The Brooks Hyperion Max 4 and the Brooks Glycerin Max 2 share the same maximal 45 / 39 mm stack and a 6 mm drop, but they do very different jobs. The first is Brooks’ training super shoe, the second its comfort cruiser.
The Hyperion Max 4 is noticeably lighter, with more than 30 g / 1.1 oz less on the scale. At equal stack height, that is a gap you feel from the first pickups.
Everything comes down to the midsole. The Hyperion Max 4 stacks DNA GOLD, a responsive PEBA foam, on a DNA FLASH v2 base, with the SpeedVault nylon plate running through it: transitions are smooth and the shoe delivers good energy return that makes the effort feel easier.
The Glycerin Max 2 relies on DNA Tuned, a dual cell-size foam, with no plate: big cells in the heel to soften the landing, smaller ones in the forefoot to structure the stride.
The Hyperion Max 4 shines on long runs with pace blocks, tempo workouts, and any faster-paced training.
The Glycerin Max 2 stands out instead on recovery and easy runs: in short, every session where you want plushness. Overall, it is a fairly firm, not very responsive shoe that struggles as soon as the pace picks up.
Up top, both get a premium jacquard mesh upper. The Hyperion Max 4 finally fixes the tongue with a real gusset and better midfoot lockdown; the Glycerin Max 2’s upper is one of its true strengths, precise and generously padded.
Hyperion Max 4 or Glycerin Max 2: which should you choose?
For the vast majority of runners, the Hyperion Max 4 is the better choice: with just as much stack underfoot, far more versatile, it covers everything from easy runs to tempo and can go all the way to the marathon if you have that distance in mind.
The Glycerin Max 2 only makes sense for a very targeted use: recovery and slow easy runs, if plushness under the heel is your absolute priority.
Advantage Hyperion Max.
