Building a diy alterg.
Has anyone attempted to build a harness system where you could suspend yourself from ceiling?
It seems possible to easily lighten yourself 10-30 pounds with just a few elastic cords.
I am picturing a simple harness and some cords.
Just connect your elastic cords to a reusable adult diaper and you're good to go.
I think that would be too uncomfortable. After seeing and using the first prototype Alter G's, I think it would be easier to build an air bag and regulator around a treadmill. It's actually a pretty simple setup, but having the plastic bag made to the right specs would be the hardest part. The tech with the blower and valve would be simple.
A harness seems very likely to chafe. The alter g uses reinforced compression shorts rather than a harness.
But really, I see no reason your idea wouldnt work with the right pants solution.
Like this:
https://www.runnersworld.com/newswire/low-tech-alternative-to-alterg-on-market
I feel like this would be uncomfortable and not has natural as doing it with air pressure, but your balls do get crushed in the alter g for sure!
Here are a couple design possibilities:
Exactly the concept
Who cares about some chaffe’ ...it doesn’t have to be perfect just work for maybe 1 fast tempo run per week with less pounding or maybe a longer run with less stress
Who was Catherine The Great, Alex.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QxMtGn-d9S4Diyrunner wrote:
Building a diy alterg.
Has anyone attempted to build a harness system where you could suspend yourself from ceiling?
It seems possible to easily lighten yourself 10-30 pounds with just a few elastic cords.
I am picturing a simple harness and some cords.
I highly recommend the lite speed. Inexpensive, easy to use and it works. I've used it and it is great.
Litespeed wrote:
I highly recommend the lite speed. Inexpensive, easy to use and it works. I've used it and it is great.
It's too expensive for what it is. The same contraption could be built for a much lower price.
Agree that it is expensive. The concept/ idea and functionality are great. It can work with any treadmill, doesn't need to be plugged in, and the belt system it uses is great.
Can you speak to the comfort? How about your armswing? Do you ever hit the cords? I have run on the alterg quite a bit, and do not like the ball crushing aspect. This looks too good to be true. Also, is the device stable, or does it move around some while running?
The lite speed looks like $150 at home depot and an afternoon in the shop. Definitely not $1800 worth of materials and craftsmanship there. It's lightly built so i would assume there is some shaking going on.
Then why don’t you get your welding machine out and build one this weekend and post a video? Don’t forget your sewing machine for the straps and shorts. Of course the materials are cheap, but to think the labor to make and design this is nothing is wrong. Most products jave inexpensive parts. It’s the labor and design you are paying for. Given what it does, the price seems fair to me. The value of anything is worth what someone will pay for it, so buy it or not. I have an email into the company now waiting for info. I see great value and usefulness in the product.
I agree the lightspeed looks like a reasonable solution not cheap but not expensive if it works....
I Sew and making the shorts... doesn’t look to hard but assembling all of the parts and pieces and trial and error looks like it’s going to involve some time to build something similar.
I’m still going to try mounting some straps to the ceiling and making some shorts with various tie-in points... I think it looks like making something that makes you 20-40 pounds lighter would be easy.
I could do 1 hour tempo runs at 5
Minute pace or some serious speed work.
@Tellusmrgreenjeans,
I never said it wasn't useful. But I will stick to my guns that it's not a good value. Not really sure why you are combative over that opinion. Another person said the same thing, but I guess I was more specific and you disagree with my reasoning.
As far as design, I am an engineer, but this isn't exactly a bridge. More like a high school shop project. I will concede that the shorts are the hard part and would take tinkering for comfort. A company making them en-masse could get awfully efficient. Which is why $1800 is more suitable for the price of the treadmill. Sure, it might be worth it to some individuals and I am not knocking anyone who thinks so, but that doesn't mean it isn't overpriced.
Anyway, I do have a welder and could borrow my wife's sewing machine. But if I built one this weekend it would be solely because an LRC poster made a childish challenge. Now, pay me $1800 and I will build one for you. No free shipping though. This isn't Amazon.
Tellusmrgreenjeans wrote:
Then why don’t you get your welding machine out and build one this weekend and post a video? Don’t forget your sewing machine for the straps and shorts. Of course the materials are cheap, but to think the labor to make and design this is nothing is wrong. Most products jave inexpensive parts. It’s the labor and design you are paying for. Given what it does, the price seems fair to me. The value of anything is worth what someone will pay for it, so buy it or not. I have an email into the company now waiting for info. I see great value and usefulness in the product.
Just buy a $200 squat rack, place it over a treadmill. Then you are already most of the way there. This isn't hard to do.
