Brooks Hyperion Max 4 Review
By Andrea Myers and Matthew Klein
Brooks Hyperion Max 4Price: $199.95 at Running Warehouse
Weight: 10.1oz, 286 g (men's size 9), 8.8oz, 250 g (women's size 8)
Stack Height: 45 mm heel / 39 mm forefoot
Drop: 6 mm
Shoe Purpose: Maximal Plated Super Trainer
Pros: Firmer, moderately bouncy ride. 6mm drop makes midfoot landings feel comfortable.
Cons: Narrow and low-volume toe box, higher weight is noticeable at faster paces
RUNNING SHOE SUMMARY
The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is a super trainer with a firm, stiff ride with a tapered toe box. A new triple jacquard mesh upper sits up top that adds breathability but a tapered toe box that some may need to go up a half size in. The DNA Gold Peba top layer combined with a speed vault plate and a bottom layer of DNA Flash v2 provides a surprisingly firm ride for how much shoe there is with a stiff transition that works better at uptempo paces. A significant medial cutout creates medial midfoot bias for those who need lateral support but not for those with medial support needs. As one of the heavier super trainers out there, the Brooks Hyperion Max 4 works best for uptempo and longer miles for those wanting a bit more durability than all-out speed.
SIMILAR SHOES: New Balance SC Trainer v3
PAST MODEL: Brooks Hyperion Max 3
FIT
(To learn how a shoe should fit, check out our full podcast on fit by Matt Klein.)
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 fits me short. I had to go up a half size from my normal to a men's US size 10.5 (I have had to do this with all current Brooks shoes). This provided enough room, although the toe box is still tapered slightly. The upper is a triple jacquard mesh, which is moderately thick but flexible up front and thicker with more structure in the rear. It is somewhat breathable thanks to some small holes up front but still runs slightly warm. In a half size up, I had decent room in the forefoot but the toe guard and taper still create some pressure on the tops of my big toe. This transitions into a normal-width midfoot with a thinner but sturdy and gusseted tongue. The midfoot hold was good, but I still had to tie down the laces for a secure fit. The heel fits normally in width, thanks to a large amount of heel collar padding. Despite a stiff heel counter, the extra protection my heel and it did not irritate me too much. Those with extreme sensitivities may still have issues. Despite the tongue gusseting, I still experienced slippage especially during downhill running. Even with lace locking, my foot would still slide and I would experience additional pressure on my toes. While a size 10 may have fixed that, I would have had an experience similar to Andrea. So I would keep this shoe on more flat terrain due to the forward slippage.
Typical Size: Men's US Size 10
Shoes that have fit Matt well: On Cloudboom Strike, Hoka Gaviota 6, Xero HFS, Topo Cyclone 3, Saucony Azura, Saucony Paramount Max
Shoes that have fit snug: Hoka Arahi 7, Brooks Launch 11, Diadora Mythos Vigore 3
Shoes that have fit large: Salomon S/Lab Phantasm 3, Adidas Agravic Speed Ultra
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 fits narrow and low volume in my usual women's 9.5. While I loved the fit (and ride) of the original Hyperion Max, subsequent versions have gotten progressively lower volume and less comfortable. The fit of v4 is by far the worst of the line for me. The toe box is so tight that I could not run more than 4 miles in it at a time due to pressure on my big toes. The length is normal, providing a little less than a full thumb's width from the front of my big toe to the front of the shoe, but the toe box is tapered and low volume. The midfoot and rearfoot are normal width and I did not have any fit complaints in these areas. The upper is comprised of a thicker mesh that feels even thicker in the midfoot and rearfoot due to a bulky tongue and highly padded heel collar. The gusseted tongue is thick and extends high on the dorsum of the ankle. The upper fits so snug that I barely had to tighten the laces to lock down my feet. There is a large, rigid heel counter that further adds to the stiffness and snug overall fit of the shoe. I liked the secure feel of the midfoot and rearfoot, but the poorly fitting toe box ruined the fit of the shoe for me.
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: No
Is This a Good Shoe for Standing: No
Is the Forefoot Flexible: No
How Flexible is the Shoe: Not Flexible
Is This a Good Heel Bevel: Yes
Recommended for Haglunds: No
Is This Shoe Orthotic Friendly: No
Recommended for Sockless: Yes
Durability Expectation: Average
PERFORMANCE
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is a plastic-plated super trainer with a top layer of PEBA-based DNA Gold and a bottom layer of DNA Flash 2. This creates a firmer, moderately bouncy and stiffer ride. The additional 2mm of foam in the forefoot creates a noticeable lower drop at 6mm, which felt lower than listed due to how stiff the shoe was. Fortunately, the well-rockered platform offsets this, with a large posterolateral heel bevel and a slightly early and large forefoot rocker. The heel transition is extremely smooth and is the best part of the shoe. The midfoot transition is highly medially biased and unstable for me. The forefoot is stiffer but transitions decently.
The Hyperion Max 4 is heavier than the prior version. It feels fine at easy paces, can handle uptempo paces but struggles at faster efforts. I have used this shoe for a tempo run and felt I did not have any additional gears in this shoe. With intervals, this shoe felt to large and did not transition quick enough. Those with stable mechanics may find this a solid long-run and long uptempo shoe.
Despite Brooks sometimes struggling with this, despite being from Seattle, the traction of the Hyperion Max 4 is excellent. I have used this shoe on both wet and dry road with no issues. I would not take this off road as the medial cut out and forefoot cutouts easily capture rocks and dirt. Durability-wise, this shoe has been excellent so far. Despite the smaller rubber outsole coverage, I have minimal wear at 40 miles. Thus, I expect an above-average number of miles out of these.
Andrea: The performance of the Brooks Hyperion Max 4 was greatly limited by its poor fit for me. The tapered and low volume toe box created so much pressure on my big toes that I could not run more than 4 miles at a time in the shoe. This is disappointing, because I did enjoy the firmer but bouncy midsole feel and rolling ride. The Hyperion Max 4 features a bottom layer of DNA Flash v2 (supercritical EVA) and a large top layer of DNA Gold (PEBA) midsole. It has a nice balance of low compliance and moderate resilience, which felt comfortable on my easy runs. The shoe features an early forefoot rocker and a nylon SpeedVault plate, which contribute to a rolling, stiff ride. Version 4 gained 2mm of foam in the forefoot, making this the first Hyperion Max to have a 6mm drop. I noticed that midfoot landings felt a little more comfortable than they did in v2 or v3, and I suspect the lower drop is part of the reason why. At 8.8oz for a women's 8, the Hyperion Max 4 feels heavy on foot. Even if the toe box fit was more comfortable, I would certainly not use it for anything faster than easy pace due to its weight.
The shoe features a medial cutout in the midfoot, but I did not notice this design feature at all while running, likely due to the extremely stiff platform. If the shoe fit me better, I could see myself continuing to use it for easy miles, as I do like the midsole feel and rolling ride. Traction on wet pavement was good in the shoe and I also did not have any issues running on grass or dirt. I would expect average durability from the Hyperion Max 4.
STABILITY
(Learn more about stability in our full guide)
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is a highly medially biased shoe. There are a few guidance methods, but most will work for those with lateral stability needs and not medial. The rearfoot is the only place that will work for those with medial stability needs thanks to an excellent posterolateral heel bevel that creates a little lateral bias. There is a small medial sidewall in the midfoot, but this does nothing to offset the strong medial bias from the midfoot cutout. I have found myself aggressively pushed off the inner side of the shoe from the midfoot and it continues into the forefoot. This is due to there being more lateral than medial flare in the forefoot. This is even with the plate that adds some structure to the midsole, although most of what it adds is stiffness. So those with medial stability needs will not do well in this shoe, while those with lateral stability needs in the midfoot and forefoot will find a rare shoe that will work for them.
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is a high stack, neutral shoe that has some guidance features. The shoe features a small amount of sole flaring in the rearfoot and forefoot, although it is not nearly as wide as other comparable maximal stack trainers. The rearfoot is laterally biased and the forefoot has more balanced sole flaring. The midfoot is the least stable part of the shoe, with a narrower base and a medial cutout. While the medial cutout was not particularly noticeable for me, runners with medial stability needs may find the Hyperion Max 4 unstable in this region. The early forefoot rocker and extremely stiff platform encourage forward motion and provide a rolling ride. The snug upper provides excellent lockdown, although those with a normal to wider forefoot will find the upper too snug in this area. Overall, the Hyperion Max 4 retains a neutral ride, similar to version 3.
Shoe Comparison: Hyperion Max 3 vs 4
By Andrea Myers
The Brooks Hyperion Max has undergone a complete makeover when comparing version 4 to version 1. The changes between v3 and v4 are more subtle, but notable. The price has not changed for v4, so I think the decisive factors will come down to the narrower fit and lower 6mm drop of v4.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Matt: Despite some toe bruising, I really enjoyed version 3. It was the first DNA Gold midsole I got to experience and the upper eventually broken in to one of my favorite rides of 2025. Version 4 has missed the mark for me in pretty much every way. The potential is there, but the shoe feels noticeably heavier, less versatile pace-wise, the weird sizing is annoying and the aggressive medial bias makes it difficult and borderline unpleasant for me to use. The sizing is clearly not just a me thing and needs to be fixed given Andrea's experience. I would go back to an 8mm drop, remove the medial cut out, doing a central cut out instead, keep the heel design and lighten up the upper significantly. I would also encourage Brooks to use more DNA Gold, especially in the rearfoot, while using the DNA Flash as more of a carrier foam. There is still potential and I believe in this series. This version just does not work for me.
Andrea: Longtime DOR readers know that the original Hyperion Max is one of my favorite shoes of all time. While it was not truly a maximal shoe, it was a great do-it-all shoe that could be used for every type of run. Subsequent versions of the Hyperion Max have made the shoe live up to its "max" name, but it is no longer a shoe that I would choose to run in. The upper has gotten progressively thicker and narrower and its steadily increasing weight has made it too heavy for anything but easy runs. I understand that many runners prefer a higher stack, heavier shoe for easy runs and uptempo runs, but I am not one of them. Setting my personal shoe preferences aside, I think Brooks could improve the shoe by opening up the forefoot fit, improving the tongue design, and shaving an ounce off the shoe to make it more competitive with other shoes in the super trainer category.
WHO IS THIS SHOE FOR?
Matt: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is a medially biased super trainer for those who want a stiffer and firmer ride in a taller shoe. The fit will work best for those with narrow feet, those willing to tolerate a tapered toe box or those willing to go up a half size. The ride will work best for those who want a solid rocker but want a firmer underfoot feel for easy, long and uptempo runs. Those with neutral or lateral stability needs will do best, while those with medial stability needs will not do well. This shoe is quite expensive for its challenges, although the components are technically expensive. This will still provide a unique option for certain people, particularly with most of the other shoes in this category being more stable neutral. I will still be waiting with anticipation for version 5, as I still have high hopes for Brooks and their performance line.
Andrea: The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 is a neutral super trainer with a dual density PEBA/EVA midsole and a firm, moderately bouncy ride. At 10.1oz for a men's 9, it is on the heavy side and the weight is apparent when trying to pick up the pace in the shoe. The toe box of v4 is even narrower and lower volume than v3, which means that this shoe is only going to work for those with a narrow, low volume forefoot. I would personally prefer to run in the Puma MagMax 2, Topo Atmos 2, or the On Cloudmonster Hyper 3. All of these shoes are lighter and less expensive than the Hyperion Max 4 (with the exception of the $220 Cloudmonster Hyper 3). I hope that Brooks can catch up with the competition with version 5.
GRADES
Matt
Fit: B- (Half size up fixes most problems. Upper on the thicker side and warm. Still get slippage forward during downhills)
Performance: B (Firmer ride with excellent rocker that works better for easier, longer and uptempo runs.)
Stability: C [Medial Bias] (Aggressive medial bias at midfoot due to cut out and medial bias at forefoot due to lateral flare)
Value: C (Expensive for a super trainer that isn't that bouncy and is heavier than the majority in its class)
Personal: C (Odd sizing, not versatile and high medial bias makes this a shoe that does not work for me.)
Overall Design: C+
Andrea
Fit: C- (extremely narrow and low volume toe box limited run duration for me)
Performance: C (While I liked the firmer platform and moderate bounce of the dual density midsole, I could only run 4 miles in the shoe at a time due to the poor fit)
Stability: [neutral] B (Somewhat narrow platform for such a tall shoe. Medial midfoot cutout + narrow midfoot may cause problems for those with midfoot stability needs.)
Value: C+ (There are many super trainers that are lighter, better fitting, and less expensive than the Hyperion Max 4)
Personal: C- (Poor fit resulted in severe big toe discomfort on every run)
Overall Design: C+
SHOP | SUPPORT DORBrooks Hyperion Max 4Price: $199.95 at Running Warehouse
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FURTHER READING
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