By Paul Freary
With the recent launch of the Glycerin Max and updates to the popular Glycerin and Glycerin GTS, with the 22nd editions of those models arriving in January 2025, Brooks has overhauled and updated their top-of-the-range family of footwear.
(Note: the Glycerin Max goes on general release also from January 2025, although it was available in limited numbers from November 2024.)
Here, we’ll take a look at each of the new models, explore what features they share as well as how they differ and help you decide which is the best shoe in the Brooks Glycerin family for your needs.
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Stats
Running Shoes | Glycerin 22 | Glycerin 22 GTS | Glycerin Max |
|---|---|---|---|
Best for | Daily training for neutral runners | Daily training for those requiring support and control | Best for those wanting the highest levels of cushioning |
Support | Neutral | Support type shoe | Neutral |
Cushion | Moderate cushioning | Moderate cushioning | Maximum cushioning |
Stack Height | 38mm Heel 28mm Forefoot | 38mm Heel 28mm Forefoot | 45.25mm / 39.25mm |
Drop | 10mm | 10mm | 6mm |
Weight | Men’s 289g / 10.2oz Women’s 257g/ 9.1oz | Men’s 303g / 10.7oz Women’s 269g/ 9.5oz | Men’s 298g / 10.5oz Women’s 269g/ 9.5oz |
Suggested Retail Price | £165 /$165 | £165 /$165 | £180 /$200 |
Fit | True to size | True to size | True to size |
Rating | 9/ 10 | 9/ 10 | 9/ 10 |
Design
Having always been a big fan of the Glycerin shoes, I was most keen to try the Glycerin Max. Ever since trying a preview of the shoe around six months ago, I couldn’t wait to take them for a run.
The Glycerin Max didn’t disappoint, and my first run in the shoe was everything I remembered from that initial try and everything I wanted it to be: a simply luxurious, highly cushioned daily training shoe with a great degree of ‘bounce’.
The Glycerin 22 and Glycerin GTS 22 promise to be great updates to the previous generation models. The new DNA Tuned midsole offers a softer and more responsive ride, and the technology in the midsole is next-generation yet at the same price point as the outgoing model.
Brooks Glycerin 22
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Brooks Glycerin 22 GTS
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Brooks Glycerin Max
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What’s New?
All shoes in the new Glycerin family share the same new midsole foam, DNA Tuned.
DNA Tuned is Brooks new method of creating a nitrogen-infused foam with dual-cell technology. The use of different sizes of cells within the same midsole allows for the material to offer different characteristics in different parts of the shoe.
In the rear of the midsoles, the cells are larger and provide a soft, more cushioned feel on impact.
In the forefoot of the midsole, small cells are used and provide a more responsive and propulsive feel to the toe-off.
The translucent nature of the material allows the different densities of the foam to be seen. The softer material sits ‘within’ the midsole and, as Brooks has used different colours to call out the different areas of cushioning, you can see this within the midsole.
Fit
All the shoes fit true to size and both width and length. I went with my usual UK9.5 in each of the shoes, and they fit exactly as the previous generation models.
You should note that the Glycerin models do tend to feel a little roomier in the toe box than the Adrenaline GTS 24 (support) and Ghost 16 models from Brooks. They aren’t a width size different; they simply offer a little more volume or ‘wiggle room’.
Common Features of the Glycerin Shoes
All models feature the DNA Tuned midsole technology as well as new, engineered double jacquard knitted uppers. These uppers are typical of the high-quality construction that we have come to expect from Brooks. They are soft and luxurious with a nice degree of natural stretch and accommodate various foot shapes with ease.
How Do the Shoes Vary?
While all sitting within the same Glycerin family, the shoes vary in that the Glycerin Max offers a higher stack of cushioning, and the Glycerin 22 and Glycerin GTS 22 are neutral and support versions, respectively, of the same model.
Glycerin 22 and Glycerin GTS 22
Both these shoes offer the same cushioning in the same stack height and drop. Both feature a nearly identical upper and outsole, so the fit is the same for both shoes.
The Glycerin 22 is the neutral option, while the Glycerin GTS 22 is the support offering, so it has the addition of the brand’s GTS (Go To Support) system to control pronation.
Pronation is the natural inward roll of the foot, from striking the ground on the lateral (outside) edge of the foot on initial impact, inwards, towards the arch on the medial (inside) side of the foot. Should your foot be a little more flexible and roll inward excessively, this is commonly known as overpronation, and the GTS provides support to control this excessive motion.
The support in the GTS 22 comes from the brand’s GuideRail system. These ‘rails’ are extended areas of the midsole that raise up around both the lateral and medial sides of the shoe. In doing this, they provide a ‘cup’ in which the heel sits. Should the foot roll inwards, the GuideRails will keep it central within the shoe.
Brooks often refers to the GuideRails as being like the guards in a bowling alley. Should your ball roll out of the lane, the rails can be used to keep it in play.
Glycerin Max
The Max uses the same DNA Tuned midsole with dual-cell technology, just a much higher stack of it!
The stack height of the Glycerin 22, while offering a very high stack at 38mm in the heel, is considered to be ‘high stack’, the Max takes the stack height up to 45.25mm, a truly maximum offering.
The Run Tests
The Glycerin 22 is a nice improvement to the Glycerin 21. The feel of the DNA Tuned dual-cell midsole offers a noticeable improvement over the DNA Loft v3 midsole.
While still nitrogen-infused, the difference in both the heel and forefoot of the shoe is noticeable and provides a great, smooth ride that feels soft on initial impact and has a more responsive feel at toe-off.
The toe-off feel isn’t racing shoe ‘springy’ but a more subtle, gently responsive feel. Now, this isn’t apparent from the word go, but as the shoe seems to warm up a little, after a few miles, the material seems to ‘give more back’.
The Glycerin GTS 22 uses the same midsole, so the feel is the same, but with the addition of the GuideRails, the shoe feels much more supportive. In fact, the Glycerin GTS22 feels much more supportive than the Glycerin GTS 21.
To me, it feels as though the GuideRails are a firm density and feel a little more substantial around the rear of the foot. This isn’t a negative, but a big plus. Brooks has a neutral option, so if making a support version, then it may as well offer a noticeable amount of support.
The support isn’t intrusive, as it cups the foot, and for me, it feels great. My feet feel secure, well-supported and constantly in control. The Glycerin GTS 22 will become my support shoe of choice for the coming months.
The Glycerin Max is a dream of a shoe. The soft, plush nature of the ride is simply next-level and far exceeds the expectations of what a max-cushioned daily training shoe should be.
The shoe simply feels to be the perfect blend of cushioning with a responsiveness that is finely tuned for longer runs. The shoe offers ample protection and is built to go the distance.
This will become my shoe of easy recovery runs, sitting alongside the Glycerin GTS22, which I’ll use when I want something a touch lighter and want a little support. (I run mainly in mild support category models).
Comparisons
As the Glycerin Max is a very new model, I’ll compare it with another shoe due out in January 2025, the Nike Pegasus Premium.
NIKE Pegasus Premium
The Pegasus Premium offers a similar max level of cushioning and combines Nike’s Zoom X foam with a full-length Zoom Air unit. While the Nike is some and highly cushioned, it does feel a little unstable, and as such, I feel it limits its suitability a little.
The Glycerin Max is also a neutral shoe, but being a broader base and having slightly elevated side walls to the midsole that cup the foot in the upper, it’s a much more stable offering.
If you are putting in longer runs and higher mileage in the shoes, I’d be more inclined to go with the Brooks because of the stability it offers and how that may work to your benefit on longer runs when you begin to tire a little.
You can read our full review of the Nike Pegasus Premium here
New Balance 1080v14
A competitor to the Glycerin 22 might naturally be the New Balance 1080v14.
The 1080v14 is New Balance’s top-of-the-range, neutral, cushioned daily training shoe. It has a similar price to the Brooks Glycerin 22 and similar figures in terms of weight and stack.
The New Balance uses the brand’s Fresh Foam X midsole material. Fresh Foam X has been used for a couple of years now, and while the brand’s competition and faster-paced models use a PEBA blend, FuelCell foam, the FreshFoam material offers a soft, cushioned feel. It does lack a little of the responsiveness of nitrogen-infused midsoles and, in particular, the new DNA Tuned midsole of the Brooks.
Both the Glycerin 22 and 1080v14 are great cushioned shoes for daily miles. I’d go with the New Balance for more relaxed, easy runs, while the Brooks provides a more responsive feel for when you want to pick up the pace a touch.
You can read our full review of the New Balance 1080v14 here
You can watch our video review of the New Balance 1080v14 here.
ASICS Gel Kayano 31
The ASICS Gel Kayano 31 would be a natural competitor to the Glycerin GTS 22.
The Kayano is ASICS range-topping support type shoe and has a very long and well-established following. While previous versions of the Kayano used a more traditional medial post to control pronation, the most recent model has done away with that and moved to a much softer, more ‘holistic’ method of support.
The geometry of the Kayano, with a flared midsole and broader footprint, now contributes more to the overall support provided by the shoe. Whilst still being a support-type model, I feel its level of control has been somewhat reduced in the latest version.
The Kayano offers a mild level of control, whereas the Glycerin GTS 22 offers a more substantial degree of control.
You can read our full review of the ASICS Gel Kayano 31 here
You can watch our video review of the ASICS Gel Kayano 31 here
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