Never thought I'd ask this -- elliptical and running

You need the gazelle!

I honestly have no clue if the elliptical can offer any benefit but if the majority of the benefit was in the impact then things like aqua jogging and various anti gravity treadmills (Alter G) wouldn't work so well.  

I'm not sure if it directly relates to running or cycling BUT fitness in general crosses over.  So if you are getting your HR up, it's a positive.  Period.  But, obviously, you can't become a great runner by doing elliptical - it's about sport specific training.

Yeah, that is kind of what I was thinking. I think, like alterG, bike and aqua jogging you can certainly keep up your aerobic base. But I wonder if it mimics the muscle movement of running enough? Or if this even matters? 

Colin, can we expect to see you at the Elliptigo World Championships?

Just teasing! 

Originally posted by colinphillips

Originally posted by Asalzwed Colin, can we expect to see you at the Elliptigo World Championships?

Ouch! That's a low blow. The sad thing is, given the combination of (i) running action, (ii) bike climbing, and (iii) no care for how ridiculous I look, that would probably be my ideal sport. It's the logical next step after the Hokas.

Actually, you are 100% correct. You'd kill it.

It's good to see you  btw, sorry to hear you are injured though!

Actually, you wouldn't be alone on the Ellipti-Go. Currently rehabbing from surgery, it is a go to for Pro Jesse Thomas. He posts them on his Strava feed. 

I think it would be beneficial from a few standpoints, but I wouldn't think it translates 100%. But anything that keeps you going, keeps you active, and interested can't be that bad, can it?

Best substitute for running when injured is a water running.

Better than an AlterG? 

I've only been Tri training for 1 year. When I first started I did my very best to ignore running as I used to hate it. I did a lot of spin classes/strength workouts and swimming. I did include elliptical workouts for aerobic base. After 3 months I finally stopped procrastinating and started a couch to 5k run/walk type of thing. Even though I had the leg strength and aerobic fitness to run I couldn't do it because my ankles hurt too much. The elliptical cushions your stride so much you don't stress some ankle/kneee ligaments. Its good for people who just want a workout or for those who have injuries, but bad if you mostly plan on running on the ground.

Even so, I think it depends on what you want out of it and also what type of machine it is. The open stride elliptical machines are pretty good at mimicking your natural running stride. http://www.precor.com/en-us/precor-amt-open-stride   You can really crank up the tension on the machines so it feels like you are rock climbing.

I view it like spin classes. It will never replace the real thing, but I see no reason why you can't mix things up a bit especially with machines that have good interval options and tension controls.

I've used the elliptical extensively when recovering from injuries where real running would be impossible or just make it worse.  It was great for maintaining aerobic conditioning and I feel for keeping many of the running muscles active, engaged and healthy.  For one of my marathons, I probably did a third of the total training on the elliptical.  Yeah, an AlterG would be ideal (I've used one and it is both great and cool!) but they are not readily available to all and will be much more costly than using the elliptical at your local gym.  The only caveat I would put out there is that there are injuries that WILL be aggravated by using the elliptical, so do your homework before jumping on.