Brooks Gear Glossary

C

Cushion

Synonymous with midsole, this term generally refers to the soft material in shoes that protects your body from the impact your body absorbs each time your feet hit the pavement. Here at Brooks, “Cushion” is also the category name for our softest shoes.

Read more: Learn about the Cushion category or our favorite Cushion shoes including the Ghost and the Glycerin.

D

DNA

Several types of Brooks cushioning begin with the term DNA. Why, you ask? Because each of these cushioning types respond to your unique stride, just like you have a unique genetic make-up.

DNA AMP

DNA AMP is a midsole material that is formulated to absorb the force of your stride and return that energy back to you. That’s why shoes that use DNA AMP feel springy instead of just soft.

Read more: Check out an article on the science behind DNA AMP

DNA LOFT

The first version of our super-soft cushioning, DNA LOFT consists of a fine-tuned combo of EVA foam, rubber, and air that ensures that your feet get a super soft ride every time you lace up.

Read more: Check out an article on the science behind DNA LOFT

DNA LOFT v2

For the second version of our super soft cushioning, we made updates to both the foam formula and our production method. What we didn’t change, though, is the cushion’s unique balance of foam, rubber, and air. The result is a soft ride that lasts for kilometers without bottoming out or weighing you down.

DNA LOFT v3

DNA LOFT v3 is the most advanced version of our super-soft cushioning — the third version of our original DNA LOFT cushioning. To give you the most amplified cushion experience yet, we injected our DNA LOFT foam with nitrogen, which changed the cell structure to create a lighter, more cushioned experience without sacrificing durability.

DNA FLASH

DNA FLASH is our fastest cushioning, achieved through a combination of light weight and responsiveness, with less of the extreme springiness of DNA AMP. You’ll find DNA FLASH only in our fastest racing and training shoes, like the Hyperion Tempo and Hyperion Elite.

E

Energy return

We know that running takes energy. But now we’re able to create cushioning that absorbs your energy and returns it back to you. Look for Brooks shoes that feature DNA AMP to experience our best energy-return technology.

G 

GTS

GTS stands for Go-To-Support — as in, the Adrenaline GTS. When paired with a shoe name, “GTS” indicates that the shoe uses our GuideRails support technology to keep you in stride.

Read more: Learn more about GTS

GuideRails Holistic Support System

We developed this lightweight support system to reduce excess movement in your stride as you fatigue. Think of them as lane bumpers in bowling—they’re there when you need them!

Read more: Check out this article on GuideRails Support and how it works

H

Heel-to-toe drop

Also known as “offset,” this term refers to the change in cushioning thickness at the heel to the ball of the foot. For example, if the cushioning under the heel measures 14 millimeters, and 4 millimeters at its thinnest point under the toe or ball of the foot, the heel-to-toe drop is 10 millimeters.

The drop of a shoe can affect how your foot lands. For example, at one end of the range, zero-drop shoes encourage a midfoot landing, while traditional shoes (10 millimeter drop) are more forgiving of the common heel-strike landing.

M

Midsole

The midsole of the shoe is the layer between the Outer layer of rubber touching the ground and the Upper layer that covers the top of your foot. The midsole contains the cushioning of any given shoe, which can feel soft, springy, or fast and light, depending on which cushioning gets used.

N

Nitrogen infusion

Running on nitro? It’s not as weird as it sounds. By infusing the foam compounds of our cushioning with nitrogen, we can amplify a single trait like energy return or softness without affecting other qualities of the foam like durability or weight. That lets us fine-tune our cushioning for a wide variety of runner preferences.

We used nitrogen infusion to develop DNA FLASH and DNA LOFT v3.

P

Progressive Diagonal Roll Bar

The PDRB is a support technology that we use in some of our Walking and Solution shoes. It helps manage excess heel motion. In most of our support shoes, we have a newer, lighter support technology: GuideRails Holistic Support System.

R

Ride

“Ride” refers to the sensation of the shoe on your foot while moving. In other words, it’s the collective sensation of the shoe as you run, made up of distinct impressions including, for example, how the shoe feels when your foot first hits the ground, how it feels while the cushioning compresses, and how it feels as you push off.

Run bra

We coined the term “run bra” because “sports bra” doesn’t do our bras justice. Our run bras are specifically designed with advanced support to handle the high impact demands of running. The right bra can transform your workout by reducing unwanted movement and bouncing and making you more comfortable as you jog, sprint, or hit the perfect stride for an endurance race.

Check out the Dare Collection, Drive Collection, and read more about Brooks Run Bras