on hot days. And, even though the material used in the upper is stretchy, the fit around the laces is SNUG. We'll dig into this a bit more with our 'fit' section, but it's worth noting that this snug upper affects the shoe's comfort level as well.
Performance
Performance-wise, the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 still feels like it’s straddling the line between two worlds.
If you’re looking for a max-cushioned long run shoe, this shoe is finally max stacked enough to fit the billing, while remaining ready to go a bit faster than the other max-cushioned competition. Due in part to the cutout in the midfoot, the shoe feels squishy and slightly unstable at slower paces, but it firms up and feels more responsive as your pace increases. We found the Hyperion Max 3 to be the most effective during our mid-speed workouts. Its rockered geometry encourages quick transitions from heel-strike to toe-off.
But, the Max 3 ISN'T what we would describe as a fast shoe.
If you’re looking for a truly fast, intervals-ready performance trainer, like the adidas adizero Boston 13, then the Max 3 feels overweight, and its size causes it to lag a bit behind that branch of the competition.
There’s a sweet spot here, somewhere in the long tempo range, where the Hyperion Max 3 shines. But it seems like there are better options on the table when we deviate from that ideal pace. More comfortable, stable counterparts are readily available for your slower mileage days, and faster, springier counterparts exist on the workout-centric ends of the spectrum.
Fit
First- the positives. There’s a lot to like about the fit of this shoe. It has a predictable, normal length and runs true to size. The toebox provides enough room to feel appropriate without feeling overly spacious, and the heel and the midfoot fits were secure.
But then, there was the tongue. Between the laces and the cushioning in the uniquely padded, gusseted tongue, we found the fit across the tops of our feet to be uncomfortable. We needed to tie the laces extra tight to create a secure lockdown, and this, combined with the extra padding in the tongue and the socklike fit of the upper, made the shoe too snug and restrictive for extended wear. We felt the need to take them off, rotating into alternate shoes for our cool-downs or general post-run wear.
Individual Thoughts
The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 now finally lives up to its name as a MAX stacked super trainer in version 3. As a slower runner, I found the shoe really came alive at faster paces. The combination of the better energy return from the foam at faster paces, a stiff plate to balance all that foam, and a rockered forefoot with a beveled heel created an impressively smooth and efficient ride during uptempo runs and speed workouts.
While I hoped this shoe would also shine on long runs—thanks to all that cushioning—the snug, sock-like fit and gusseted tongue made the upper feel too restrictive for extended wear.
My main drawbacks with the shoe are the added weight and the midfoot cutout on the medial side. The weight makes me want to lean towards other shoes for speedwork, and the cutout made the shoe a little too squirrely and unsupportive for my liking. However, I think for those who have a narrower and lower volume foot, this shoe will be a great option for their long run and tempo run days.
Once I realised the Hyperion Max 3 wasn’t a fast shoe, my opinion of the shoe improved. It compares favourably with the likes of the ASICS Superblast and New Balance Supercomp Trainer v3. When compared to faster shoes like the adidas adizero Boston 13 and Saucony Endorphin Speed 5, the shoe misses the mark. Simply put, the Hyperion Max 3 is not a fast, interval shoe. But it is a good long-run, slightly up-tempo shoe. A better executed tongue would easily increase my rating to an 8. As it stands, the pressure I experienced from the laces downgrades this shoe. Brooks typically nails the fit, but they didn’t get it right with the Hyperion Max 3. It’s a good shoe, and some will love it, but I feel there are better options out there.
