Brooks Hyperion Max 3 Review
By Andrea Myers and Matthew Klein
Brooks Hyperion Max 3Price: $199.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 9.9 oz, 280 g (men's size 9 / women's 10.5)
Stack Height: 45 mm heel / 37 mm forefoot
Drop: 8 mm
Shoe Purpose: Max cushioned plated super trainer
Pros: Bouncy, firm ride from upgraded DNA Gold (PEBA) midsole
Cons: New upper is on bulky side, lower volume toe box than previous versions, noticeable weight increase over previous versions
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a plated super trainer that features Brooks' PEBA-based DNA Gold foam, maximal midsole stack, an aggressive forefoot rocker, and a Speed Vault plate. It has also gained nearly an ounce of weight over the past version. The completely redesigned upper, which feels sock-like in fit despite using a stiff mesh material in the majority of the upper and a sock-like material for the tongue and rearfoot, fits significantly tighter and shorter than previous versions. While v1 was a lightweight do-it-all performance trainer and v2 was a slightly heavier uptempo trainer, the Brooks Hyperion Max v3 is now a heavier super trainer that some runners may find best suited to easy runs and others may be able to use for uptempo longer runs, similar to other shoes in this category such as the New Balance SC Trainer v3.
SIMILAR SHOES: New Balance SC Trainer v3
PAST MODEL: Brooks Hyperion Max 2
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 fits true to size length-wise and snug in my men's US size 10. The upper features a new knit mesh material that hugs the foot for a close fit throughout the length of the shoe. The forefoot fits snug and lower volume but does have some stretch. This makes putting it on feel a little compressive, but it stretch to provide a sock-like fit. The midfoot features a connected tongue that is gusseted and features additional padding under the tongue and reinforcements in the inner side of the upper. The thicker material easily protects the top of the foot when tightening the laces but also causes the tongue to easily fold. This requires extra care to lay it flat while putting the shoe on. However, this further adds to security along with the thicker laces and I did not have to lace lock the shoe to keep a secure fit. The heel fits slightly snug thanks to a large amount of heel collar padding in front of a stiff heel counter. There is enough padding that the counter was not too bothersome but those with heel sensitivities will probably not do well. The snug fit and midfoot security kept my feet locked into this upper really well. It did fine even with turning, making the additional midfoot reinforcements worth the extra material. The inner lining of the upper is quite scratchy, so I would highly suggest using socks with this shoe.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Asics Gel-Nimbus 27, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Adidas Adizero Evo SL
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 2, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 fits a little snug in my usual women's 9.5. This version of the shoe has a completely redesigned upper, which features one piece of mesh that makes up the majority of the upper, except for a thicker, more padded material that comprises the tongue and rearfoot. The two pieces of material overlap and are stitched together at the rearfoot and around the circumference of the tongue. I did not like the thicker material of the tongue, because I found that it folds on itself under the main part of the upper, causing some irritation on the dorsum of my foot. It was very difficult to get this part of the tongue to lie flat under the upper. The overall width of the shoe is snugger than versions 1 or 2, with the lower volume toe box being the most noticeable change. I experienced moderate pressure over both big toes from the upper than kept me from taking the shoe longer than 10 miles. The rearfoot features a rigid heel counter and a large amount of padding in the collar, which pushed my foot forward in the shoe, making the fit feel shorter. I am not sure if going up 1/2 size would fix this problem. The main part of the upper (the front 2/3s) is made of stiff mesh material that does not stretch. This made locking the laces down quite easy, because I didn't need to tighten the laces much at all to achieve sufficient foot hold due to the stiffness of the upper and the well padded heel collar. I would not recommend running sockless in this shoe due to internal stitching and the rough mesh material.
Andrea's Typical Size: Women's US Size 9.5
Shoes that have fit Andrea well: Brooks Hyperion Max 1 and 2, Topo Cyclone 2, Nike Vaporfly 3, ASICS Novablast 4 and 5, PUMA MagMax Nitro
Shoes that have fit snug: Altra Escalante 4 (toe box width and volume), Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2 and 3 (length), Saucony Endorphin Speed and Pro 1-4 (length)
Shoes that have fit large: Adidas Boston 12 (length), Adidas Adios 8 (length)
Doctors of Running Checklist
Is This a Good Shoe for Walking: Maybe
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: Maybe
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Recommended for Sockless: No
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a true super trainer. It features a maximal stack height that is greater than 40 mm (45mm / 37 mm), a large amount of top-layered PEBA based DNA Gold and a stiff PEBAX Speedvault plate. This makes for a bouncy/responsive, highly cushioned and slightly soft ride underfoot. The DNA Gold is absolutely a superfoam, feeling fast and responsive and is the first time I have experienced a PEBA foam from Brooks (I have not tried the Hyperion Elite 4 PB). It creates a great ride underfoot that I have used for everything from long runs to easy runs and a variety of workouts. While the weight is higher than the previous versions, the design makes it feel comfortable at easier paces and faster at quicker paces. I was surprised to learn the shoe was in the high 9oz range as it feels lighter than that. This may also be due to the smooth geometry. The heel transition is the best of any Brooks shoe I have tried. There is a perfect, large posteriolateral heel bevel that smoothly transitions heel strikes in. The midfoot does have a medial cut out that is noticeable but the plate transitions quickly to the forefoot.
The forefoot features a large forefoot rocker that starts right under the metatarsals. This makes for a smooth and slightly stiff transition that breaks in after 15-20 miles into a smooth transition. There is almost no flexibility to this plate, so those with toe mobility problems may do fine. The rockered, stiff and bouncy ride make for a true super trainer that handles daily training, workouts and for slower runners a fantastic race day shoe. I have done short intervals, long intervals, tempo runs, long runs and easy runs in this shoe. While not something I would use for race day, it has a similar versatility to the Superblast series. It is not so aggressive that it can't handle easy efforts, with a geometry that still handles relaxed efforts. However, the DNA Gold, plate and bouncy ride quickly respond when the pace picks up. I have found that it starts to struggle as I get to fast 5k and below efforts, but 10k to marathon type paces it does great. This versatility is only matched by the surprisingly good durability.
The outsole rubber placement had me concerned that I would destroy this shoe quickly but there is far less outsole wear than I expected after 40 miles of fairly hard use. There is a little abrasion at the exposed underfoot midsole but it is fine outside of that. The midsole has also remained consistently bouncy, making me suspect that I will be able to get an average to above average number of miles out of these for a super trainer.
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a maximal plated trainer that is a completely different shoe compared to the original version, which is still one of my favorite lightweight performance trainers. My only criticism of the original is there wasn't much about it that made it "Max" and the changes in versions 2 and 3 have definitely helped it live up to its name. Version 3 is without question a maximal shoe, with a 45mm/37mm stack height and a PEBA midsole (DNA Gold). The upgraded midsole gives Hyperion Max 3 a bouncy, yet firm ride, making it feel well-suited to a variety of paces. The shoe feels like its stated 8mm drop and I found the geometry well suited to midfoot landings. While the shoe has a medial midfoot cutout, the stiffness of the plate and the lower compliance of the foam made the cutout minimally noticeable for me (unlike the medial cutout of the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0, which was very noticeable in a good way for me). The early forefoot rocker contributes to a rolling, snappy ride and I definitely found the shoe helped with turnover, particularly on tired legs.
I tested the shoe for several easy runs, some pickups at threshold pace, and a 10 mile run at 30"/mi slower than marathon pace. The two features that I didn't like in the shoe were its weight and its short fit and low volume toe box. I was very much aware of the weight of the shoe on all of my runs, which wasn't an issue when running slow, but at faster paces, I felt like I had a weighted, firmer version of Hoka Cielo X1 on my feet. For me, the responsiveness of the midsole isn't enough to overcome its weight penalty for faster paces. If the shoe fit more comfortably, I would probably continue to use it as an easy day shoe, similar to the New Balance SC Trainer v1. Unfortunately, the combination of the higher weight and uncomfortable fit means I don't see myself putting more miles on the shoe. Several of my runs in the shoe were on wet roads and the shoe provided decent traction, although not as good as version 1 or 2 due to the higher amount of exposed midsole material in the midfoot. I have 30 miles on my pair and there is already visible damage to the exposed midsole sections (probably from running through grass and dirt on a couple of my runs) but the rubber outsole shows almost no wear. I think durability will be related to how quickly the exposed midsole material wears out and the durability of DNA Gold., so I would expect an average number of miles out of the shoe.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a neutral shoe with guidance features. There is fairly minimal sole flare for such a tall shoe outside of the forefoot, the rearfoot has a large lateral bias and the midfoot cut out causes a medial bias that is slightly offset by sidewalls and the plate. The slightly softer midsole is stabilized by the stiffer Speedvault plate. The strong posteriolateral bevel does cause lateral bias at heel, which feels great for me and somewhat offsets the midfoot. The medial midfoot bias from the cut out is noticeable and does stress my posterior tibialis muscle (muscle that helps control midfoot eversion/pronation). It is offset slightly by the midfoot sidewalls, but is a rare shoe that will work for people who supinate at the midfoot. The forefoot is somewhat guided due to the plate stiffness and mild sole flare medially and laterally. However, this is offset by the softer front thanks to the larger amount of DNA Gold. This makes the Hyperion Max 3 a neutral shoe that lateral bias in the rearfoot, medial bias in the midfoot and a somewhat centered ride up front.
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a neutral shoe with some guidance features, although its taller platform makes it feel less stable for me as compared to versions 1 or 2. The plate does a good job of stabilizing the tall midsole stack. I feel the shoe could be more stable with more sole flaring in the rearfoot and midfoot. While the platform is somewhat wider than average, there is minimal sole flaring in the rearfoot and midfoot, which combined with the midfoot cutout could create some instability issues for some. I definitely noticed the instability in the shoe anytime I ran through grass that was not perfectly level, which is something I never had an issue with in previous versions. The forefoot features balanced sole flaring, which does help to center the foot at terminal stance and push off. The snug fitting upper also does a good job of stabilizing the foot in the shoe, although for me, it was too snug fitting in the toe box.
Thoughts as a DPT: Medial Midsole Cutouts
By Andrea Myers
When I received the Brooks Hyperion Max 3, my initial impressions were Brooks made a trainer version of the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0. Both shoes have an aggressive forefoot rocker, PEBA midsole, similar stack height and drop, and a medial midsole cutout in the midfoot. As we have discussed previously, shoes shouldn't be judged based on their specs on paper, as shoes with similar specs can perform very differently due to variations in midsole properties, plate shape and stiffness, and other geometry variations. While I found the medial midfoot cutout in the Hoka Cielo X1 2.0 to be very noticeable in reducing resistance to pronation at midstance, which is a feature I appreciate in running shoes due to my tendency to land too far laterally, the medial cutout in the Hyperion Max 3 is really only noticeable when running on uneven surfaces like grass or dirt. Upon further comparison of the two shoes, I think the main difference is the specific location of the cutout and the fact that the medial heel of the Cielo X1 2.0 is completely decoupled from the rest of the midsole due to the shape of the cutout, whereas the cutout in Hyperion Max 3 is located further forward in the midfoot and there is not separation of any part of the rearfoot from the rest of the shoe. The heel bevel of the Cielo X1 2.0 is also much more aggressive as compared to Hyperion Max 3, which results in a more forward landing pattern in the Cielo X1 2.0. While both shoes have a PEBA midsole, the midsole material in Cielo X1 2.0 is much more compliant than the DNA Gold PEBA midsole of the Hyperion Max 3, which also results in the medial cutout of the Cielo X1 2.0 being more noticeable.
What is the point of this analysis? Those who have tried the Cielo X1 2.0 and found it too unstable due to the medial cutout may be hesitant to try Hyperion Max 3 due to its similar appearance, but the ride of the two shoes could not be more different, with Hyperion Max 3 being significantly more stable than Cielo X1 2.0. This further underscores the importance of being able to try on and actually run in shoes before purchase, rather than relying on the shoe description on a website for decision making.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: The Hyperion Max 3 is the best version of this shoe so far. It finally adds a superfoam and geometry that make it a true super trainer, as opposed to prior versions that may have been called that but were not. It finally competes with shoes like the ASICS Superblast 2, Mizuno Neo Vista and New Balance SC Trainer v3. My major suggestions are on the upper and the medial cut out. The upper does need some time to break in and provides a secure fit but feels far thicker and warmer than necessary. While this is a training shoe, I would love to see some weight reduction from the heel and a bit less padding at the midfoot. The midfoot cut out also create more medial bias than necessary, which would be better accomplished with a central cut out like those seen in the SC Trainer v3 and Neo Vista. These could be far larger than the midfoot cut out while still keeping a centered ride. While this will create a unique option for supinators, those with medial stability needs at the midfoot may have trouble over longer distances where this shoe is supposed to shine.
Andrea: While the Hyperion Max 3 is not my favorite shoe due to its weight and fit, I do like the direction that Brooks has taken the shoe because it is finally living up to its "Max" name. Version 3 sits squarely in the super trainer category now and is a true competitor to the New Balance SC Trainer v3, Hoka Skyward X, and Mizuno Neo Vista. While I found the shoe too heavy for anything but easy runs, my primary complaint involves the short fit and snug toe box. I think the upper could be greatly improved by using a thinner material for the tongue, reducing the amount of padding in the heel collar, and increasing the volume in the toe box, perhaps by using a mesh that is a little more flexible. I really enjoyed the bouncy, firm ride of the DNA Gold midsole and I hope Brooks continues to use this formulation in future versions.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a super trainer for those who want a snug fit, bouncy ride and a smooth heel transition. The fit will work best for those with narrow feet or who want a snug, low volume upper that can also run a bit warm. The ride will work best for those who want a bouncy ride underfoot with plenty of cushioning for training and workouts. Slower runners may also find this a great race day alternative to super racing shoes. The geometry will work best for those who want a smooth heel transition, can tolerate medial bias at the midfoot and want a bouncy, snappy forefoot that works well at a variety of paces. The $200 is understandable given the excellent PEBA midsole, plate and tall stack height, although time will tell how the outsole patches hold on. With the Hyperion Elite 4 PB, upcoming Hyperion Elite 5 and the Hyperion Max 3, Brooks appears to finally be getting serious about performance shoes and appropriate integration of PEBA foams. This is a true contender with other super trainers on the market, sitting in a unique place with the smoothest heel transition of the group. While some modifications still need to be made, it is great to finally see the Hyperion Max serious finally become a true super trainer.
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 is a max cushioned plated trainer that will work best for those who prefer a firmer, bouncy midsole and a snug fitting upper. Like other maximal super trainers, some runners will find it best for easy runs and others will find the responsive and rockered ride to work well for uptempo efforts as well. The redesigned upper has resulted in a much snugger fit as compared to versions 1 or 2, so this shoe will work best for those with a lower volume forefoot. At $200, it is in the middle of the price range of other maximal super trainers, so I think for the right person, it will be a good value.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B+ (Snug, lower volume, slightly thicker upper that holds the foot securely. Runs warm)
Performance: A- (Bouncy, rolling ride that works for a variety of efforts from easy to faster runs. Good alternative for slower runners as a racing shoe but most will function as a versatile super trainer)
Stability: B [Neutral] (Laterally biased heel will be good for those with medial stability needs at the rearfoot while a medial bias from the midfoot cut out may do better for those with lateral stability needs at the midfoot. Not unstable but not overly stable)
Value: B+ (Durable ride so far that has solid versatility. Consistent price with other super trainers)
Personal: B+ (The Hyperion Max 3 has the best heel transition of any Brooks shoe I have tried. The upper is a little more snug/warm than I would like, there is a bit too much medial bias at the midfoot and the shoe is heavier than I would prefer but this is an awesome first super trainer from Brooks).
Overall Design: B+
Andrea
Fit: B- (Redesigned upper has some flaws, specifically thick, poorly integrated tongue, low volume toe box, and short fit. Foot security is high due to the upper design, so those with lower volume feet will probably be pleased with overall security and fit.)
Performance: B+ (I like the higher resilience and lower compliance of DNA Gold and the placement of the forefoot rocker, which results in a bouncy, rolling ride. The weight of the shoe and its uncomfortable fit detracts from its performance for me.)
Stability: [neutral] B (Balanced sole flaring in forefoot provides decent centering, but the shoe could benefit from more sole flaring in midfoot and rearfoot.)
Value: B+ ($200 isn't the highest or lowest price in this category, so this shoe will be a decent value for runners whom it fits well and the weight is not an issue.)
Personal: B- (Poor fit and higher weight mean I won't be running additional miles in the shoe.)
Overall Design: B
SHOP | SUPPORT DORBrooks Hyperion Max 3Price: $199.95 (Out Late Summer)
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FURTHER READING
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