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Using An Elliptical Machine to Rehab Injuries
This article discusses elliptical machine training sessions in particular and how they can help rehab better after an injury
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Getting injured is one of the worst things for anyone that trains regularly and especially for athletes chasing results. Having to sit on the sidelines while everyone else is working, improving their performance, and having fun is an isolating feeling that no one likes. With that said, one of the best ways to make yourself feel better and to get in some training while you’re injured is by using low-impact machines and doing some light workouts that are going to help you recover mentally and physically. In this article, we’re going to be discussing elliptical machine training sessions in particular and how they can help you rehab better after an injury.
Many athletes assume that the elliptical machine is a workout for moms and girls who just want to show off in the gym. However, the reality is that they’re a terrific option for a low-impact workout that reduces the risk of strain and injury. This is one of the reasons why it’s such a terrific cross-training option, perfect for different kinds of athletes while they’re in rehab. It helps you maintain your fitness levels and strengthens the muscles while causing minimal impact on the joints.
Another benefit of the elliptical machine is that it can be found in any commercial gym. It’s not some sort of niche fitness equipment that’s present in rehab centers only or that you need to go ahead and purchase for an incredible amount of money. In fact, some of the small models are relatively cheap, and if you want to do your rehabilitation at home can be a terrific option.
There are quite a few different kinds of elliptical training sessions that you can do while you rehab, and we guarantee that they’re going to be both challenging and fun. Let’s talk a bit about them.
Easy workouts are ones where you keep your heart rate between 65-75%, and you’re aiming to keep your stride somewhere around 90 RPM. They’re typically long, lasting between 45 minutes to an hour, and their basic idea is to mimic an active recovery workout or an easy run.
This is a workout that you want to do frequently or on your so-called “maintenance” days. Again, here you have to look to keep your RPM at around 90, but the idea is to exert more energy by doing intervals. There are two options you can choose from:
– Start with 1-minute medium intensity and then 2-minute recovery. Slowly decrease the medium-intensity intervals until you reach six minutes per interval, then go back down and finish with a one-minute interval.
– Do 3-minute medium-intensity intervals, then recover for a minute and repeat the cycle for six or more rounds.
You can think of the hard workout day as the “speed day” in running. You don’t want to do more than 2 of these sessions per week, and you want to make sure you’re recovering properly after each one. There are two variations of this workout you can choose from:
– Do 20 minutes at medium resistance. Then start doing intervals of 3 minutes going hard and 90 seconds of recovery. Repeat that 5 times. Finish with a cooldown of around 5-10 minutes.
– Begin at level 1 of resistance and maintain a 90 RPM pace. Increase the resistance every four minutes and do so for around 40-50 minutes
