Shoe Rotations for Every Foot Strike
Whether you are a heel striker, midfoot striker, or forefoot striker, we’ve got you covered with the best options for daily trainers, workout shoes, long run shoes, and recovery shoes. Find out below if the TYR Maverick, Adidas EVO SL, Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3, Nike Vomero Plus, and the Brooks Glycerin Max are right for you.
Every stride pattern deserves its own starting lineup. Whether you’re landing on the heel, midfoot, or forefoot, the right rotation can make every run feel smoother and more efficient. We broke down our top picks for daily miles, race day, speed sessions, long runs, and recovery so every run and footstrike is covered.
Heel Strike
Daily Trainer: Salomon Aero Glide 3
The Salomon Aero Glide 3 is a near-perfect versatile daily trainer, especially for heel strikers. Forefoot strikers have reported less bounce.
Salomon Aero Glide 3
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Race Day: Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
The Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3 is a smooth and stable racer with a balanced rocker geometry. It suits all footstrikes, but it definitely works very well for people who roll through their stride and heel strikers report more bounce and responsiveness with it.
Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 3
Speed Training: ASICS Megablast
The ASICS Megablast is an ultra-bouncy speed trainer with a similar geometry to the Nimbus 27. It also works for other footstrikes and is definitely our favorite shoe of the year, and maybe of all-time. It's versatility to run a variety of paces and its enjoyable ride at everything from recovery runs to racing makes it a rotation killer.
ASICS Megablast
Long Run: Puma MagMax
The Puma MagMax is a durable, protective long run shoe with a wide platform and generous heel stack that is especially nice for bigger runs putting a lot of force down into the foam.
Puma MagMax Nitro
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Recovery: ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27
The ASICS Gel-Nimbus 27 is a cushioned, stable cruiser with a soft, forgiving heel and a subtle rocker that is perfect for recovery runs.
Asics Gel-Nimbus 27
Midfoot Strike
Daily Trainer: TYR Maverick-V1 Runner
The TYR Maverick falls between the Aero Glide 3 and the EVO SL—it is supportive and accessible, yet fast when you need it to be.
TYR Maverick-V1 Runner
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Race Day: Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3
The Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 is a World-Athletics rule bending race shoe with 60+mm of foam in the midfoot.
Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 3 Beta
Speed Training: Adidas Boston 13
The Adidas Boston 13 is a snappy, lightning fast shoe with Adidas’ Lightstrike Pro race foam in the mid/forefoot.
Adidas Boston 13
Long Run: Brooks Hyperion Max 3
The Brooks Hyperion Max 3 reminds us of a training version of the OG Cielo X1, which was a midfoot striker favorite.
Brooks Hyperion Max 3
Recovery: Mizuno Neo Vista 2
The Mizuno Neo Vista 2 is a protective dual foam max cushion shoe with a tall stack of foam in the midfoot. It is highly underrated and is one of our favorite recovery run shoes this year.
Mizuno Neo Vista 2
Forefoot Strike
Daily Trainer: On Cloudmonster Hyper
The On Cloudmonster Hyper is a comfortable, supportive trainer with a forefoot slab of PEBA race foam.
Race Day: Adidas Adios Pro 4
The Adidas Adios Pro 4 is a soft, bouncy race shoe with a distinct sweet spot landing zone in the forefoot.
Adidas Adios Pro 4
Speed Training: Adidas EVO SL
The Adidas EVO SL is an uptempo daily/speed trainer that sings when you land at the front of the platform.
Adidas Evo SL
Long Run: Nike Vomero Plus
The Nike Vomero Plus is a very popular long run option amongst forefoot strikers despite its 10mm drop.
Nike Vomero Plus
Recovery: Brooks Glycerin Max
The Brooks Glycerin Max is a not too soft, not too firm cruiser with 40+mm of forefoot stack and a fantastic rocker. The DNA tuned foam also works well for heel strikers since it is softer in the heel and provides a nice landing zone.
Brooks Glycerin Max
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For more shoe rotation lists designed for specific runners, check out our Narrow Foot Friendly Shoe Rotation List or if you are part of the wide foot family, check out our Wide Foot Friendly Shoe Rotation List.
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