Elliptical trainers???

i just came back from a fracture and after 6 weeks of pool and elliptical I am in better shape than i was before. go the the runningtimes.com achieve and find that 9 week plan of workouts for the pool. do those and after 4 weeks or so do them on the elliptcal too.

i would also agree the elliptical trainer is a great cross training tool. Try doing fartlet. For example to 2 min surges for about 30 min. U could also simulate 400's by going all out for 60 sec's.

I've never used these contraptions, but I've noticed that Kara (Grgs-Wheeler) Goucher and Josh Cox have also used them for cross-training. Don't forget the deep-water pool-running. If you do it diligently, you can be strong as an ox when you start back running on land.

Don't do any intense workouts. The key at this point is to build up your aerobic capacity and leg strength so that you will be strong enough to get into your high mileage program. I would do some swimming, lots of pool running and cycling and maybe some eliptical. Ideally, I would do pool running and cycling with some weightlifting. (Keep your hamstrings strong) Elipticals are just another fitness gimmick, which is not to say that they are bad, just unnecessary.

i disagree that they are not useful..in fact they are much closer to running than biking and it will give you a little more impact to gear you up for when you run again..i would do pool like nuts for 4 weeks then do a little elliptical and build up on it...before you start running be able to do 90 min or so on it without any pain and you are ready to go! Pool running is KEY though when you cant run!

Xcpotential, so its possible to do weights with a stress fracture on your lower leg? Like I know not a ton, but is it ok to do wieghts to the point where you feel no pressure on your fracture? I was told by a UCSD runner that its cool to strengthen just hammys and quads but nothing on calfs. SOrry, im really trying to get aas much information as i can about this (Im visiting my doctor tommorow but you know theyll just say to lay back for a looooong time,)

I heard Suzy substituted her morning runs with the Elliptical trainer even when she was not injured....ok that just seems very sacreligious to me, but she's had one of the best seasons last season so who can argue?

The ellipticals are definitely much closer to running

than biking is. They are also a good way to get some

high intensity VO2Max workouts in that are very difficult

to achieve in the pool (its really hard to get your

heart rate up high enough). I disagree with the earlier

poster by the way - if you are going to be out for an

extended period of time, you definitely want to do some

intense workouts. You don't need to do a lot, but doing

just 10-15 minutes worth of intervals at or near

your max heart rate each week (in addition to a lot of

long aeorbic workouts) will do a better job of helping to preserve your fitness.

Just be careful with your achilles - depending on the

machine and the incline adjustment, they can be hard on

your achilles at first.

I am a strong believer in ellipitical trainers. In spring I qualified for the outdoor nationals 10K. About a month and a half before it I got an IT band problem and could not run. I had to do all my workouts on the elliptical and it got me as ready as I could be without any running.

Could you please tell me when that article was out about the workouts for pool running and the elliptical trainer in running times?

I could not find it on the web site.

Thanks

Elliptical trainers are closer to running, but they are also harder on your legs than either biking or swimming. The point is to get as good a workout with as little stress placed on your legs so that you can heal up and get healthy again. Lifting for your legs is just fine as long as you can't feel any pain on that stress fracture while you are doing it. The biking will keep your quads strong, so you would really only need to work on your calves and hamstrings to keep you in pretty decent shape. Of course, don't do anything if it makes the stress fracture hurt more.

I would definitely recommend an elliptical trainer while you can't run. A few notes:

If possible, go with a dual-action model (upper & lower body). It's easier to get your heart rate up and allows for a more natural posture.

If possible, don't use a Precor model (ramp w/ no upper body). There' no upper body, so it's harder for you to get your heart rate up, and the ramp will take you out of a more natural running-type motion. If you don't have a choice, don't incline the ramp too high - you'll put more stress on the knees.

I'd also recommend incorporating a mix of steady workouts & intense workouts. Your legs won't be getting pounded on the intense workouts, but you can potentially mimic running-type fartlek/interval or tempo workouts. Good luck!

ellipticals have a lot of potential. if i were coaching you however there would be no intense aerobic workouts done on them after you had an injury. the workouts would be geared so that you stay on the absolute lowest level of resistance AND have the elevation set at 0%, instead of the 10 or 11% that most seem to default to. you would be required to balance something on your head, possibly a walkman would suit you. once you were accustomed to the machine, you would work on one leg at a time, resting your motionless foot on the back of the machine. increasing your peak and average cycles would be stressed as well, both while using one leg or both legs, as this does translate to an ability to increase your peak and average cycles in running as well.

article on on the runningtimes website, just look in the articles about injuries and the 9 week plan should be in there.[quote]BDG wrote:

Hey I want to thank everyone for thier input, knowing others opinions reassured me more that they are indeed a great cross trainer to use. THE article in runningtimes (though it took a while to find hehe) helped alot to. Phew, now i have to get ready for about two months of non-impact running. tHanks a ton. Good luck to you all.