ARC Trainer... the best cross-trainer in the gym?

Was told by ortho that swimming specifically swim running is best. Unlimited. Its the pushing down on the arc trainer when cross ramp is high and resistance is high and or elliptical that is worrisome to them and only allowed after some weeks of return with no pain. It was 1. swim 2. bike then elliptical/arc if no pain after 2 weeks. There is something called an elliptigo that seems better but I don't know much about it. Best of luck to all dealing with injury rehad. BTDT

What's an Arc trainer?

Never heard of it wrote:

What's an Arc trainer?

I had no clue either, so I googled it, it looks to be a elliptical.

well it's similar to an elliptical in that it's a stationary cardio machine that facilitates a closed-chain movement pattern while in a standing position.

but it's different in that the motion is .... get this, an "arc". Where as on an elliptical it's ... you guessed it, an "ellipse". you know how on an elliptical you can go forwards or backwards? forwards and backwards on an arc trainer are the same thing, because the foot motion travels the same path forwards and backwards, along an arc.

im certainly not an expert but I've found the ARC trainer to be much better for mimicking running, it's also much easier to get your heart rate up and go hard on.

i like the "adaptive power" mode too. you essentially pick a difficulty level, which corresponds to a stride rate, and then no matter how hard or easy you go, the resistance automatically adjusts itself so that you run at the specified stride rate regardless of how hard you're working.

I love the ARC Trainer. With very little practice you can nearly run on it. But I also love the ARC Trainer because the standard gym-goer used to elipticals and not to running will nearly fall over backwards while using it, essentially using it as a stairclimber but again, falling backwards while doing so.

I use it because of knee trouble, they use it to develop knee trouble!

Okay, I've checked it on Youtube and read the Amazon ratings.

Big, cumbersome, hard on the knees, prehistoric technology, yet more expensive than a car.

My bicycle with indoor trainer, Landice treadmill, Skierg plus other things altogether cost much less than that and are much more useful.

Maybe it would be okay in a gym (which I never use), but for home use, no.

I think the Arc-trainer is fantastic for easy runs, marathon effort work, and tempos. Just go by heart rate and time, and ignore any other numbers it throws at you.

I wouldn't use it for interval work - when you start working that hard they can be a bit unstable.

Versa Climber GOAT

for me they are a lot easier on the knees than elliptical. not sure about the science but i never had any issues with injury with them. the only real issue that i had is that when i returned to running, i was in such good aerobic shape that i felt like i could run a lot more/harder than my musculoskeletal system could support.

ellipticals gave me knee issues, but I did 10 hours per week on the arc trainer for like 3 months with zero issues.

i agree they are not an attractive choice for home use though.

IMO, there is nothing better than the ARC for keeping in shape while injured. I was able to break 2:30 in the marathon with the ARC and 15 miles a week running. I tried to do something similar on the bike and was on 3:00 pace when I DNFed. Swimming is a joke.

love the arc wrote:

IMO, there is nothing better than the ARC for keeping in shape while injured. I was able to break 2:30 in the marathon with the ARC and 15 miles a week running. I tried to do something similar on the bike and was on 3:00 pace when I DNFed. Swimming is a joke.

Agreed on swimming.

I've tried that two or three times, and all it does it teach me how to be efficient at not drowning. There's no actual fitness gain, compared to running or the ARC Trainer. And I can assure you I have bigger knee issues than anyone else on this board, and the ARC Trainer does not aggravate my knees (or anything else).

tarckstar wrote:

Agreed on swimming.

I've tried that two or three times, and all it does it teach me how to be efficient at not drowning. There's no actual fitness gain compared to running

I swam for a year and a half due to a knee injury and that was my same experience.

Plus I had to stop swimming anyway, because pushing off the sides was aggravating to my knees.

Arc trainer is awesome, it is easier on the knees than ellipticals. You can change the incline to alter the stress (I guess ellipticals also do this), but it is the arc motion that is unique.

I love the Arc trainer. I have been using it for 3 years. Pretty much 6 days a week for an hour. I have knee problems and had to stop running. Did not like elliptical. Hurt my knees. The Arc is a great cardio workout and gentle on body.

Hey guys, thanks for the responses!

Did my first tempo back, 3 mi @ 6:00/mi pace on a whim and it felt really weird... I wasn't even breathing hard but my legs got tired... I'm thinking that's fitness from the ARC but a lack of running-specific leg endurance.

Additionally, I'm staring down a 12 hour of aerobic activity week (6 days running, 7 days on the ARC) that'll be about 40 miles of running so I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

I've been exercising on an Arc Trainer for just under a month. It took me six sessions to become familiar with it and get my heart rate up to near my easy run HR. My workout is 60 minutes at Incline 9, Resistance 45. My steps per minute is around 102, much lower than my running cadence. I felt unstable and out of control at low resistance/high cadence, but I may try it again.

I tried it to manage foot pain, specifically from suspected sesamoiditis. It works great for not subjecting my feet to running impact! I'm not following a training plan right now, but I think I will settle on 3 days running, 2 Arc Trainer, 1 lifting, and 1 off. My perception is that my cardio is maintained, but something (my form?) feels slightly off after a few days of not running.

lifefitness.com

Ask the Expert: How to Use the Arc to Shape Your Glutes and Bottom | Cybex

Workouts to shape your glutes and bottom? We have those. Learn how to use the Arc Trainer to target specific areas of your body to get the most of your exercises at the gym.

Link:www.lifefitness.com/en-us/cybex/cybex-...

Instead of trying to replace running directly, I use Incline 9 to involve my glutes. I hope exercising them more will help prevent ITBS.

I find it boring, but I bring a tablet and watch videos.

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