Dr. Stadler’s G-Trainer Article
Benefits of Anti-Gravity Running
Author: Teresa Stadler, M.D.
Are you logging lots of miles? Are your legs too tired, too sore, or even, too injured to complete your workouts? Maybe you should consider cross training by running without the pounding effects of gravity. There are essentially two different ways to remove gravity from your run workouts: running in deep water and running on a G-Trainer.
Both deep water running and G-Trainer running allow you to run while you rehab from nearly any lower extremity injury such as, shin splints, stress fracture, plantar fasciitis, sprains, strains or surgery of feet, ankles, knees, hips, runner’s knee, and many more ailments.
Deep-water running can be done with nearly any flotation device. The most popular are belts or vests that strap around your body. They vary in price from $50-$100. If you cannot swim, it is best to stay in the shallow end of the pool. Otherwise, you should be in a place where your feet don’t touch the ground.
Some tips on maintaining a good form while water running are:
• Do not try to paddle your hands; rather let your fingers stay loose.
• Unlike real running, you will feel resistance on the recovery (swing forward, knee lift) phase of gait. So your legs may fatigue faster.
• To get your heart rate up, try to keep your movements forceful and fast. Even so, you heart rate will stay 10% below the rate you achieve with land running.
The G-Trainer, made by Alter-G, is a new kind of treadmill that reduces the force of gravity on your body, allowing you to run on less than your normal body weight. Developed by NASA, it uses patented “unweighting” technology to defy gravity, allowing you to unload up to 80% of your body weight from the lower extremities. You can even run uphill, downhill, backwards, or up to 18 mph. The idea is similar to running in deep water; however, it simulates land running more accurately because you are able to run with your natural gait and form.
On the G-Trainer, resistance is in the same direction and intensity as with real land running. Because of its unweighting effect, it is possible for you to run several miles per hour faster than your usual pace. So, if you normally log nine-minute miles, you’ll be able to do six-minute miles on the G-Trainer. This “over speed” running is a fantastic way to work on cadence or leg turnover. Your body can learn how to hold its form together while running faster.
In addition, insurance covers G-Trainer workouts, just like it covers physical therapy. Commonwealth Sports Medicine can get you set up on the G-Trainer to increase your performance or to continue to run while recovering from an injury. Check it out at www.commonwealthsportsmedicine.com or call the Innsbrook office, 270-7750.