Forums >Cross Training>Alter G Anti-Gravity Treadmill
I look my best blurry!
I am just curious if anyone has used this before. I have been having trouble with my shins since early July. I am going to start using one at a local rehab center on Monday. I saw the one in the pic at ZAP Fitness this summer. This young girl had a stress fracture in her tibia. It reduces the impact to as low as 20%. Looks pretty cool. I'm hoping to run pain free for the first time in a long time. That will be sweet!!! They might not be able to get me off of the thing! Just kidding!! I'll be under a PTs supervision.
This thing looks way cool. I don't understand it and don't know anything about it but would love to try it. It looks like an amusement park ride for average runners like me who want to try for crazy fast speeds. Have fun!
A Saucy Wench
That would be AWESOME
I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets
"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7
Oh roo roooo!
My brother twisted his ankle really badly at a trail run in early June. Since he ran 2:47:?? at Boston this spring (47 years old), he qualified to run as an elite at Twin Cities and really could not afford to take weeks off waiting for this to heal. His coach has access to an Alter-G and he used it 3-4 times a week for probably close to 2 months while rehabbing the ankle. (He has 2 screws in the other one from a work accident, so things need to be tuned right in order for him to run successfully.) He does not like running on a treadmill at all but stuck it out anyway. He says the big thing to beware of is it WILL make you feel really heavy, fat and slow on the road and cause you to believe your fitness level is other than it is...even tho you know the truth of those things in your head, there will be a physical disconnect and it'll take some getting used to.
His first race post-Alter G was a half in which he "took it easy" at 1:26:24 on a warm day, running and chatting with the women's leader, and turned in a 17:23 5K a couple weeks ago. Seems to have done the trick, I would say...if he wasn't my bro, I'd hate him....
I am hoping I can just run! I have't run without pain for months. That alone would be awesome. I'll try to go crazy fast and let you know. At least I don't think I'll fall off! Looks bouncy!
From what I understand, you can't possibly fall off. You're essentially strapped in and suspended above the belt.
Chris,
There is a sports rehab facility in Woburn near Stop and Shop that has one. I have gone there for sports massages.
If I remember correctly it was pretty pricey to rent time on it though.
I want to tell you about my experience on the Alter G. The rubbery shorts were a little awkward. It is a little difficult to get into. I can imagine it is an ordeal for people with more debilitating conditions. I guess this particular machine is a little more cumbersome than newer models. Anyway, I warmed up on it a few minutes. We decided on 35% weight bearing for my first try. After the warm up, I ran one mile at an 8 min pace. It felt pretty good but the therapist noticed I was hitting harder on my stronger leg. I told her that it is less painful when I run on the road if I go faster. So, we sped it up to 6:40 pace and I ran 3 miles. My strike was even and I felt awesome! I could really run without pain. I felt so relieved that I almost embarrassed myself and started whimpering. I realize that it isn't the same as running on the ground. As we increased the % and decreased the pace, I felt like I weighed a ton! That was a funny feeling. The plan is to increase the weight bearing % as my pain decreases but for now it just feels SOOO good to be able to run. I am going to alternate this with pool running this week.
My insurance will cover several visits. After that I will have an inexpensive monthly fee to come use all the equipment in their gym for up to 6 mos! This is going to be great for me! I have to say the view stinks. I will be staring at ugly blinds into an empty parking lot but if it gets me up and running again I will just grin and bear it.
I am so lucky. I can't believe there is an Alter G that is so accessible and so close to my home. The next closest one is at the Cleveland Clinic and it is 5 hours away. I am told that it is only used for research and not rehab there. This one is 25 min from my house. The running gods must be looking out for me. I am very grateful.
Of course you had to log it as 'Alter G Antigrav'.
and ... " The rubbery shorts were a little awkward. "
The process is the goal.
Men heap together the mistakes of their lives, and create a monster they call Destiny.
Of course I did!
I do want to see how fast I can get my legs spinning on this thing. It does feel like an amusement ride. I worked up a good sweat even though I weighed only 38.5 lbs! Isn't that funny? I am going to run for and hour on Wed morning. Aaaaah! Sweet!
Yeah, that would be the deal beaker. I'd never be able to justify it.
I once tried to look into the cost of this thing and got the impression they cost something like 50 grand. I'm waiting for them to get one with a price that is competitive in the at-home market, though the maintenance requirements might be too messy for that to be worthwhile for anyone.
Thinking about these in the at home market makes me wonder if the target demography would look like the people from Wall-E.
A couple years ago, just for grins, I looked up the price and saw them listed for $75K (USD).
Yikes.
75k ain't a thing for Nike.
"If you have the fire, run..." -John Climacus