The best new training shoes of 2025
It has seen a great start to the year with some amazing, max-cushioned shoes released that are perfect for everyday training miles.
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HOKA – Bondi 9 - £160.00
Using a new, super-critical midsole foam, the Bondi 9 marks a significant move from HOKA. Giving the shoe a more cushioned, yet responsive ride, transforms the feel from the previous version of the brand’s most max-cushioned shoe.
From the moment you step into the new Bondi, you notice the sheer amount of soft, plush cushioning in that high-stack midsole. Despite the high stack, the shoe does manage to remain very stable, so the shoe can appeal to a wider audience.
The upper uses a plush, engineered knit and adds to the sumptuous feel of the shoe, wrapping around the foot with a snugness that feels great.
On the run the ride is soft and cushioned as well as smooth flowing from the word go. The shoe almost disappears on the foot, taking care of business without distraction. For daily miles, it’s a great choice to simply soak up mile after mile.
Nike – Pegasus Premium - £185.00
The new range-topping, neutral cushioned running shoe from Nike, the Pegasus Premium takes the familiar Pegasus and ramps up the cushioning to the max!
Now with a stack height of 45mm combining ZoomX foam, a sculpted Air Zoom unit and ReactX foam, Nike have included all their cushioning technologies into this model. The result is the brand’s most cushioned running shoe to date, with a soft yet responsive ride.
The shoe easily absorbs every bit of impact, with the Air Zoom providing a plush ride yet rebounds quickly to give a very energised toe-off.
The upper is inspired by the looks of classic Nike models and the outsole features a familiar waffle pattern for great traction. The Pegasus Premium is a great option for neutral runners wanting an everyday trainer that feels as good on an easy run pace as it does at a more up-tempo speed.
Brooks – Glycerin Max - £180.00
One of the highest-stacked training shoes on the market, the new Glycerin Max manages to offer a high degree of cushioning and remain very stable. At 45mm, the new DNA-Tuned midsole foam features a dual-cell construction: larger cells in the rear of the foot for great shock-absorbing properties and small cells in the forefoot to provide a responsive toe-off.
The aggressively shaped forefoot rocker helps the shoe toe off smoothly and makes the shoe surprisingly agile for one with such deep cushioning. As far as training shoes go, this has to be one of the most cushioned, yet at the same time, versatile shoes ever made for those logging higher weekly mileage.
It’s a shoe you simply have to try on as the step in comfort is unlike anything else, and that alone will be enough to convince many people that this could become your new daily trainer.
ASICS – Novablast 5 - £135.00
Feeling fast and lively, the latest Novablast uses the Japanese principle of ‘kaizen’ (continuous improvement) to make the shoe more responsive than before. A new FF Blast Max midsole offers around 8.5% more ‘energy return’ than the outgoing model and is the only shoe in the current ASICS line-up to offer the foam in the whole of the midsole.
The new model feels more stable as well as more responsive. The midsole is slightly broader and allows the foot to sit ‘within’ it a little more rather than ‘on’ it. This stability makes the shoe more controlled and balanced and should see it prove more popular with a wider range of runners.
It is a very versatile model, too, feeling accommodating on easy runs where it simply soaks up the impact, as well as being agile and flexible enough to easily pick up the pace and run faster intervals or tempo sessions.
The Novablast 5 is a great, lightweight allrounder that could become a one-shoe solution for Spring training.
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