The 5 Best Plastic Plated Super Trainers of 2025

Plated trainers aren’t just for race day—they’ve become some of the best tools for high mileage, speed work, and just pure fun. We broke down the top 5 Supwell Certified plated trainers you can grab right now, from versatile workhorses like the Brooks Hyperion Max 3 to beginner-friendly picks like the Saucony Endorphin Speed 5. Each one balances pop and stability while bringing its own flavor to plated training. Whether you’re stacking long runs, cruising tempos, or looking for a smooth everyday ride, these shoes deliver.

1. Brooks Hyperion Max 3—The best plated trainer on the market

Max Cushion

Brooks Hyperion Max 3

Max stack training shoe designed for speed and mileage

Price

$200

Plated?

Yes

Foam

Supercritical EVA & TPEE, PEBA

Weight (oz)

10.2

Drop (mm)

6

Support

Mild Stability

see details

The Hyperion Max 3 is currently our favorite plastic-plated trainer to be released in 2025. Every shoe has trade-offs and no shoe is perfect, but this one delivers a ton of foam, a ton of protection, and a ton of bounce. We’ve started referring to it as a mileage cheat code because it allows you to turn your legs over easily with a lot of protection underfoot, but the plastic plate is very stiff, so it keeps you moving along at a really good pace. As you get further into the run it softens up and opens up, but it still is a pretty aggressive shoe with the lower drop and the cut-outs. One complaint about this shoe is the upper—it is very snug and difficult to get on—and it isn’t as comfort-oriented as the Endorphin Speed 5, Mach X3 or the Neo Vista 2. But to us, the Hyperion Max 3 represents everything this category of shoes should be—the dual foam construction is perfect with the older DNA Loft v2 training foam on the bottom and the DNA Gold TPEE/EVA blend racing foam on the top with the plastic plate providing some stability and speed assistance, along with a soft heel that makes the ride really pleasant. It is very capable of high mileage training, long runs, short runs, speed work, and could even be used as a first marathon shoe if you didn’t want to run in one of the carbon-plated race shoes. Even though it isn’t the lightest weight of these shoes, the extra weight gives you better protection and makes it the most capable of all of these shoes. 

2. Mizuno Neo Vista 2—The most cushioned plated trainer for long runs

Max Cushion

Mizuno Neo Vista 2

Max cushioned training shoe designed for comfort, a smooth ride, and protection on long runs

Price

$200

Plated?

Yes

Foam

TPU, EVA

Weight (oz)

8.0

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

The Mizuno Neo Vista 2 is the most comfortable of the shoes on this list. We think it is the best shoe on the market right now for long runs. It’s also incredibly light for how much stack you get. The ride is so smooth and protective and allows you to turn your legs over with ease. You can feel the snap of the plastic plate and the aggressive rocker on the back, which allows you to never quite settle into a super sloggy type of running form and gives you the assistance to turn over the legs. So, if you are looking for a shoe for pure mileage building and you’re not concerned about speed, then this is the pick. While the Nike Vomero Premium is also great for protecting the legs, the Neo Vista 2 is significantly lighter than the Vomero Premium. The Neo Vista 2 comes in under 300 grams in our Men’s size 10.5 and the Vomero Premium is 360 grams.The combination of the plastic plate and Enerzy NXT foam, one of the best training foams on the market, makes it feel like it is purpose-built for the long run with protection, comfort, and ease of turning over the legs as the transcendent qualities of this shoe.

3. ASICS Sonicblast—A comfortable plated trainer that can also pick up the pace

Speed Training

ASICS Sonicblast

Speed training shoe designed for comfort and versatility

Price

$180

Plated?

Yes

Foam

ATPU, Olefin

Weight (oz)

9.0

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Mild Stability

see details

The ASICS Sonicblast is the newest shoe on our list and a brand new shoe to the ASICS line-up, so we have the fewest miles in it, but we’ve used it for two different 20+ mile double days. It has a similar construction to the Mach X 3 in that you are getting a bottom layer of FF Blast Max, a plastic plate, and a thick top layer of ASICS’ new top-tier training foam—the same one that is being used in the Megablast. This construction results in a great snap and roll through your stride. And like the Mach X 3, it seems like a very approachable shoe—it’s easy to turn over, has a smooth, reliable feel to the ride, and it is more fun than a standard daily trainer without veering off into too aggressive territory. It can handle recovery runs, long runs, as well as some workouts, or at least pick-ups, during a longer effort. If you are looking for a shoe that is highly protective, very smooth, and super comfortable, the Sonicblast is a great choice. 

Hoka Mach X 3—The best speed-oriented plated trainer

Speed Training

Hoka Mach X 3

Plastic-plated training shoe designed for speed, versatility and long run capability

Price

$190

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA, EVA

Weight (oz)

10.2

Drop (mm)

5

Support

Mild Stability

see details

The Hoka Mach X 3 is similar to the Endorphin Speed 5 in that you get a plastic plate with the PEBA foam, but in the Mach X 3 you get a bottom layer of standard foam. This bottom layer of standard EVA foam actually makes it a better shoe. Three words to describe this shoe are: smooth, cushioned, and bouncy. Now, the bounce isn’t the most aggressive, but the smoothness and cushion help roll you along beautifully, which makes it great for a long run where you just want to get into a nice rhythm. It is not too soft because of the use of the two different foams, making it right in that Goldilocks zone—not too soft and not too firm. Additionally, the plastic plate has just enough snap to help you keep turning over your legs. It does have some speed capability, but the aggression and the faster, high-end speed capabilities are dialed back in this one compared to the previous version. In this version, Hoka made the upper more comfort-oriented even though it is supposed to be the same midsole as the Mach X2. If you are looking for a shoe that is very palatable, that is straight down the center of the plate, that you can use as your first race shoe or for long runs for marathon training, this one is battle tested and we can definitely recommend it with confidence. And while it is not as exciting as some of the new non-plated options like the ASICS Megablast or as aggressive as the Hyperion Max 3, it is very easy to run in due to the midsole foam and geometry.

5. Saucony Endorphin Speed 5—The best plated trainer for beginners

Speed Training

Saucony Endorphin Speed 5

Nylon plated training shoe designed for speed workouts and everyday miles

Price

$175

Plated?

Yes

Foam

PEBA

Weight (oz)

8.3

Drop (mm)

8

Support

Neutral

see details

The Saucony Endorphin Speed 5 is $175 and was released in June 2025. It is coming in at number 5 because it feels the most traditional of all of these shoes. It doesn’t have the highest stack and while it does have 100% of the PEBA race foam, it is on the softer side and not as snappy or bouncy. It is more flexible, providing more of a grounded feel. So to us, it is the least capable speed-wise out of the group. It’s a really nice option for newer runners, but the market is shifting to where people are looking for more comfort and brands are blending the training foam with the race foam. It could benefit from having more of an elevated training foam to give you more comfort and protection under foot. Of these 5 shoes, it’s not the most protective, it’s not the best for long runs, it’s not the fastest, it’s not the most aggressive, but it’s a really fun, peppy, lightweight option for daily miles, especially if you are a smaller runner or don’t put a lot of force down.

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