DEFY GRAVITY
I was back at the New York Athletic Club on Friday to check out a very cool piece of technology called the G-Trainer, which is a gravity-defying treadmill. It may sound very futuristic -- like a concept car out of Minority Report -- but luckily we won't have to wait until 2054 for it to come out.
The treadmill is currently being used by several long distance runners including members of Nike's Oregon Project running team (whose Dathan Ritzenhein just won a spot on the men's marathon team for the Beijing Olympics) as well as many professional athletes in the NBA and NFL.
The G-Trainer works by keeping the runner elevated in a lower body chamber filled with high-pressured air. This allows you to reduce your body weight (by up to 80%) which minimizes the impact running can have on your lower body. For me, this would have been an ideal tool to have a few years ago when I was going through a series of nagging knee, calf, and foot injuries while training for my marathons. But according to Alter-G, the makers of the G-Trainer, professional and elite athletes are also using the treadmill to increase their training volume and running speed with less risk for injury.
I was excited to take the G-Trainer for a spin. I ran in the chamber for about five minutes and had a nice workout (minus the impact of course). Running at 50% of my body weight was pretty surreal. But I can imagine how it can really improve one's speed and endurance over time.
Alter-G is working on making the G-trainer available to everyday athletes at premier health clubs nationwide. To learn more, visit their site at alter-g.com. There's also a great video featuring marathon legend and director of Nike's Oregon Project, Alberto Salazar, talking about how he uses the G-Trainer in his program.
Many thanks to Christine, Jack, and Tom at Alter-G.
DLM
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The treadmill is currently being used by several long distance runners including members of Nike's Oregon Project running team (whose Dathan Ritzenhein just won a spot on the men's marathon team for the Beijing Olympics) as well as many professional athletes in the NBA and NFL.
The G-Trainer works by keeping the runner elevated in a lower body chamber filled with high-pressured air. This allows you to reduce your body weight (by up to 80%) which minimizes the impact running can have on your lower body. For me, this would have been an ideal tool to have a few years ago when I was going through a series of nagging knee, calf, and foot injuries while training for my marathons. But according to Alter-G, the makers of the G-Trainer, professional and elite athletes are also using the treadmill to increase their training volume and running speed with less risk for injury.
I was excited to take the G-Trainer for a spin. I ran in the chamber for about five minutes and had a nice workout (minus the impact of course). Running at 50% of my body weight was pretty surreal. But I can imagine how it can really improve one's speed and endurance over time.
Alter-G is working on making the G-trainer available to everyday athletes at premier health clubs nationwide. To learn more, visit their site at alter-g.com. There's also a great video featuring marathon legend and director of Nike's Oregon Project, Alberto Salazar, talking about how he uses the G-Trainer in his program.
Many thanks to Christine, Jack, and Tom at Alter-G.
DLM
athletemovie.com
SUBSCRIBE TO BLOG: RSS + Email | SHOP: ATHLETE Movie Store