Has The Max Cushion Trend Gone Too Far?
Remember when a shoe with 30mm of cushion was considered thick? I’m not talking about some far off time period that your dad talks about when “things were different”. I mean in our direct memories a shoe used to be no more than 25-30mm in stack height (heel cushion height) as late as 2018. These days you have to search hard, and even pay a premium, to get your hands on a “low stack” (sub 32mm) shoe. Just look at the Adidas Adios 9 or Takumi Sen 11. The two premier lower stack shoes in the world, and Adidas decided to not even try to sell them to the US market.
Low stack trainers have been virtually abandoned in the US market, and runner’s aren’t really sure who even asked for this. I’m not saying that higher stack heights are bad, I actually have written a lot about the benefits of wearing a more modern and cushioned shoe. But I have also written about the benefits of building a proper shoe rotation, which shoe feature low and high stack heights. Much like the runners from 20 years ago would benefit from a modern high-cushion trainer, runner’s today would benefit from a shoe with at least a smidge of ground feel.
All that being said, we’re in the era of foam skyscrapers. Nearly every major brand now has a max-cushioned daily trainer. If you’re a shoe brand and not selling a few different shoes that have a 40mm stack height, you’re essentially leaving money on the table. But I’m not trying to dissect Nike’s 10-K (no pun intended), I’m just going to talk shoes and data.
Let’s talk about how we got here, what it means, and whether it’s actually helping runners… or just creating a new set of problems.
From Low-Profile to Moon Boots
Ten years ago (2015!), the average road shoe had a heel stack height in the 24–30mm range:
Nike Pegasus 32: 29mm heel
ASICS Cumulus 17: 31mm heel
Brooks Ghost 8: 30mm heel
Fast forward to today (2025) and most shoes are easily above 38mm, with many above 40mm:
Nike Invincible 3: 40mm
ASICS Superblast: 45.5mm
NB SC Trainer v2: 47mm
That’s a 25–50% increase in just a decade.
Just so you don’t think I’m cherry picking (shoes come and go), the brooks ghost, which historically never changes, increased 6.5mm in that same time frame!
Why? Because comfort sells. “First feel” is everything. AKA “how does this shoe feel the second I put it on?” Plus foam is an easy marketing sell. For the layman it’s simply easy to say More = Better. Versus talking about the nuances of foot striking, leg turnover, ground feel, weight, bounce, foam composition, etc. For many consumers, more always equals better. That’s why Hoka and Sketchers did so well in the 2010s.
What You Gain (and What You Don’t)
As I said, I think the 1) new foam technology (impact reduction), and 2) generally more volume of foam is a good thing for many runners, especially new runners. Running was a much less “sticky” sport 20 years ago. People would come into the sport, run a marathon, get injured, and never run again. The main reason for this is that running 26 miles in a flat/low stack shoe when you aren’t super-lightweight is a bad idea. Modern shoe foam is allowing people to extend their running career.
Softer landings
Less pounding on long runs
A floaty feel that makes slow days more enjoyable
But once you get above a certain stack height, you start to lose control. Your foot is farther from the ground. Lateral stability drops. You don’t feel the terrain. And for some runners, the extra bounce actually leads to more muscle fatigue, not less. That’s why I advocate for a lower stack and light weight shoe on days you feel fatigued/recovering. You want less volume on your foot that will slow you down.
There’s also research to back that up:
A 2020 study published in Scientific Reports found that max-cushioned shoes may increase impact forces, especially at the knee, compared to moderate-cushion options. Not exactly what the marketing always says. This is mainly due to when you lift your foot 40mm off the ground and widen the shoe, your weight disperses much differently and your knee turns into a joystick trying to control your foot.
Are We Running on Stilts?
Running 100% of the time in a max cushion shoe is fine if your goal is pure comfort. But if you’re chasing performance, efficiency, and/or running mechanics, a *shoe rotation* that features a lower stack shoe is a very good idea.
A few questions to ask yourself:
Do I feel stable at faster paces or on uneven surfaces?
Do I trust my foot placement on downhills?
Am I working harder in shoes that are supposed to make running easier?
If the answer is “no,” “no,” and “yes,” it might be time to rethink your foam loyalty.
How to Build a Shoe Rotation around Stack Height
There is no one answer as to how to build a rotation, as every runner is different, but what I can do here is offer some general guidelines.
Early in the week:
I am a fan of utilizing a lower stack trainer earlier in the week as people usually rest on Sunday/Monday. This allows you to get back into the swing of training after a day off and keep your leg turnover high. The idea here is 1) Lightweight and 2) lower stack. It doesn’t necessarily have to be “low” like a barefoot running shoe, but just generally lower than your daily trainer. One thing to note is that these sessions can be easy or slightly up-tempo, all the shoe needs to do is feel like it’s not in your way and let your fresh legs do the work (whichever “work” you choose).
Two good shoes in this category:
Hoka Mach 5 (8.2oz + 29mm stack height)
Saucony Kinvara 13-16 (7oz + 28-30mm stack height)
Mid week:
Usually in the middle of the week people like to add some sort of intensity or simple interval session. For this I recommend going up slightly in cushion due to the higher intensity nature if you are just running tempo/threshold splits on the road. You don’t need to go crazy and the classics will always work here. The saucony endorphin speed is my favorite for a reason, it has PEBA foam, a nylon plate, 36mm in the heel, and weighs 8.4oz. It invites you to be speedy but doesn’t make you need to run fast like a true super-shoe.
Some solid picks:
(Both the two shoes from the above section work well here too).
Saucony endorphin speed
Topo Cyclone
Brooks Hyperion Max
Nike Pegasus Plus
Nike Zoomfly
Adidas Evo SL
If you are running a true race-effort training session, or a track workout, feel free to wear any of the shoes above, but your race-day shoes are most likely best for this. Think Vaporfly, Alphafly, Endorphin Elite, etc.
Late Week
For later in the week, I always advocate for a more cushion shoe, especially as your legs accumulate some fatigue heading into your weekend long run. I always say that running, and training specifically, is a problem of trying to front-run recovery while still pushing the envelope. Max cushion shoes allow to do both of those things. When you’re deep into a training block and you have a 15 mile long run on deck with daunting splits you need to hit…are you more comfortable choosing a lower stack shoe or a higher stack? It’s always the latter. There’s no world where you benefit more from a lower stack shoe in this situation.
Max cushion shoes allow us to train slightly higher volume, while still protecting your legs for the following week. It’s a no brainer that every runner should utilize.
Some great picks for this category:
ASICS novablast/superblast
Nike Vomero
Brooks Glycerin Max
Puma Magmax
Conclusion
The max-cushion boom isn’t all bad, it’s opened the door for more runners to train longer, harder, and with less injury risk. But when every shoe in your closet looks like a platform shoe, you’re probably leaving performance or running economy/mechanics on the table.
You don’t need to ditch your max-stack favorites. Just balance them. Mix in something lower, lighter, and snappier a couple times a week. Your training will feel more fun and different, along with your times looking better.
Running shoes are a tool and they come in different forms. Don’t sit in one camp of old vs new. Use all the tools at your disposal.
This post is sponsored by Intrachew…in stock now. The best Energy-Gel replacement for runners that optimize for performance!
BTR
Thoughts on the Pegasus or Structure for early week runs? I know their stacks arent as low but they are your classic “just a shoe” with not much energy return or softness. They let your legs do the work. Thanks!