With so many choices to select from, searching for trainers can deliver up some surprisingly existential questions. Am I a “max cushioning” particular person—somebody who values consolation, presumably over efficiency? Or do I care extra about working quick, even when it means my toes don’t really feel fairly as cradled as they might?
Often, all of this soul-searching leads me to accept one on a regular basis sneaker that’s lacking a few of my must-haves, or to spend additional on two pairs to rotate by way of. Enter Brooks’s Glycerin 22 ($165, brooks.com), the latest replace to an already-beloved shoe. To see if this newest model measures as much as the earlier ones, I put the 22 to the take a look at. What I found? Because of some critically creative tech, the Glycerin 22 is kinda like two sneakers in a single—let me clarify.
The design
Whenever you see a quantity like 22 subsequent to the title of a shoe, you realize it’s been round for some time (and normally, there’s a superb purpose why). The Glycerin is one in every of Brooks’s hottest fashions. It’s a impartial working shoe, that means it doesn’t have any additional stability options for individuals who overpronate, nevertheless it does pack a substantial amount of cushioning. If Brooks’s traditional Ghost line is sort of a trusty Honda Civic, then the Glycerin is extra like a Cadillac, with its ultra-thick padding and easy journey, Caroline Bermel, product advertising and marketing specialist and head shoe tester at Fleet Ft, tells SELF.
Like its predecessor, the Glycerin 21—a 2024 SELF Sneaker Award winner—the 22 has a cushty knit higher, a 10-millimeter heel-to-toe drop, and a grippy rubber outsole that appears as if it’ll final a very long time.
Most necessary is the “DNA Tuned” midsole, which is made with a nitrogen-infused foam. Brooks has been injecting nitrogen into its sneakers’ midsoles for a number of years now—the model says it provides their sneaks an vitality enhance whereas additionally making them lighter.
This time round, Brooks “tuned” these nitrogen injections to fulfill the wants of various elements of the shoe. There are larger nitrogen cells within the Glycerin 22’s heel for a plusher, softer really feel, whereas smaller cells within the forefoot are firmer and extra responsive. Since most runners strike the bottom with their heels first, the sneaker is designed to soak up extra shock within the again and supply a firmer push-off within the entrance to get you off the bottom rapidly. It’s an actual Hannah Montana, best-of-both-worlds state of affairs.
This isn’t the primary Brooks mannequin with DNA Tuned foam—that was the Glycerin Max, which got here out final yr. However I consider the 22 does it higher (as I quickly came upon on my take a look at runs).
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