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Question:

My questions on an elliptical would be these – 1. Is it possible to simulate running on it? In essence, can you do a quality run without the impact normally associated with it by using the elliptical? Given the problems that running can cause many people, this would seem to be an important question to answer, especially for elliptical sales people!

Try this: Set the incline to the flattest setting. Keep your cadence around 180. Vary the resistance whenever necessary to keep your heart rate in the correct range for the type of workout you are doing. Switching from an aerobic workout to a tempo/threshold workout is as simple as increasing the resistance to get your heart rate into the proper zone. — Keith Gemeinhart Sebring, FL —

Response:

My questions on an elliptical would be these – 1. Is it possible to simulate running on it? In essence, can you do a quality run without the impact normally associated with it by using the elliptical?

Yes, if you have a good one, that is forget anything under $800. Get the NordicTrak910m, that does have adjustments to simulate running, to the best of my knowledge no other one does. 3. It would seem that for it to have real value for running, it would have to work out the specific muscle groups that one uses while running. Does it do this, and to what extent?

Yes, the one I mentioned above does, others don’t, so when theres posts saying "they don’t" or "they suck" it’s because they were playing with thjose $399 toys that are just that, toys. I only noticed very slight differences between running and the trainer. 4. What settingsposture works best for a run workout? For instance, how much incline, how much resistance?

The one I mentioned has several preset progs, as well as on line hookup capability, so the settings are endless. Further, should one attempt to use it without using the bars to hold onto?

If you do that then just do a treadmill workout, because the bars are the upper body workout. Bill R. OO                                    

Response:

I can’t comment on it’s rehab value, but I have used it for the winter months, and actually gained running fitness when I returned to the roads, that is to say I was faster.

Interesting. My questions on an elliptical would be these – 1. Is it possible to simulate running on it? In essence, can you do a quality run without the impact normally associated with it by using the elliptical? Given the problems that running can cause many people, this would seem to be an important question to answer, especially for elliptical sales people! 2. If not, does it have any benefits OTHER than cardio related? I mean, what does it offer that I cannot already get by stepping up my swimcycling workouts? 3. It would seem that for it to have real value for running, it would have to work out the specific muscle groups that one uses while running. Does it do this, and to what extent? 4. What settingsposture works best for a run workout? For instance, how much incline, how much resistance? Further, should one attempt to use it without using the bars to hold onto? (Frequently people prop themselves up on the bars, reducing their effective weight, and I guess, the effective workout.) It’s a much different feel if you try to use it upright without hands, and I suspect that you use different muscles as well… I know that I definitely do get a workout on the machine, but never feel as worn out as when actually finishing a long run. Of course, the low impact nature of the elliptical could have a lot to do with that. If there are any answers to any of these, I’d be very interested in seeing them. BTW, thanks to the original poster for all his great links.

Response:

This question is often asked around here, especially by those of us struggling with injury recovery or trying to avoid injuries by not running Caveat Emptor: You will not improve your running unless you run. But the elliptical trainer does seem a good option to maintain one’s fitness level when a need to reduce or stop running arises.

Its true value as a rehab tool would be a test designed to measure how much a runner’s performance may be diminished if relegated to using only the eliptical trainer for a number of weeks. For example, does an 18:00 5K runner remain an 18:00 5K runner after rehab on the machine (provided time and exertion on the machine are the same as previous run training). I’m not aware that this has been explored.

Response:

With ellipticals, most of us, I assume, don’t have them in our homes,

You should! The starting price for an industrial quality eliptical is about $599 to $800 at Sears. Bill R. OO                                    

Response:

Its true value as a rehab tool would be a test designed to measure how much a runner’s performance may be diminished if relegated to using only the eliptical trainer for a number of weeks. For example, does an 18:00 5K runner remain an 18:00 5K runner after rehab on the machine (provided time and exertion on the machine are the same as previous run training). I’m not aware that this has been explored.

I can’t comment on it’s rehab value, but I have used it for the winter months, and actually gained running fitness when I returned to the roads, that is to say I was faster. Bill R. OO                                    

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This question is often asked around here, especially by those of us struggling with injury recovery or trying to avoid injuries by not running [] Caveat Emptor: You will not improve your running unless you run. But the elliptical trainer does seem a good option to maintain one’s fitness level when a need to reduce or stop running arises. So should this be the suggestion for injuries instead of pool running? Certainly sound easier than pool running. Anyone tried both and care to comment?? — Ed Prochak running    http://www.faqs.org/faqs/running-faq/ netiquette http://www.psg.com/emily.html — "Two roads diverged in a wood and I I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference."

I have aqua jogged (run) and used an elliptical trainer while trying to heal achilles bursitis.  I never felt that I worked my legs hard enough in the pool and it was boring as hell.  Aqua jogging can give you a really decent aerobic workout.  I would be sweating as I flailed through the water, but seemed to have no effect on leg muscles.  The elliptical trainer can give you a hell of an aerobic workout too, and you feel like your legs got some exercise too.  Both useful if you keep the intensity up there. dave

Response:

This question is often asked around here, especially by those of us struggling with injury recovery or trying to avoid injuries by not running [] Caveat Emptor: You will not improve your running unless you run. But the elliptical trainer does seem a good option to maintain one’s fitness level when a need to reduce or stop running arises.

So should this be the suggestion for injuries instead of pool running? Certainly sound easier than pool running. Anyone tried both and care to comment?? — Ed Prochak running    http://www.faqs.org/faqs/running-faq/ netiquette http://www.psg.com/emily.html — "Two roads diverged in a wood and I I took the one less travelled by and that has made all the difference." robert frost

Response:

This question is often asked around here, especially by those of us struggling with injury recovery or trying to avoid injuries by not running [] Caveat Emptor: You will not improve your running unless you run. But the elliptical trainer does seem a good option to maintain one’s fitness level when a need to reduce or stop running arises. So should this be the suggestion for injuries instead of pool running? Certainly sound easier than pool running. Anyone tried both and care to comment??

I used both all winter when dealing with IT pain during marathon training. I think the combination is what kept me going, and the conditioning they provided is was kept the IT at bay enough for me to run and finish the race. Had I had more time, I would have just taken it as full rest and recovery time, but the elliptical and water running together enabled me to keep up with the training as the long runs increased from the 12-13 mile range (onset) to the 20 miler. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, from my perspective: Pool running can be deadly, deadly boring. But the workout feels whole-body, is intense, and puts no discernable strain on the injuries if you’re doing things right and should be exercising at all. If you can find a pool that’s got open recreational swim times for an hour or two, you can put in all the time you need/can stand to approximate a long run time. (My upper limit was an hour and a half one day. I longed for a coat of fresh coat of paint so I could watch it dry…) With ellipticals, most of us, I assume, don’t have them in our homes, so access gets limited. At my local Y, I never had the option of just hoping on one of the ellipticals for more than 30 minutes at a time– though I’d sometimes cheat the rule and do 45 when the place was relatively empty. If you’re of a mind to listen to headphones, ellipticals allow that, obviously, and the pool doesn’t. You can vary the workouts tremendously on most machines, adjusting intervals and intensity as you wish/need, and tracking your distance and heart rate, as well, on the better models. I would, occasionally, feel a twinge or three in the knee on the elliptical– never in the pool– but never as bad as it was/would have been when running at that time. I tended to prefer the models with the accompanying poles for the arms– to me that felt more like running. Physically, each seemed to do what I needed it to do. Psychologically, I’m *really* glad I had both at hand. — Shalom, Peace, Salaam George Grattan (This post is intended for a Usenet newsgroup only. Its appearance in any other forum that does not clearly identify it as originally posted to Usenet is therefore a misrepresentation, is done against my wishes, and may indicate other unauthorized distortions of content and/or context. Correctly attributed and/or unedited copies of this post in other forums do not necessarily indicate my willing participation in them.) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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This question is often asked around here, especially by those of us struggling with injury recovery or trying to avoid injuries by not running http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner/library/equipment/elliptical.htm "Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, compared the NordicTrack Ellipse elliptical trainer against a motorized treadmill, a stairstepper, and a cycle ergometer to see how the Ellipse compared with other modes of exercise. The study revealed no significant difference in oxygen consumption, heart rate, and calorie expenditure between treadmill running and the Ellipse. Both the treadmill and Ellipse provided the test subjects with a superior workout over the stairstepper and cycle ergometer." http://www.principalhealthnews.com/topic/elliptical "Even more surprising, most people who use the trainer underestimate their own efforts. In a University of Mississippi study, participants rated their workouts as easier than running on a treadmill, even though measures of their oxygen and heart rate showed they put in the same effort." (Interesting: this is my experience also.) http://www.runnersworld.com/home/0,1300,1-78-79-391-3-4,00.html "I guarantee that if you put in 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer, stationary bike, stairclimber or rowing machine, you will be drenched in sweat. More important, several studies suggest that if you do these aerobic alternatives properly and with high enough intensity, they can maintain and even increase your fitness level." http://www.allnaturalalternatives.com/runner_cross_training.htm "For runners who have suffered overuse injuries, i.e. knee, hip, low back, ankle, Achilles, heel and foot, exercising on an elliptical trainer may be just what the doctor ordered. In the rehabilitation phase of your recovery, these machines can offer a safer, yet excellent ‘training effect.’ I have recommended it to many of my patients and I love to follow my own running with a half hour program on the elliptical." Caveat Emptor: You will not improve your running unless you run. But the elliptical trainer does seem a good option to maintain one’s fitness level when a need to reduce or stop running arises. —