Max cushion
41shoes
From 15 brands, on the figures their makers publish. How much ground does the label cover?
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ATHLO+
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See the full guide
Max Cushion Running Shoes Compared
Kit for your next run
See all →1 / 6The tallest heel stack
55.5mm
Heel stack runs from 34 mm to 55.5 mm. World Athletics caps road racing at 40 mm, so the tallest are trainers.
2 / 6Lightest · 249 g
New Balance
Infinion 1080v15
Infinion 1080v15
Maker's use: flagship cushioned daily.
Weight249 g
Stack40 / 34 mm
Drop6 mm
FoamInfinion (TPEE)
3 / 6Heaviest · 333 g
Hoka
Skyward X
Skyward X
Maker's use: plated max cushion, long runs.
Weight333 g
Stack48 / 43 mm
Drop5 mm
FoamPEBA + EVA
4 / 6Before you pick
More foam,
not always softer
not always softer
A thick stack of firm foam and a thin stack of soft foam can feel closer than the numbers imply.
5 / 6Narrowed it down?
Now let someone
watch you run
watch you run
A spec table can narrow the shelf, but it cannot watch you run. The gait analysis comes with a shoe recommendation.
Book a gait analysis6 / 6Thinking about more foam under your feet? Before you pick a max-cushion shoe, it helps to know how much ground that label actually covers.
Here are 41 max-cushion shoes from 15 brands in the ATHLO+ Shoe Lab, lightest first, compared on the figures their makers publish.
The One Number That Defines Them: Heel Stack
These run from 34 mm to 55.5 mm under the heel, against a median of 36 mm across the daily trainers in the same dataset. So the label covers a wide span, and the shallow end of it is no taller than an ordinary trainer.
More foam is not automatically softer, either. A thick stack of firm foam and a thin stack of soft foam can feel closer than the numbers imply. Stack tells you how much foam there is, not how much cushioning or bounce you will feel, so read it next to the foam column.
The 40 mm Rule: Why the Tallest Are Trainers
World Athletics caps stack height at 40 mm for road racing, so the tallest shoes here are training shoes by design rather than by accident.
The Full Comparison
- Lightest249 gNew Balance Infinion 1080v15
- Median295 gacross 41 shoes with a published weight
- Heaviest333 gHoka Skyward X
- 240–260 g4
- 260–280 g6
- 280–300 g19
- 300–320 g10
- 320–340 g2
41 of 41 have a published weight. Lightest 249 g, heaviest 333 g.
| Shoe | Weight | Stack (heel/fore) | Drop | Foam | Plate | Year | Maker's stated use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Balance Infinion 1080v15 | 249 g | 40 / 34 mm | 6 mm | Infinion (TPEE) | None | 2026 | Flagship cushioned daily |
| Saucony Triumph 24 | 250 g | 43 / 33 mm | 10 mm | IncrediLux (ATPU) | None | 2026 | Light max-cushion daily |
| Adidas Hyperboost Edge | 255 g | 45 / 39 mm | 6 mm | Hyperboost Pro | None | 2026 | Plate-free max-stack super trainer |
| Skechers GoRun MaxRoad 6 | 258 g | 34 / 28 mm | 6 mm | Hyper Burst | None | 2023 | Light max-cushion daily |
| Saucony Triumph 23 | 263 g | 37 / 27 mm | 10 mm | PWRRUN PB | None | 2025 | Premium neutral daily |
| Craft CTM Ultra Carbon 2 | 264 g | 40 / 30 mm | 10 mm | PX Pro (PEBA) | Carbon | 2023 | High-stack long-run / ultra trainer |
| Puma MagMax Nitro 2 | 266 g | 46 / 38 mm | 8 mm | NITROFOAM (supercritical) | None | 2026 | Puma's tallest-stack cruiser |
| Hoka Skyflow | 269 g | 42 / 36 mm | 6 mm | Supercritical EVA | None | 2025 | Plush bouncy daily |
| New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v14 | 269 g | 38 / 32 mm | 6 mm | Fresh Foam X | None | 2024 | Plush premium daily |
| Saucony Triumph 22 | 279 g | 37 / 27 mm | 10 mm | PWRRUN+ | None | 2024 | Soft premium daily |
| Asics Gel-Nimbus 28 | 280 g | 43.5 / 35.5 mm | 8 mm | FF Blast Max | None | 2026 | Max-cushion neutral daily |
| Salomon Aero Glide 2 | 280 g | 38 / 30 mm | 8 mm | Energy Foam | None | 2024 | Cushioned road daily |
| Nike Vomero Plus | 281 g | 43 / 33 mm | 10 mm | ZoomX (full-length) | None | 2025 | Plush max-cushion neutral |
| Kiprun KS900 2 | 285 g | 38 / 30 mm | 8 mm | VFOAM | None | 2024 | Value cushioned daily |
| Brooks Ghost Max 2 | 289 g | 40 / 34 mm | 6 mm | DNA Loft v3 | None | 2024 | Tall, protective easy days |
| Brooks Glycerin 22 | 289 g | 38 / 28 mm | 10 mm | DNA Tuned | None | 2025 | Plush neutral daily |
| Brooks Ghost Max 4 | 292 g | 40 / 34 mm | 6 mm | DNA Loft v3 | None | 2026 | Rockered max-cushion daily |
| On Cloudsurfer Max | 292 g | 37 / 31 mm | 6 mm | Helion (CloudTec Phase) | None | 2025 | Plate-free max-cushion cruiser |
| 361° Spire 5 | 295 g | 39 / 30 mm | 9 mm | QU!KFOAM | None | 2023 | Max-cushion daily |
| Mizuno Sky Prime | 295 g | 47 / 41 mm | 6 mm | Enerzy NXT+ / Enerzy NXT | None | 2026 | Max-cushion trainer for long easy runs |
| Mizuno Wave Neo Ultra | 295 g | 40 / 32 mm | 8 mm | Enerzy NXT | None | 2023 | Premium sustainable max cushion |
| Mizuno Wave Sky 8 | 295 g | 40 / 32 mm | 8 mm | Enerzy | None | 2024 | Plush cushioned daily |
| New Balance Fresh Foam X More v5 | 295 g | 46 / 42 mm | 4 mm | Fresh Foam X | None | 2024 | Maximal soft cushioning |
| Nike Vomero 18 | 295 g | 46 / 36 mm | 10 mm | ZoomX + ReactX | None | 2025 | Soft, protective daily |
| On Cloudeclipse | 295 g | 37 / 31 mm | 6 mm | Helion (double CloudTec) | None | 2024 | Plush long-run cruiser |
| On Cloudmonster 2 | 295 g | 37 / 31 mm | 6 mm | Helion | None | 2024 | Maximal CloudTec cushioning |
| On Cloudmonster 3 | 295 g | 35 / 29 mm | 6 mm | Helion | Nylon | 2026 | Max-cushion daily trainer |
| Puma Magnify Nitro 2 | 295 g | 38 / 28 mm | 10 mm | Nitro Foam | None | 2023 | Max-cushion daily |
| Asics Gel-Slowcush | 298 g | 48 / 40 mm | 8 mm | FF Luxe+ / PureGel+ | None | 2026 | Max-cushion trainer for slow easy runs |
| Adidas Prime X 2 Strung | 300 g | 50 / 41.5 mm | 8.5 mm | Lightstrike Pro + Light | Rods | 2023 | Max-stack super trainer (non-record-legal) |
| Asics Gel-Nimbus 27 | 300 g | 42.5 / 34.5 mm | 8 mm | FF Blast Max | None | 2025 | Plush neutral daily |
| Asics Gel-Nimbus 26 | 301 g | 41.5 / 33.5 mm | 8 mm | FF Blast+ Eco | None | 2024 | Plush neutral daily |
| Nike Invincible 3 | 305 g | 40 / 31 mm | 9 mm | ZoomX | None | 2023 | Soft, protective easy days |
| Brooks Ghost Max 3 | 306 g | 39 / 33 mm | 6 mm | DNA Loft v3 | None | 2025 | Max-cushion easy-day cruiser |
| Brooks Glycerin Max | 309 g | 45 / 39 mm | 6 mm | DNA Tuned | None | 2024 | Maximal soft cruiser |
| Nike Pegasus Premium | 309 g | 45 / 35 mm | 10 mm | ZoomX + ReactX + Air | None | 2025 | Premium energetic daily |
| Skechers Aero Burst | 309 g | 42 / 36 mm | 6 mm | Hyper Burst Ice (dual-density) | Carbon | 2025 | Max-cushion daily, heavy but protective |
| Brooks Glycerin Max 2 | 312 g | 45 / 39 mm | 6 mm | DNA Tuned | None | 2026 | Tallest-stack max cushion |
| Hoka Bondi 9 | 314 g | 43 / 38 mm | 5 mm | Supercritical EVA | None | 2024 | Max plush, long easy + recovery |
| Nike Vomero Premium | 329 g | 55.5 / 45.5 mm | 10 mm | ZoomX / Air Zoom | None | 2025 | Nike's tallest-stack trainer |
| Hoka Skyward X | 333 g | 48 / 43 mm | 5 mm | PEBA + EVA | Carbon | 2024 | Plated max cushion, long runs |
How to Read the Numbers
- Weight: The figure that changes how a shoe feels most obviously, but it is quoted at one sample size — usually a men's US9. Your pair will weigh more or less.
- Stack: The foam under your heel and under your forefoot.
- Drop: The heel-to-toe difference between those two. It changes where the load sits, not how much of it there is.
- Plate: What is embedded in the midsole. Carbon is the stiffest and the most common in racing shoes, while nylon, Pebax and rods are progressively more forgiving. “None” is not a lesser shoe, just a different one.
- Foam: The maker's own name for the midsole compound, reproduced as published. The names are marketing, but the behaviour is not — PEBA-based foams are generally lighter and more resilient than EVA-based ones.
Compare Any of These Side by Side
Want to see how much foam separates your shortlist? The ATHLO+ Shoe Lab stacks any two to four of them against each other on the same specs. ATHLO+ does not sell running shoes, but you will find the rest of your kit in Running and Recovery.
If you are deciding between versions of the same shoe, see what changed from the Hoka Bondi 8 to the Bondi 9.
Find Your Fit with FORGED by ReFormd on ATHLO+
A spec table can narrow the shelf, but it cannot watch you run. FORGED by ReFormd's 3D running gait analysis, which you can book on ATHLO+, comes with a shoe recommendation.
Book 3D Running Gait Analysis with FORGED by ReFormd on ATHLO+ →
Ready to find out what stack height really means for your legs? Read our running shoe specs explainer next.
More Shoe Lab Comparisons
- Carbon Plate Racing Shoes Compared — 64 shoes
- Daily Trainer Running Shoes Compared — 62 shoes
- Trail Running Shoes Compared — 52 shoes
- Stability Running Shoes Compared — 33 shoes
- Super Trainers Compared — 45 shoes
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is the manufacturer's published specification, compiled in the ATHLO+ Shoe Lab, which is powered by iRUN Singapore. These are specifications, not our own test results — we have not run in every shoe listed, and nothing here is ranked or recommended. Stack heights and weights are quoted at the manufacturer's sample size and will vary with your own size. Where a maker publishes no figure, the cell reads “—”.
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iRUN Singapore
The Shoe Lab is built with iRUN Singapore, whose specialists fit runners day in, day out. The specs here are compiled with them — and the shoes are in their stores if you want to put a pair on before you decide.
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More from the Shoe Lab
By brand
Asics33Race · Daily · Stability
Hoka31Max cushion · Daily · Trail
Nike27Race · Daily · Super trainer
Saucony26Race · Daily · Trail
Adidas24Race · Daily · Super trainer
Brooks24Daily · Stability · Trail
On22Daily · Race · Trail
New Balance21Race · Daily · Super trainer
Puma17Race · Daily · Super trainer
Mizuno15Super trainer · Race · Max cushion
Everyone else65Altra · Salomon · Topo Athletic · 17 more
By category
Carbon plate racers64Stiff plate, thick foam. Built for one hard effort.
Daily trainers62The shoes most of your week happens in.
Super trainers45Racing foam and a plate, durable enough to train in.
Trail52Grip and protection for anything that isn't tarmac.
Max cushion41Defined by one number: how much foam is under the heel.
Stability33Geometry and firmer foam to limit how far the foot rolls in.