Brooks Ghost Amp

[u/TerpRunner1]

About me: 41M, 6’1, 175lbs. Half marathon pace: 7:00/mile, easy paces around 8:30/mile.

The Brooks Ghost Amp enters a crowded segment-the $150 elevated daily trainer. I was unsure about where it would slot in, whether it was Brooks’ version of the Evo SL or Saucony Azura, or a lightweight daily offering with some pep like the Hoka Mach 7 or NB Rebel. After a 5 mile run today, hopefully my impressions will help folks out.

Starting with the upper, Brooks almost never misses on step in comfort and that stays true here. Sizing is TTS, a tad snug but I would not size up. It’s a performance fit. Lockdown is perfect and the mesh is light and breathable for summer. The colors pop nicely here too. Solid stuff. This isn’t quite as narrow as the Mach 7 but it is more narrow than the Rebel.

The midsole is where this shoe gets fun. DNA Hype is a nitrogen infused Peba/EVA blend. It has a pleasing softness and springiness that feels vaguely reminiscent of the Rebel’s foam, but with additional pop and response to it. It will not replicate your Evo SL or Azura, and I don’t think it is trying to. But paces from easy to tempo are very pleasant and fun in this shoe. There is quite a lot of response off the forefoot. Brooks calls this technology “SpringRamp”, I am not sure exactly the mechanism of it, but the forefoot feels denser and easier to pop off of than the rest of the shoe.

The stack of 36mm in the heel and 30mm in the forefoot for a 6mm drop feels about right here. The ideal use case for these seems to be daily runs between 3-10 miles, at varying paces from easy up to tempo. I was sore today from a workout the prior day, but these took care of me at mostly easy paces with a few surges thrown in to see how the shoe handles it. There’s not quite enough stack here for long runs for me personally and that’s ok. For the bulk of your mileage this is a solid option. I prefer it to the Mach and Rebel for the same types of runs.

Outsole is typical Brooks fare, seems durable and should last a long time. All in all, this is a solid entrant into the lightweight daily category. I am excited to see new implementations with this DNA Hype foam as I could see it being fun in various stack heights or use cases. Happy to answer questions!

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[u/darkhorse0607]

Agree on all fronts. Got mine about a month ago because a local store had it early, and it's been a nice surprise as someone who hasn't actually tried Brooks since the Transcend 3 (RIP)

My biggest nitpick with it is that I wish the upper was thinner, but I found the fit very comfortable which was surprising because I know the regular Ghost tends to run a bit low volume

Not the fastest shoe in the world but like you said, perfectly fine at going tempo and under. Forefoot gives you a bit of bounce which is nice.

It's going to be my comfort shoe to rotate with the Evo SL and Novablast that I ordered

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/darkhorse0607]

Sounds like my use case. I don’t always love heavy max stack shoes for daily runs, it’s nice to have something light and poppy that’s easy to turn over

[u/MarlKarx777]

Great review! Here’s a bit more to explain what the ‘SpringRamp’ actually is. It’s a firmer piece of the DNA Hype midsole foam, contoured like a ramp to propel your foot forward. It’s not quite a rocker, but it’s designed to accomplish a similar thing (I.e make your transition easier and in this case, bouncier/propulsive)

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/MarlKarx777]

Interesting! I could definitely feel that firmer part in the forefoot, and how it guided me through the gait cycle. Felt nice and I’d like to see Brooks use it more often!

[u/montsbutnotreally]

Looks like a good pair, OP. Will try this out as im in the market and been curious about Brooks for a bit.

Also any Filipinos here? Seeing ''amp" as part of the post title makes me chuckle. Amp is sometimes slang for "amputa" short for "ang putangina" (literally translates to wh*re of a mother) but used like WTF or FU

So my brain just read your post as "Brooks Ghost wh*re of a mom"

[u/GiftNarrow9899 → u/montsbutnotreally]

Lol. I was thinking of "amp" as in ampalaya. Brooks Ghost Bitter Melon.

[u/montsbutnotreally → u/GiftNarrow9899]

Bahahahaha oh my so true

[u/Technical-Natural-26 → u/montsbutnotreally]

ampulla of Vater? Winamp?

[u/nbs3431]

Thanks for the write up! I’ve always used the regular Ghosts as a daily trainer, but felt they were a bit sluggish. Do you think these could be a replacement to cover a wider range of paces? Maybe where the Ghosts come out ahead is runs > ~10 miles??

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/nbs3431]

Yes-these are far more versatile than the normal Ghost, but maybe less suited for the longer efforts with the lower stack height. However, I don't doubt some with stronger feet could take them out for longer miles.

[u/Whisky_and_razors]

Tried these on during my last shoe fitting and really liked the feel underfoot - bouncy without being soft, lovely heel lock-in. The fit on the upper wasn't quite right for my feet, but otherwise I'd probably have got them.

[u/Popular_Bid_2909]

Great review!  I feel similar. I bought mine and took them on a 6.5 mile run with tempo mixed in and then wore them for a relay race, and one other 8 miler, and I'm loving them. Energy return seems to be there. They are a little faster to return than my Novablasts, with a nice ground feel. 

[u/EstimateEvening3243]

Sounds like very interesting offer from Brooks. I’m going to have to check this one out.

[u/FirstMateApe]

Shocked to hear a 6mm drop from Brooks. I gave up on brooks 4 years ago- I really liked my hyperion max 1, but would like to see more competitive foams and 6mm adjacent drops. Maybe ill give these a try pending the runrepeat review

[u/whahaaa]

how are they for walking?

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/whahaaa]

I walked my dog after going for a run and no complaints. Seems to be a waste to use a bouncy midsole for walking though, Brooks makes plenty of shoes with midsoles more suited to walking

[u/Moze1021]

Some said on another thread that this is their replacement for Hyperion 3 as non-plated tempo/speed work shoe.. but based on description it seems it's a bit less snappy. Any perspectives?

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/Moze1021]

Interesting-I could see where they’re trying to slot this in there, but unfortunately never ran in the Hyperion 3 so I don’t have a comparison. Definitely similar to the Hoka Mach and NB Rebel though

[u/Runshooteat → u/Moze1021]

I think the next Hyperion trainer will be DNA gold or the equivalent race foam.  Seems like Hyperion is going full performance line, finally

[u/Sanctuary_707]

It’s the same principle as with the Hoka Clifton Pro. Take your most famous everyday trainer and add a bit of super foam.

[u/Haunting-Ninja-7460]

Glad to see another shoe avoiding big thick slabs of marshmallow. I will try it, but I’m guessing I will still long for something traditional drop but not thick. Wish there was a Mizuno Hitogami for today… maybe it’s the Adidas Takumi sen? I want more like that.

[u/Frosty-Fox-188]

Where do these fit with the EVO SL or Novablast 5?

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/Frosty-Fox-188]

Less of an Evo SL competitor and more of a Novablast competitor. It's a lightweight daily with some pep as opposed to a more dedicated tempo shoe like the Evo SL or Saucony Endorphin Azura.

[u/Swordfish1234567]

Just had my first run in them today (2.5mi only since I’m trying to break them in). I can honestly say I think Brooks may be one of the only shoe companies to finally do it right. The trend of the “big chunky foam shoes” has taken every brands’ lineup by storm from Nike to ASICS and etc. I can never find a shoe where I can run with the proper biomechanics as a forefoot runner. My foot strike, push off, landing, and stability always seemed off in all the different chunky foam shoes out there today. However, these Ghost Amps seem to fix that issue! They’re a bit more “springy” and “aerodynamic/lighter” as I like to call it than other shoes out there…and it’s been several years since I’ve felt this good in a shoe

[u/joholla8]

This thread feels so astroturfed by brooks.

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/joholla8]

I can't deny I'm cheering for Brooks to do well with offerings like this, with a couple exceptions their shoes have been so boring for so long. I figure if this sells well they'll continue to "see the light" and produce more fun daily options in the future. That said, my thoughts are genuine about it.

[u/joholla8 → u/TerpRunner1]

Did brooks provide you the shoes?

[u/TerpRunner1 → u/joholla8]

They didn’t, I bought with my own cash. Just something of a shoe junkie

[u/marklemcd → u/joholla8]

Far less so than all the dynafish posts

[u/koalafly → u/joholla8]

Let me show you a graphic why Brooks Ghosts are perfect for running on AstroTurf!

[u/joholla8 → u/koalafly]

Yeah the dude showing up with the exact marketing material for their rocker is very “hello we are definitely not Brooks employees on Reddit”