Elliptical Trainer Vs Running Outside March 1, 2007
Posted by Lisa Sabin in Crosstraining, Elliptical Trainer Vs. Running Outside, Plantar Fasciitis, fitness.trackback
The elliptical trainer is designed to mimick the elliptical motion of the foot. The circular motion of the EFX is non-impactful. The smooth stride allows the user to get a good cardiovascular workout without the pounding of running.
My coach suggested supplementing my running with the elliptical trainer or EFX. I have used the elliptical before when I was coming back from an injury a couple of years ago. It’s not really my favorite piece of equiptment, mostly because I find it boring.
Yesterday I loaded up my video Ipod with the pilot for the Black Donnelly’s from itunes. The show was 45 minutes, perfect for an EFX workout. I started out slowly for the first 5 minutes. I manually moved back and forth between 8-10 on the incline and worked between 7-9 on resistance for the remainder of the workout. My heart rate ranged between 135-155 BPM.
I found that even though I was frequently changing the incline and resistance, every 2 minutes or so, I didn’t feel relief from heel pain. When I run, there is initial pain and discomfort during the first 6 or 7 minutes, then it subsides after I am warmed up. I was aware of my heel the entire work out on the EFX. When I run, my heart rate is usually between 162-170 for a moderate effort.
I recommend the EFX for healthy people who want a moderate cardiovascular workout, without the impact. However, I cannot recommnend it for people with plantar fasciiitis or stress fractures. I also think, that like the treadmill, the variation isn’t the same as running outdoors. There is too much repetition, stressing the same muscles in the same way. I feel better running easy on soft surfaces.
Hey L… when I had PF I too used the elliptical. I found that it didn’t cause aggravation when I reduced the incline to the minimum… don’t know if that was an idiosyncrasy of my soles or whether it may work for you too (?). Hope you heal (pun) soon ’cause, if you’re like me, the elliptical is not only a more mundane work out than plain running but it’s harder too…. tixxx
i’ll give it another try and see if it makes a difference.