Brooks Glycerin 22 Review: Should You Upgrade?

With so many choices to select from, purchasing for trainers can convey 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 operating quick, even when it means my ft 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 further on two pairs to rotate via. Enter Brooks’s Glycerin 22 ($165, brooks.com), the most recent 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 check. What I found? Because of some significantly ingenious tech, the Glycerin 22 is kinda like two sneakers in a single—let me clarify.

The design

Once you see a quantity like 22 subsequent to the title of a shoe, it’s been round for some time (and normally, there’s a great motive why). The Glycerin is certainly one of Brooks’s hottest fashions. It’s a impartial operating shoe, that means it doesn’t have any further stability options for individuals who overpronate, nevertheless it does pack quite a lot of cushioning. If Brooks’s basic 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 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 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 sneakers’ midsoles for a number of years now—the model says it provides their sneaks an power increase 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 rapidly. 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 consider the 22 does it higher (as I quickly discovered on my check runs).