Advice when using an Alter G treadmill

I sprained my ankle last Sunday and have been advised by my physio to hold off running for a few days. After a follow up appointment with her this Saturday, I am scheduled to try running on the Alter G treadmill they have available. Does anybody have experience of using these? I have treadmill run previously but am wondering how different it is when using the Alter G.

If it goes well, I plan to use it for the harder scheduled sessions for the new few weeks while I recover from my injury and would be grateful for any tips on it's use. I am sure I will get great advice from my physio but was looking for advice from experienced users.

Thanks in advance.

Comments

  • MsEMsE ✭✭✭
    I'll take that as a no then... <slopes off to Google the question instead>
  • MsE this may be long overdue, but you probably want to start at 70-75% body weight when you first start using the Alter G and slowly work your way up in percentage.  If it is just a sprained ankle, I'd say keep it light while the swelling is bad. I usually start around 70% bw and work my way up a little bit each run on the Alter G. My rule of thumb is about 15% increase each week. Works for any similar injury. Even a 10% decrease of body weight can make a big difference when you are doing intense workouts. Hope this helps! 

  • I know this is an old post but  I couldn't get used to the Alter-G. Running in a wetsuit isn't my idea of fun. I guess I'd have felt differently if I had an acute injury that stopped me from running on the roads.
  • MsEMsE ✭✭✭
    Thanks for your posts MD and LN. I used the Alter G (what I refer to as running in The Wrong Trousers*) quite a bit for my last marathon campaign as I then suffered from shin splints.

    I also started at around 75% of my bodyweight and then (after fantasising how I could get down to less than 90lbs to make running feel that easy) would increase towards 95% each session.

    I agree that running in neoprene shorts makes for a sweaty session. I am using it currently after re-spraining the same ankle. But needs must. I plan to maintain a 2 hour session per week to reduce impact during my current marathon campaign in a bid to thwart the onset of those dreaded shin splints. If it makes the difference to running pain-free or not at all, then I am inclined to use it!

    * qv Wallace & Gromit.
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