With so many choices to select from, searching for trainers can carry up some surprisingly existential questions. Am I a “max cushioning” particular person—somebody who values consolation, probably over efficiency? Or do I care extra about operating quick, even when it means my toes don’t really feel fairly as cradled as they might?
Normally, 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. Enter Brooks’s Glycerin 22 ($165, amazon.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 severely ingenious tech, the Glycerin 22 is kinda like two footwear in a single—let me clarify.
The design
Once you see a quantity like 22 subsequent to the title of a shoe, you already know it’s been round for some time (and normally, there’s motive why). The Glycerin is one in all Brooks’s hottest fashions. It’s a impartial operating shoe, that means it doesn’t have any additional stability options for many who overpronate, however it does pack an excessive 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 trip, Caroline Bermel, product advertising specialist and head shoe tester at Fleet Toes, tells SELF.
Like its predecessor, the Glycerin 21—a 2024 SELF Sneaker Award winner—the 22 has a snug 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 footwear’ midsoles for a number of years now—the model says it provides their sneaks an power enhance whereas additionally making them lighter.
This time round, Brooks “tuned” these nitrogen injections to fulfill the wants of various components of the shoe. There are greater 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 shortly. It’s an actual Hannah Montana, best-of-both-worlds scenario.
This isn’t the primary Brooks mannequin with DNA Tuned foam—that was the Glycerin Max, which got here out final 12 months. However I imagine the 22 does it higher (as I quickly discovered on my take a look at runs).
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