ASICS Glideride Max Review: The Debut of FF BLAST MAX

All shoes are reviewed by the Fleet Feet tester team, which represents a wide variety of goals, foot shapes, running locations and terrains. Reviewers pound the pavement, climb the hills, tackle the trails, then come together to compare notes. Debates ensue over the feel of the cushioning, the purpose of the shoe, and how it compares to last year’s model. While each reviewer has their own individual preferences, we hope that capturing our debates will help you make an informed decision.

It’s no secret that we, as runners, want running to feel as easy as possible. Even though we like to challenge ourselves by pushing our bodies to their limits, we’d be lying if we said we don’t revel in the days when our strides feel smooth, our bodies feel fluid and the road beside us seems to just melt away.

The new ASICS Glideride Max, available this fall, promises to deliver just that–a smooth, efficient ride with an effortless feeling. Sporting ASICS’ brand new midsole compound, FF BLAST MAX, and a rocker shape, can the Glideride Max help us glide through the miles with ease? Or will we be slogging along the sidewalk instead? Read on to find out.

The ASICS Glideride Max is the first of its kind. It’s a brand-new offering from ASICS and it’s also the debut of ASICS’ new FF BLAST MAX foam.

ASICS claims this new foam is “one of our most energetic midsole foams complemented with cloud-like softness and a responsive energy return in each step.” While I wouldn’t go so far as to say the foam felt cloud-like, it was definitely comfortable–not too soft, not too firm, but just right. It combines with ASICS" FF BLAST PLUS ECO, a lightweight foam made with 20% bio-based material. The shoe’s rocker shape, which ASICS calls their GUIDESOLE technology, had enough curvature to roll me forward but not so much to hurt my toes, which sometimes happens to me with very aggressive rockers.

When I put the Glideride Max on and took my first step to head out the door, I noticed right away that they had quite a bit of bounce to them. Nothing pogo-stick like, but enough as if to say “I’m here, I got you.” I headed out for an easy run and the shoes felt smooth with every stride. They didn’t feel like they were necessarily propelling me forward, but they felt really natural with my turnover. They also felt great during my 30-second strides. The heel is where the shoe feels really bouncy, and then the forefoot has some curvature to gently roll you forward.

My next run in these shoes was a 10-miler with 6 miles around marathon pace. The shoes came through again. I felt really smooth and my effort felt even throughout the run–except for the last quarter mile over a bridge, but I can’t blame the shoes for that. These shoes can definitely stand up to long distances and I’ll wear them for my future long runs in the future as I train for the New York City Marathon.

While the Glideride Max may be the first of its kind, it’s not the first time fellow wear tester Kate and I have disagreed about a shoe. I found the Glideride Max to be perfectly peppy, while Kate thought it was too soft.

“I tried the ASICS Glideride in 2019 and I loved that shoe,” says Kate, who’s currently training for Every Woman’s Marathon in November. “At the time, there was nothing else like it. It was firm and springy with a really exaggerated rocker shape. However, the Glideride Max is a different experience. If you’re expecting another springy shoe, you’re in for a softer experience. If you’re like Caroline, you might like that. For me, this shoe just doesn’t feel as responsive as I want it to. When I first step into the shoe, I feel quite a bit of compression under my foot, which is too much for me. I have flat feet and flexible arches, and I want something more firm and stable to support me and help me build momentum.”

Kate felt like she was “clopping down the street,” a stark comparison to the gliding sensation I experienced. We brought in Heather for the tiebreaker, also training for Every Woman’s Marathon.

“My first test run in the Glideride Max had an easy first half with pickups on the back half,” she says. “It felt great during the easy miles, smooth and comfortable without pushing me forward too much. Truthfully, that had me a bit worried that it wasn’t going to perform as well when it came to the speedwork part of my workout. I am happy to share that I was absolutely wrong! As soon as I picked up speed, the shoe started showing off for me. It was responsive while still having a cushioned feel, and it felt like it was giving me a little edge in my workout. In short, I loved it. After loving the Superblast 2 so much, I wasn’t sure how this would compare, but it will be a toss-up as to which one I have on my feet when marathon day comes. This is a great shoe that performs well but gets out of the way to let you enjoy the ride.”

Maybe it wasn’t fair of me to assign Heather as the tiebreaker since, based on her preferences, I already knew she would love this shoe. But I can’t help it if Heather and I both have a penchant for soft cushioning that offers a bit of bounce–sorry, Kate!

If you’re not sure about the volume, width or size of your feet, your best bet will be to head into your local Fleet Feet. Fleet Feet outfitters use 3D fit id® foot scanning technology to gather information about your feet and the support they need by taking precise measurements of your foot length, width and arch height, so you can learn a lot about your feet while you’re there.

Full transparency: none of us have run in the Glideride 3. The last Glideride any of us wore was the original version in 2019. While we can compare the tech specs of the two shoes, we can’t compare the ride or fit. It’s also worth noting that ASICS positions the Glideride Max as a completely new offering and not an update to the Glideride 3.

The Glideride Max has much more stack height than the Glideride 3, consisting of ASICS’ new foam, FF BLAST MAX. This replaces the FF BLAST PLUS foam used in the Glideride 3. Since all of us had worn the original Glideride, we found ourselves comparing that shoe to the new Glideride Max.

I wanted to like the 2019 Glideride so badly because I loved the shape and the bounce, but the aggressive rocker shape really hurt my forefoot after a few miles. Not so with the Glideride Max. I tested these on a shorter run just to make sure, but my toes felt good all the way through ten miles. This leads me to believe that the rocker shape isn’t quite as aggressive as the original model, something I appreciate. The foam feels softer, too.

“The Glideride Max is much softer–too soft in my opinion–less propulsive and doesn’t have the rocker I was hoping for,” Kate says.

Whether or not you prefer the Glideride Max over the Glideride 3 will depend on your preferences for soft versus firm and gentle versus aggressive rocker shapes.

We took a look at some comparable models to see how they stack up against the ASICS Glideride Max. Here’s what we found.

We found the ASICS Glideride Max to feel most similar to the HOKA Skyflow and the New Balance More v5.

The HOKA Skyflow aims to offer an elevated daily trainer experience, much like the Glideride Max. Both shoes offer a similar soft-to-firm ratio with a gentle rocker shape to keep you moving forward.

The New Balance More v5 also offers a rocker shape, although its primary purpose is to deliver as much comfort as possible in the form of a maxed-out stack height. Its Fresh Foam X midsole foam isn’t really designed to be responsive but it’s not too soft, either. The More v5 was another shoe that Kate and I disagreed on–she found it to be too soft, while I found it to be a little too firm.

As someone who enjoys shoes on the softer side, I found that the ASICS Glideride Max seamlessly blended softness with energy return. Kate, who prefers firm shoes, found the Glideride Max to be much too soft. And Heather, our tie-breaker, also enjoys soft shoes.

All of this is to say that your experience running in the Glideride Max will largely depend on your individual preferences. If you like a touch of softness to compress underneath your feet during landings, you’ll probably enjoy this shoe. But if you need a firm, rigid platform to push off from, you may find the Glideride Max to feel too soft.

What if you’re not sure what your preferences are? Heading into your local Fleet Feet and working with an expert Outfitter, who will make personalized recommendations, can help you determine which shoes feel best. After trying a few pairs on, you’ll be one step closer–literally–to finding your perfect pair.