elliptical

closest thing you can find to running but ya can't hang onto the handlebars like the chicks do

what do you do then? I always fall off if I don't hang on. Do you swing your arms like running?

It's not as good as pool running, but it'll keep your CV fitness from decaying too quickly. Use the manual mode rather than the programs and bump up the level until you get your HR going where you need it.

I've been using it for about three weeks (ITB issues) now. First 'real' runs I've had since then have been fine. Haven't lost too much, but I'm also playing it cautious.

This is the third time in the past two years (weather/graduate school, marathon recovery) I've used the ET. It's taken this long to 'learn' how to do it without using the handles.

Bottom line - ET's suck but they suck less than not running.

you can swing your arms. but you can also hang on. he meant don't lean on the bars like all the stupid girls at the gym. if you are carrying all your body weight on your arms, it really doesn't matter how fast your legs are moving or how many calories that little computer says you are burning. But try telling them that.

yeah, exactly -- it just takes a few minutes practice (on slow speed) and you'll get used to using it without holding onto the handlebars at all. after a day or two, it'll seem real natural. just swing your arms like you'r running. when I was rehabbing my ankle, I did some pretty good workouts on the elliptical - intervals, hills, etc., by adjusting the level and resistance.

I swing my arms like running. If you're having trouble, you just need to get comfortable with the machine and get in a rhythm. Imagine running without the whole action of pushing off the ground. Lighten up on the handle bars so you're not leaning any weight on them - stand upright and just hold on with finger tips. Get used to that. Then let go and swing your arms just like you would running. Depending your speed and the ease/difficulty of your resistance setting, the rhythm might seem a little different than it does running, but you'll get the hang of it. It might take a little time and patience, but once you get it, it's like riding a bike.

Some questions...how long should I stay on the elliptical to replace a run, say an easy 6 miler (I understand you can't perfectly mimic/replace it). How many rpms? Also, how accurate are the calories burned on those machines? Thanks for any help.

as far as calories burned, if it asks you to input your weight and sex and age before you start working out, it can be fairly accurate. the computer uses the same formula that you could use on a piece of paper to approximate calories burned. if it doesn't ask for this information, it was probably programmed to figure out calories burned for a 150 pound male, so add or subtract calories based on how much you weigh.

For calories burned: I saw a calculation once upon a time in an issue of RW. Multiply your weight by .73 (or .75 if you don't want to split hairs). That's the number of calories you burn per mile of walking/running.

So, I, a 160 lb. man, burn approximately 120 calories per mile of running. The machine is pretty close - in fact, it might even have taken that .73 measurement.

Good luck.