.jpg "How to Find the Best Brooks Shoes for You in 2025, Per Podiatrists")
Brooks sneakers appear to pop up all over the place, with signature fashions just like the Ghost on the ft of runners, walkers, grocery customers, nurses, vacationers, and extra. Nevertheless it isn’t simply the model’s enjoyable colorways that make them so well-liked—they’re additionally legit good-for-your-feet sneakers, beloved by podiatrists and pedorthists. “From a health care provider’s perspective, Brooks is type of our go-to shoe,” Nicole Freels, FACPM, an authorized pedorthist at Lexington Podiatry in Kentucky, tells SELF.
The one drawback: How to select from Brooks’s intensive lineup. That will help you make your choose, we requested consultants for his or her faves—plus recommendation on how (and when) to put on them—and logged some miles on a handful of pairs ourselves.
Our high picks
- Finest Total: Ghost 16
- Finest for Strolling: Dependancy GTS 15
- Finest On a regular basis Shoe: Ghost Max SE
- Finest Each day Coach: Glycerin 22
- Finest for Overpronation: Adrenaline GTS 24
- Finest for Plantar Fasciitis: Ariel GTS 24
- Finest for Lengthy Distances: Glycerin Max
- Finest for Path Working: Caldera 8
- Finest for Velocity Exercises: Hyperion Max 2
- Finest for Highway-to-Path: Divide 5
- Finest for Racing: Hyperion Elite 4 PB
On this article
What to think about when looking for Brooks footwear
Sneakers typically fall into two classes: stability and impartial. Brooks footwear are not any completely different—the model’s GTS line options GuideRail know-how for individuals who want additional stability, whereas classics just like the Ghost and the Glycerin are nice for folk with impartial arches.
Determining which kind of shoe you want is vital, licensed operating coach Laura Norris tells SELF. “Most runners solely want impartial footwear, which don’t change your path of movement in any respect,” she says. “Runners who want stability footwear are usually those that have points like Achilles tendonitis, posterior tendonitis, or extreme modifications in how their foot lands of their pronation.” Should you’re unsure which kind is best for you, getting a becoming and a gait evaluation from knowledgeable at a specialty operating retailer will help.
Brooks presents a variety of cushioning, with choices for individuals who wish to really feel the bottom, those that like a extra pillowy really feel, and everybody in between. The quantity that’s best for you “comes all the way down to consolation, the way you land, and your physique weight,” says Norris—all of the extra motive to strive a shoe on in particular person before you purchase (or to get conversant in Brooks’s return course of, if there aren’t any retailers close by).
Think about what you propose to be doing in your Brooks. Should you take pleasure in sprints and speedwork, strive an additional light-weight pair. Want a sneaker to your every day commute or weekend errands? Go one which’s extra cushioned and supportive. Brooks has choices for no matter you’re getting as much as—so long as you already know what you’re on the lookout for.
Ceaselessly requested questions on Brooks footwear
Do podiatrists suggest Brooks?
Sure: All the podiatrists we spoke with suggest Brooks, and lots of the model’s footwear have been awarded a seal of acceptance by the American Podiatric Medical Affiliation (APMA). “They’re all the time dependable, the standard is all the time there, they usually’re very according to their supplies,” Dr. Freels says.
Ought to I select a do-it-all shoe or a extra specialised shoe?
New runners or individuals who stand all day lengthy can most likely get away with investing in only one multipurpose shoe, in line with Caroline Bermel, product advertising and marketing specialist and head shoe tester at Fleet Toes. However in the event you run recurrently, she says there are many advantages to having a lineup of extra specialised pairs. That’s as a result of each shoe has a barely completely different really feel and stage of help that can activate completely different muscle mass to maintain your physique feeling balanced, she explains.
“One other profit is having the texture you need on that day—like how a golfer has completely different golf equipment,” Bermel says. As an illustration, in the event you’re chasing a brand new PR, you may want one thing lighter and quicker. However throughout shorter jogs across the neighborhood, a cushier shoe may make your laps a bit simpler.
What are the most effective Brooks to purchase?
The most effective Brooks mannequin for you largely is determined by your foot form, your gait, your private preferences, and the way you propose to put on your footwear. “Bear in mind, there’s nobody finest shoe,” Zach Thomas, DPM, a podiatrist at Efficiency Podiatry in Powell, Ohio, tells SELF. “There’s simply the most effective shoe to your foot.”
Store the most effective Brooks footwear
Odds are, there’s a Brooks pair that’s best for you—and your ft. Discover our high picks (and a few procuring recommendation from the professionals) beneath.
Finest Total: Ghost 16
Professionals
- Suits a wide range of foot shapes
- Awarded the APMA seal of acceptance
- Average, comfy cushioning
Cons
- Is probably not sufficient padding for individuals who like an opulent really feel
The Ghost has lengthy been a Brooks bestseller—and for good motive. Whereas nobody shoe is ideal for everybody, this one does have a Sisterhood of the Touring Pants manner of working for a number of foot shapes, John Dewey, PT, ATC, an authorized athletic coach, licensed bodily therapist, and the proprietor of three Fleet Toes specialty operating shops in North Carolina, tells SELF. (The truth that it additionally is available in slender, vast, and further vast widths helps too.)
The Ghost has a just-right heel stack, Bermel says: “It’s sufficient cushioning to supply help and affect absorption, nevertheless it’s not an excessive amount of cushioning the place you’ll be able to’t really feel the bottom.” The result’s a do-it-all shoe that works for every part from simple runs to cross-training to strolling, she provides.
Having logged dozens of miles operating within the Ghost 16 myself, I can attest that it lives as much as its title—I can virtually neglect it’s there, in a great way. Nevertheless it may very well be a draw back for individuals who like an opulent midsole. “Should you’re on the lookout for a bit additional oomph otherwise you need that bouncy feeling, the Ghost might be not the shoe for you,” Bermel says. “It doesn’t have all the additional bells and whistles, nevertheless it’s practical, it will get the job executed, and it’s comfy.”
Unique picture by SELF author Lauren Wingenroth
Sizes: US 5 to 13 | Supplies: Mesh, foam, rubber | Widths: Slender, medium, vast, additional vast | Weight: 8.5 oz
Finest for Strolling: Dependancy GTS 15
Professionals
- Secure
- Sturdy
- Awarded APMA seal of acceptance
Cons
- Zero heel-to-toe drop could not work for everybody
The Dependancy GTS 15 has every part that Dr. Thomas appears to be like for in a strolling shoe: stable stability and nice sturdiness. He usually prescribes the Dependancy for sufferers on the lookout for ache reduction, due to the shoe’s GuideRail know-how (a.ok.a. GTS) that’s designed to stop overpronation or oversupination. In different phrases, it retains your ft aligned accurately so your ankles can’t roll inwards or outwards as you stroll. We additionally like that the shoe’s extra-roomy toe field is designed to accommodate orthotics or insoles, in the event you want some extra help.
Sizes: US 5 to 12 | Supplies: Mesh, foam, rubber | Widths: Slender, medium, vast, additional vast | Weight: 12.9 oz
Finest On a regular basis Shoe: Ghost Max SE
Professionals
- Much like the Ghost 16, however with extra cushioning and a decrease heel-to-toe drop
- Nice shock absorption
- Fashionable suede higher
Cons
- Excessive stack could also be too unstable for some
- Solely is available in one width
When Dr. Freels has an extended work day, the Ghost Max “is the one shoe I’ll put on,” she says. “I actually am an enormous fan—I don’t hesitate recommending it to anyone, actually.” She says the shoe’s excessive stack of cushioning is nice for shock absorption, particularly for individuals who stand on arduous surfaces all day, like well being care professionals. It’s additionally her go-to for treadmill operating.
Bermel provides that she loves how cool the suede higher appears to be like—she’s additionally a fan of the glossy leather-based model, which is a superb candidate for on a regular basis put on.
Sizes: US 5 to 12 | Supplies: Mesh, suede, foam, rubber | Widths: Medium | Weight: 10 oz
Finest Each day Coach: Glycerin 22
Professionals
- Plush but responsive cushioning
- Nice vitality return
- Clean, comfy trip
Cons
Within the not-so-distant previous, runners on the lookout for one do-it-all coach had to decide on between a softer, extra cushioned shoe (simple on the physique, however generally clunky and gradual) and a handy guide a rough, extra responsive one that may choose up the tempo (at the price of feeling too skinny underfoot). However the brand new Glycerin 22 has the most effective of each: a nitrogen-infused midsole with squishier padding within the heel, the place most runners land, and a firmer forefoot for simpler push-offs.
Once I examined the Glycerin 22s almost each day, I wore them throughout simple runs and exercises on the street and the treadmill. My pair held up: Though the footwear don’t really feel as space-age as they sound, I discovered that whether or not I used to be going slowly or selecting up the tempo, they struck the best stability of sentimental and springy. (You may learn my full assessment right here.)
Dr. Freels can be impressed by the pair’s tech and says that the sneaker’s combo of cushiness and vitality return “goes to place your physique in a greater place long-term in the course of the gait cycle.”
Sizes: US 5 to 12 | Supplies: Jacquard knit, foam, rubber | Width: Medium, vast, additional vast | Weight: 9.1 oz
Finest for Overpronation: Adrenaline GTS 24
Professionals
- Guardrails present stability for mild-to-moderate overpronation
- Breathable mesh higher
- Average, comfortable cushioning
Cons
- Is probably not sufficient padding for operating longer distances
- Some Brooks reviewers say it runs small
The Adrenaline is Brooks’s signature stability, or GTS, shoe, and one of the well-liked choices for overpronators. It’s made with the model’s GuideRail know-how, a.ok.a. plastic reinforcements, on either side of the shoe that you can imagine like bumpers at a bowling alley, says Bermel. “They aren’t meant to alter the best way that you simply transfer,” she says. “It’s extra to supply help to runners who overpronate, in order that their footwear don’t put on out inconsistently, as a result of that may trigger points down the street.”
Lee Firestone, DPM, a podiatrist at Foot & Ankle Specialists of the Mid-Atlantic and an avid runner, can personally vouch for the Adrenalines. “I’m a pronator,” he tells SELF. “I believe they’re well-made footwear, and the GuideRails actually do assist with stability for individuals who have pronation, like me.”
Sizes: US 5 to 13 | Supplies: Mesh, foam, rubber | Widths: Slender, medium, vast, additional vast | Weight: 8.8 oz
Finest for Plantar Fasciitis: Ariel GTS 24
Professionals
- Extraordinarily steady
- Additionally nice for correcting overpronation
- Awarded the APMA seal of acceptance
Cons
When a affected person has plantar fasciitis, the chances are good that Dr. Thomas will suggest the Ariel GTS 24. “Overwhelmingly, the Ariel is among the commonest footwear I prescribe for plantar fasciitis,” he says. “It’s simply so darn steady within the rear foot.”
That stability is vital for these with plantar fasciitis, he explains, as a result of any motion out of your foot wiggling round in your shoe throughout your gait cycle can irritate your plantar fascia much more. “One thing just like the Ariel that has the 2 items of plastic on both aspect and a wider base goes to cease that toggling backwards and forwards,” Dr. Thomas says.
Sizes: US 6 to 13 | Supplies: Mesh, foam, rubber | Widths: Medium, vast, additional vast | Weight: 11.1 oz
Finest for Lengthy Distances: Glycerin Max
Professionals
- Plenty of comfortable, bouncy cushioning
- Softer foam within the heel and extra responsive foam within the forefoot
- Rocker form for clean transitions
Cons
- Max cushioning might be an excessive amount of for some runners
- Heavy
“I do know for me, and for lots of runners, they wish to have some additional cushioning underfoot once they’re going to be on their ft for a very long time,” Bermel says. The Glycerin Max has all that cushioning after which some—a complete 45 millimeters, to be precise.
When SELF’s director of meals and health, Christa Sgobba, CPT, examined a pair, she discovered that they helped save her legs from the pounding of lengthy marathon coaching runs. “On these days, I’ve been notably grateful to achieve for the Glycerin Max—they actually present that additional dose of TLC that can assist you get by means of that day’s plan,” she wrote in her assessment.
Bermel agrees: “I prefer it for lengthy runs as a result of it’s received cushion and bounce, nevertheless it’s not too comfortable, so I really feel like I can nonetheless run at a good tempo,” she says. That stated, she acknowledges that the quantity of cushioning can really feel clunky. “It’s not a shoe the place you would have a way of floor suggestions, which some runners actually like,” she says.
Unique picture by SELF author Lauren Wingenroth
Sizes: US 5 to 12 | Supplies: Mesh, foam, rubber | Widths: Medium | Weight: 9.5 oz
Finest for Path Working: Caldera 8
Professionals
- Vast base for stability
- Fast-drying higher
- Sturdy, grippy outsole
Cons
- Some runners might want much less cushioning on uneven trails
- Solely accessible in a single width
What works on the roads doesn’t all the time work on the paths. A stable path shoe ought to have deep lugs on the outsole (like treads on a tire) for grip, a wider base for additional stability on ever-changing terrain, and a protecting higher that received’t snag on roots and rocks. The Caldera 8’s received all of it—and it’s supercomfortable, Dr. Thomas says.
“On a path, quite a lot of instances your gait isn’t uniform since you’re avoiding issues like ruts,” he says. “Having a wider midfoot and a wider heel is a recreation changer as a result of it may well introduce much more stability—that’s why I just like the Caldera.”