Launch 12

Giant stack heights and soft, “bouncy” foam are ALL the rage right now. Even many long standing models are moving in that direction (like New Balance 1080 and Nike Vomero). Hoka used to be the “OMG so much cushion” brand and now many traditional models have considerably more than Hoka. Brooks Ghost and Adrenaline have much higher stack height than they used to, but overall the feel of the shoe is much more similar to what shoes felt like 5 years ago. Glycerin (the regular models-not the Max or Flex) is also not too far off (but again, much softer and higher stack than what used to be the case). Adidas Supernova Rise is a really nice middle of the road option (also frequently available on sales for less than $75). Supernova Solution is the stability version. Saucony Ride or Guide (for stability) are again…softer and higher stack than shoes used to be, but are pretty close to what they were 5 years ago. Nike Pegasus (the regular Pegasus-not plus, premium, etc) hasn’t been updated since the ‘90’s. So that’s going to also be pretty close to how shoes felt 5 years ago. But generally speaking, everything is becoming max stacked, with “bouncy” foam that is generally quite soft. That is the rage these days and what people seem to buy up in droves. So that’s what shoe companies are creating. Example: nearly everything that ASICS makes. Those shoes can be tons of fun and a lot of them make running feel a bit easier with more energy return than traditional shoes. But they feel like pouffy trampolines. Which is dramatically different than the shoes of 5-10 years ago. If you want something a little lower stack that has more advanced foam, something like Hoka Cielo Road could be a good option. Brooks’ Hyperion 3 or Launch 11/12 could also work. New Balance Rebel is still pretty soft and squishy, but it’s lower stack than much of what’s out there. Hoka Mach 6 is also a nice shoe. Not squishy, lower stack and fairly peppy. And Saucony Kinvara is a nice bland, low stack shoe with foam that hasn’t seen an ounce of innovation in 20 years. So that’s always a low stack, safe bet as well.

Brooks Launch 11/12 has a lower stack height, which is good for gym work but also has good cushioning for walking and light running.

You might want to look at hyrox type shoes. Personally I’ve liked the brooks launch for gym + cardio. They’re pretty firm and stable so unless I’m really lifting heavy I don’t have any issues.

Brooks Launch. Not just cheap (relatively) but legitimately good shoes.

Asics Novablast 5 might work for you. From personal experience, the Brooks Launch were also my go-tos until they did something weird with the formula adding gel or whatnot. Brooks Ghost 14 gave me stress fracture like pain almost immediately. So far, the Novablast lineup has been my go-to.

That's just not true. Nike Pegasus and brooks launch are 2 good entry level shoes and you can use them for any style of training or racing

Nb5 is to soft if you overpronate. Not sure about vomero. Would rather try a saucony ride, adizero sl2 or brooks launch (lower stack, more stable)if I were you