This type of running shoe "can make the run easier" according to a running shoe expert

There are, mercifully, lots of ways to make running feel easier. Running at a slower pace is a good one. Running regularly and following a progressive training plan is another surefire approach.

I was introduced to a new one recently—buy a running shoe with a rocker, which will do some of the work of running for you.

I learned this while talking to Sylvia Baeyens, who’s the product line manager of dynamic cushioning at running brand Brooks.

Running shoes with rocker profiles have been around since the early 2020s and now almost every brand offers shoes with a rocker, but this was the first time I'd been able to speak with someone involved in the manufacture of new running shoes to cut through the jargon and ask, bluntly, what's the point of it?

"[A rocker is] assisting you to get through that run" says Baeyens. "For a lot of people—we know this—they don't like running. It's a hard sport, it can be unenjoyable at times and so the rocker can make the run easier—to help them run faster or help them go further."

I was quizzing Baeyens about two of Brooks' latest releases—the Glycerin 22 and Glycerin Max. Both are cushioned shoes and both use Brooks' latest development: DNA Tuned midsole foam that promises a soft landing but a firmer, more energetic toe-off.

The big difference between the two shoes is the taller stack of foam underfoot in the Max, which requires a more structured design and uses a rocker. "Our Max products move for you and our traditional shoes [like the Glycerin 22] move with the foot," says Baeyens.

That's not to say the Max, or any rockered running shoe, is automatically a better running shoe for you, and Baeyens admitted the look of the Glycerin Max, with it's towering platform of foam can be offputtting for many runners at first.

I walked away with both shoes to try and decided to use the Glycerin 22 at first, which allowed for a more natural movement of my foot. I was building up the amount of running I was doing after an injury and was keen to keep my ankle working so it could gradually build up the strength to handle long distances.

Baeyens leans toward the Glycerin 22, too. "I personally prefer a core shoe over a rocker shoe. I like knowing that my foot is doing a little bit more of the work, but [the Max] really is for that runner that just wants a bit of an easier run, which we definitely don't want to deny them. Whatever gets them into the sport or keeps them in the sport longer."

After a while I couldn't resist wearing the Max for a Sunday long run where I was tempted into a 16km progression run on the offhand suggestion from my running-mad wife. I started off with a steady 5K (after a 3km warm-up), then I knocked 15 seconds a kilometre off the pace for the next 5K.

Partly, it was the monthlong buildup of regular running that meant the run felt comfortable, but I can't discount the role the chunky stack of cushioning and rocker played in helping me bounce along.

The only way to know whether you'll get on with the eyebrow-raising amount of cushioning in the Max is to try it. Make a visit to your local specialty running shoe store or take advantage of Brooks' 90-day trial run promise if you buy through its website.

What is a rocker?

A rocker is the culmination of a few design elements that helps your foot roll through a foot strike, from heel to forefoot.

In the case of the Max, those elements include a heel bevel (the bit that sticks out at the back), a locked up forefoot which doesn't flex, the toe spring (the curve upwards at the front of the shoe) and a lower offset of 6mm (the difference in height on the footbed between the heel and toe) compared with the traditional 10-12mm.