Roll With It: The Runner's Guide to Rocker Running Shoes

Brands pump out new innovations in the running shoe world every year, but one of the key features that's here to stay is the rocker. While you might be thinking of a guy on stage singing with a guitar, the rocker in the running shoe is a feature that can enhance your running experience by encouraging forward motion. In this article, we'll explain what it is, the key benefits and give you our top rockered shoe picks for recovery runs, daily training and race day.

What Is a Rocker In A Running Shoe? It's All About the Roll

A rocker is a feature of a running shoe's sole where the sole curves upward in the front to create a curved platform. Shoe designers incorporate rockers to help promote a smoother and more efficient running gait, as the rocker feature creates an exaggerated rolling motion from heel to midfoot to toe during each stride. For certain runners, this can reduce the stress on lower body joints and muscles while also potentially increasing running economy. There are two main types of rockers: the full length rocker and the toe rocker.

Full Length Rocker

The full length rocker spans from heel to toe. In a shoe with this type of rocker design, both the back and front ends of the sole curve upward. The rear rocker curve can help heel strikers roll forward upon landing, while the front rocker helps with toe off. These type of rockers are most helpful in recovery day and daily training type of shoes, where you're most likely to be landing on your heel. Saucony's SPEEDROLL geometry seen in the Endorphin line of shoes is a full-length rocker system. Most running shoes have a slight upward curve in the back, but in shoes with a true rocker, the curve starts below your heel rather than behind it. 

Toe Rocker

In a shoe with a toe rocker, the platform is flat until the front of the sole near the toes, which curves upward to help with toe off. This type of rocker is most common in faster race day shoes, where it's most likely that you'll be landing on the forefoot. You can see from the image above how the Nike Vaporfly 3's forefoot rocker is extremely exaggerated, while the back of the shoe is rounded off. 

Benefits of Running With a Rockered Shoe

The benefits of using running shoes with a rocker design vary depending on the shoe's stack height and type of foam. The one thing all rockered shoes have in common is that they make it a bit easier for you to get into your next stride. Here are four main benefits of running in a rockered shoe.

1. Improved Toe-off

The curvature in the forefoot area helps propel your foot forward, allowing for a more efficient toe-off phase and potentially increasing running speed.

2. Reduced Joint stress

The rocker shape can help decrease the impact forces on joints like the ankle, knee, and hip by promoting a smoother and more gradual transition during each stride. In shoes with a full length rocker, the feature may help you lessen impact upon landing when you roll through the heel.

3. Increased Stability 

Some shoes with full length rockers also have wider heel platforms for stable landings (see the Saucony Endorphin Shift 3 in our list below). This larger contact area with the ground, combined with the gentle encouragement to roll forward, can minimize the work your ankle needs to do.

4. Enhanced Comfort

The rolling motion facilitated by the rocker design may create a smoother and more comfortable running experience. However, many factors like upper construction, type of foam used and overall fit determine a shoes comfort, so its important to evaluate those as wel if you're looking for a comfort-oriented shoel.

Best Running Shoes with a Rocker

Rockers are like salsa; they're put on pretty much everything and come in all different flavors. Below, we've broken out some top rockered shoe options, from recovery day plodders to old-reliable daily trainers to race day speed demons, highlighting mild, moderate and aggressive options in each category. 

Recovery Day Shoes with a Rocker

Shoes for recovery running typically have large stacks of foam and padded, comfortable uppers. They're designed to reduce impact on your joints and help your legs feel fresh after hitting your run. Here are three stellar recovery day shoes that feature a rocker.

Mild Rocker: New Balance Fresh Foam X More v4 ($150)

The New Balance Fresh Foam X More v4 has a thick bed of cushioning underfoot to protect your legs on easy efforts. The shoe has a mild drop (the difference between heel and forefoot stack height) of 4mm and a foam compound that's softer than it is propulsive, so the rocker here does the heavy lifting of helping your legs propel you forward.

New Balance More v4 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Mild, full length rocker
• Price: $150
• Drop: 4mm
• Forefoot stack: 30mm
• Heel stack: 34mm
• Weight: 10.5 oz
• Foam: Fresh Foam X

Moderate Rocker: Asics Gel-Nimbus 25 ($160)

Depending on how you like your shoes, the Gel-Nimbus 25 can be used as a daily trainer or recovery day shoe. If you like to keep it slow, soft and easy on your daily runs, this is the perfect shoe for you. Otherwise, the ample FF Blast Plus cushioning and moderate rocker make this a great choice for days when you want to plod along and recover from your harder efforts.

Asics Gel-Nimbus 25 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Moderate, toe rocker
• Price: $160
• Drop: 8mm
• Forefoot stack: 33.5mm
• Heel stack: 41.5mm
• Weight: 10.2oz
• Foam: FlyteFoam Blast Plus Eco

Aggressive Rocker: Saucony Endorphin Shift 3 ($150)

The Saucony Endorphin series is known for its SPEEDROLL technology, which is fancy marketing speak for a good ol' rocker underfoot. The Shift 3 marries that rocker with a supportive heel cup on the rear for enhanced stability and a 40mm stack of EVA-based PWRRUN foam for firm but responsive cushioning. Bigger and taller runners who run with more force will appreciate the Shift as a daily trainer, while smaller runners may find the foam's firm durometer (i.e., a measure of how firm a foam is) best for slower recovery runs.

Saucony Shift 3 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Aggressive, full length rocker
• Price: $150
• Drop: 4mm
• Forefoot stack: 35mm
• Heel stack: 39mm
• Weight: 9.4oz
• Foam: PWRRUN (EVA)

Daily Trainers with a Rocker

Rockers in a daily trainer help you pick up the pace on those days where you want to push it into the upper ends of your aerobic range. Here are three picks that can handle the bulk of your training mileage and can flex to the speedier side of daily training. 

Mild Rocker: Hoka Mach 5 ($140)

The Mach 5 is a speed-oriented daily trainer with a simple constitution: a stack of Hoka's responsive EVA-based PROFLY+ foam and a well-fitting upper. It's lightweight, and it can pick up the pace due to the foam mixed with the rockered midsole geometry. It's also on the more affordable end for popular daily training shoes at $140 (believe it or not, that is, unfortunately, affordable for running shoes in 2023…).

Hoka Mach 5 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Mild, full length rocker
• Price: $140
• Drop: 5mm
• Forefoot stack: 24mm
• Heel stack: 29mm
• Weight: 8.2oz
• Foam: PROFLY+ (EVA)

Moderate Rocker: On Cloudmonster ($170)

The On Cloudmonster achieves a unique combination of cushioning and propulsion by pairing its famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask…) CloudTec pods and speedboard, a Pebax powered plastic plate, with a moderately curved front rocker. The pods provide the squish and the plate and rocker give the pop. While pricier than most daily trainers on the market at $170, thw Cloudmonster has an underfoot sensation different than any shoe out there.

On Cloudmonster Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Moderate, toe rocker
• Price: $170
• Drop: 5mm
• Forefoot stack: 24mm
• Heel stack: 30mm
• Weight: 9.7oz
• Foam: Helion (EVA + Olefin)

Aggressive Rocker: Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 ($170)

The Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 straddles the line between daily trainer and uptempo speed day shoe. With a snappy nylon plate and aggressive rocker, the Speed 3 puts you up on your toes when you want to pick up the pace. However, the buoyantly bouncy midsole foam also has a nice underfoot feel that makes it comfortable for slower paced daily miles. If you could only buy one shoe, this is a great single do-it-all option. It's also a great pick for runners who prefer to do daily training, workouts and races in the same pair of shoes.

Saucony Endorphin Speed 3 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Moderate, toe rocker
• Price: $170
• Drop: 8mm
• Forefoot stack: 28mm
• Heel stack: 36mm
• Weight: 8.1oz
• Foam: PWRRUN PB (PEBA)

Race Day Shoes with a Rocker

Of all running shoe categories, the race day segment benefits the most from a good rocker. The recipe for a laser fast super shoe these days is a PEBA-based midsole for energy return combined with a carbon fiber plate for stiffness and pop. Most models also have a decently curved rocker as the final's chef kiss on the forward motion recipe. Here are three prime examples of rockered race day shoes.

Mild Rocker: Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 ($250)

The Vaporfly was the original super shoe that ushered in a new era of racing footwear, pioneering high-stacked, carbon plated kicks that showed racing flats the door. The third version of Nike's racer keeps the formula the same with a 38mm bed of ZoomX foam, lightweight upper and carbon fiber plate. A mild rocker helps with toe-off, but the star of the show here is the buttery smooth underfoot feeling of the PEBA-based foam.

Nike Vaporfly Next% 3 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Mild, toe rocker
• Price: $250
• Drop: 8mm
• Forefoot stack: 30mm
• Heel stack: 38mm
• Weight: 7.0oz
• Foam: ZoomX (PEBA)

Moderate Rocker: Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 ($250)

The only other shoe to capture as many marathon podiums as the Nike Vaporfly is the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro series. Is that due to the shoe's performance or their marketing team shelling out cash to sponsor elites? Likely a bit of both, but the results show the Adios Pro 3 can hang with the best of 'em. The Adios has a maximum legal limit stack paired with carbon fiber rods, plus a moderate rocker covered in Continental rubber for extra traction on the toe off. 

Adidas Adizero Adios Pro 3 Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Moderate, full-length rocker
• Price: $250
• Drop: 6.5mm
• Forefoot stack: 33mm
• Heel stack: 39.5mm
• Weight: 7.6oz
• Foam: Lightstrike Pro (Supercritical TPE)

Aggressive Rocker: Saucony Endorphin Elite ($275)

The Endorphin Elite is the king of the race day rocker—Saucony describes the shoe as providing an "aggressive, on-your-toes feel." The midsole's geometry pairs with a slotted carbon fiber plate and bouncy new PWWRUN HG supercritical (gas-injected) PEBA midsole to deliver the brand's msot efficient raceday shoe yet. If you're looking for the ultimate rock and roll on raceday, the Endorphin Elite is it.

Saucony Endorphin Elite Cheatsheet

• Rocker type: Aggressive, full-length rocker
• Price: $275
• Drop: 8mm
• Forefoot stack: 31.5mm
• Heel stack: 39.5mm
• Weight: 7.2oz
• Foam: PWRRUN HG (Supercritical PEBA)

Final Thoughts

Shopping for a running shoe can feel like trying to learn a foreign language. Among the marketing jargon and technical terminology, it's hard to pinpoint what the real points of differentiation are in each shoe you're evaluating. However, rockers are one of those features that can make a real difference.

While rockered running shoes are fairly popular, the degree of rocker can vary between different models and brands—so the benefit you'll get from the rocker will also vary. Some shoes may have a more pronounced rocker shape, while others may have a subtle curvature. The inclusion of a rocker design is often determined by the shoe's intended purpose, such as maximizing speed, supporting long-distance running, or accommodating specific running styles or conditions.