by Deborah Leedale-Brown
For the last 16 years I have worked as a trainer & performance coach to professional and amateur athletes, alongside clients looking for the inspiration and motivation to maintain health and fitness around busy lifestyles. I am always looking for equipment that allows me to provide an innovative and challenging environment for my clients, and if it comes in the form of a completely new piece of equipment that also seems fun and exciting to my clients this is an added bonus!
The new Elliptigo is a definite winner in this department. If you are looking for a great whole body workout that can be done outside and inside (with a standard bike trainer), then experiencing the Elliptigo and the fun you can have may just be what you need to revamp your workout regimen.
I have tried the Elliptigo several times over the last few months and as a cyclist and a trail runner I was super eager to see what this popular indoor gym equipment would feel like on the open road, or park. Jumping on the Elliptigo for the first time was a relatively quick and easy learning curve; it seemed to require less balance than riding a bike. The set up was simple, just needing an easy adjustment to the handlebar height which was done with a quick release mechanism that provided a range which should comfortably accommodate most sizes of user. I was using the 7 gear version, and changing gears when riding the Elliptigo on undulating terrain felt smooth with a good ratio of resistance changes from the gear set-up (not too big or small and change in resistance). You can reach a reasonable speed on the Elliptigo and its handling was certainly enhanced by smooth and responsive brakes. As with riding any bike outside I would recommend you wear a helmet for your own safety and protection while on the roads.
In terms of the workout feel and intensity, the Elliptigo gave me a non-impact whole body training session and over 40mins of moderate terrain gave me a great overall workout. What I liked about the Elliptigo is that I felt that it was working my muscles in a very different way to how I feel when I’m riding my bike. Training for any sport constantly will not only leave the body with key areas of dominance, but also weakness and tightness, this is certainly true for me with my cycling. While riding the Elliptigo I felt that I was able to keep my body in a long and lean position helping to lengthen the muscle groups that normally I feel get shortened when I’m cycling. I also felt that I was able to fire up my core, glutes and even my upper back and arms in the standing position. All this is done with little or no impact stress on the major joints of your knees, hips or back.
So who can benefit from this great new exercise modality?
Well pretty much just about anyone, I have used it with clients who like the Elliptical machine at the gym, and have loved the fact that they can combine this type of exercise whilst having fun outside in local neighborhoods or park areas. The Elliptigo has huge potential as a rehab exercise for injured athletes, and/or as an alternative to running if your days of pounding the pavement need to be reduced or stopped altogether. All in all the Elliptigo provides a great cardiovascular and muscular endurance workout that is low stress on the body. It allows you the diversity of using it as a piece of home gym equipment as well as giving you the option to enjoy outdoor workouts. But most of all it is a lot of fun and can appeal to a wide audience.
About The Author:
Deborah has spent the last 15 years working with both recreational exercisers and elite athletes in the field of Sport & Exercise Science. During her last 6 years in England spent as a Senior Sport Science Consultant at The Centre for Sport & Exercise Science, Sheffield England, it was Deborah’s responsibility for the management, development and delivery of support programs in the areas of elite sport performance and health & wellness. In addition to Deborah’s work with elite sport, she has 15 years experience developing and delivering lifestyle & wellness programs. It is Deborah’s philosophy that for such programs to be successful a holistic behavior-change approach must be adopted that incorporates health screenings, nutritional assessments, practical fitness and conditioning sessions and specific motivational and goal setting techniques to develop long-term lifestyle and behavior change strategies. These philosophies were implemented during her last 3 years as Fitness & Lifestyle Manager of Reflex Squash & Fitness & during the last year as consultant within Deborah’s own business DLB-2 Full Potential. During this time she has built up a varied client base each with their own individual health & fitness needs ranging from elite performance development, client weight loss, injury & cardiac rehabilitation, through to young athlete strength and stability program development.
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