Elliptical vs running outside

AsrarHussain
AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
edited November 30 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there
I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

Replies

  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
    treadmill better replicates running outside, elliptical is not as good.
  • ironhajee
    ironhajee Posts: 384 Member
    Hey just thought I would chime in, yes elliptical is easier on the joints (knee).

    Something MORE effective would be Aqua Jogging.

    Knee and Shin pain depending on your situation, could be a result of unconditioned muscles or increase in volume/intensity too quickly.

    But the best advice will be if you are feeling pain take rest and recovery with ice and heat alternation.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    No, you can NOT prepare for a shuttle test by training on an elliptical
  • ironhajee
    ironhajee Posts: 384 Member
    DavPul wrote: »
    No, you can NOT prepare for a shuttle test by training on an elliptical

    What is the reason the OP cannot prepare for a shuttle test on the elliptical while he/she is experiencing joint pain?

    The way I see it, at least it's some form of cardiovascular exercise where he/she can play with different paces until such time as the OP's pain subsides and muscular strength increases.



  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    ironhajee wrote: »
    DavPul wrote: »
    No, you can NOT prepare for a shuttle test by training on an elliptical

    What is the reason the OP cannot prepare for a shuttle test on the elliptical while he/she is experiencing joint pain?

    The way I see it, at least it's some form of cardiovascular exercise where he/she can play with different paces until such time as the OP's pain subsides and muscular strength increases.



    Because you can't? Just like I can't prepare for the Olympic 110 hurdles by swimming. Or get ready for the NFL combine by shooting targets at the gun range. Keep cardio up, sure. Prep for a beep test, no.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?

    Yeah, I completed the c25k, it was a good program, I progressed to the 5 km program, the pain in my shins were getting so point, they got to the point it was to painful to walk at times, I stopped all running for a month, it is better now, I dont want it to happen again.
  • Fitnesspromiddleton
    Fitnesspromiddleton Posts: 15 Member
    specificity of training....ya the training should mimic the event.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?

    Yeah, I completed the c25k, it was a good program, I progressed to the 5 km program, the pain in my shins were getting so point, they got to the point it was to painful to walk at times, I stopped all running for a month, it is better now, I dont want it to happen again.

    Maybe start with the last couple of weeks of C25k to get back into it?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?

    Yeah, I completed the c25k, it was a good program, I progressed to the 5 km program, the pain in my shins were getting so point, they got to the point it was to painful to walk at times, I stopped all running for a month, it is better now, I dont want it to happen again.

    Have you been fitted for proper running shoes?

    Working on the elliptical will help keep your cardiovascular fitness up, but other than that it isn't going to prepare you for a shuttle run.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    I used to be able to elliptical all day long, but I couldn't run to save my life. If you want to run outside, as someone already said you might want to see a doctor.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,401 Member
    Elliptical could be great to build on cardio base, and if you do your workouts to mimic the speed and efforts of the beep test, you should gain some ground. But the motions are completely different, and finding the elliptical setting to simulate the running is hit and miss at best.

    At the most I'd use it to avoid the impact injuries, and do the real running to see how it translates. I've found great gains in using the elliptical in more endurance based stuff, but I'm not sure how they would translate in higher speed running.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    No.

    You wouldn't notice any benefits of it for that purpose.

  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?

    Yeah, I completed the c25k, it was a good program, I progressed to the 5 km program, the pain in my shins were getting so point, they got to the point it was to painful to walk at times, I stopped all running for a month, it is better now, I dont want it to happen again.

    Have you been fitted for proper running shoes?

    Working on the elliptical will help keep your cardiovascular fitness up, but other than that it isn't going to prepare you for a shuttle run.

    I was running shoes
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
    Foam rolling the calfs can help with shin pain. I use a foam roller and lacrosse ball after every run.

    Elliptical is nothing like running and won't help to prepare you for anything running related.
  • ironhajee
    ironhajee Posts: 384 Member
    Those who say they can't and those who say they can are both usually right
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    ironhajee wrote: »
    Those who say they can't and those who say they can are both usually right

    A large part of success on a bleep test is technique. Someone suffering knee and shin pain will exacerbate that in a bleep test, given the rotational stresses on the ankles and knees, as well as the need for sharp decellerations.

    fwiw the originator should address why the pain is happening, rather than just continue towards worsening the problem.

    Have you ever done a bleep test?
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    ironhajee wrote: »
    Those who say they can't and those who say they can are both usually right

    A large part of success on a bleep test is technique. Someone suffering knee and shin pain will exacerbate that in a bleep test, given the rotational stresses on the ankles and knees, as well as the need for sharp decellerations.

    fwiw the originator should address why the pain is happening, rather than just continue towards worsening the problem.

    Have you ever done a bleep test?

    I did a bleep test 3 months ago or so, I got to level 7.7, my target is to get to level 9.2 in about 4-5 months
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i do elliptical and run, totally different movement and stride lengths.

    it may help some, especially with cardio endurance perhaps, but again ... its different.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    ironhajee wrote: »
    Those who say they can't and those who say they can are both usually right

    A large part of success on a bleep test is technique. Someone suffering knee and shin pain will exacerbate that in a bleep test, given the rotational stresses on the ankles and knees, as well as the need for sharp decellerations.

    fwiw the originator should address why the pain is happening, rather than just continue towards worsening the problem.

    Have you ever done a bleep test?

    I did a bleep test 3 months ago or so, I got to level 7.7, my target is to get to level 9.2 in about 4-5 months

    I was responding to the point immediately above mine.

    But the principle remains, you need to address why you're having pain; shoes, gait, training volume, unrecovered injury etc.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    ironhajee wrote: »
    Those who say they can't and those who say they can are both usually right

    A large part of success on a bleep test is technique. Someone suffering knee and shin pain will exacerbate that in a bleep test, given the rotational stresses on the ankles and knees, as well as the need for sharp decellerations.

    fwiw the originator should address why the pain is happening, rather than just continue towards worsening the problem.

    Have you ever done a bleep test?

    I did a bleep test 3 months ago or so, I got to level 7.7, my target is to get to level 9.2 in about 4-5 months

    I was responding to the point immediately above mine.

    But the principle remains, you need to address why you're having pain; shoes, gait, training volume, unrecovered injury etc.

    If you follow the OP's (incessant) posting history, you'll find that the issue was volume, despite metric tons of advice for him to do things differently
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    specificity of training....ya the training should mimic the event.

    okay, looking at a bleep test, how would running on the treadmill mimic that event? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seem like it's just and endurance test?
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    specificity of training....ya the training should mimic the event.

    okay, looking at a bleep test, how would running on the treadmill mimic that event? Maybe I'm missing something, but it seem like it's just and endurance test?

    You wouldn't replicate a bleep test using a treadmill.

    The technique is largely about moderating pace, so that as the pace increases/ time reduces you keep up.

    Notable that the majority of failures are 3 cycles after a pace change, based on some work I've seen around the effect on warning/ re-parade in the armed forces. After the pace changes people start to struggle with keeping up, and if you miss a turn, you're already a bit behind on the next cycle. That leads to burning out a little faster as you're already going harder than you should for the projected pace.

    So missing the bleep three times means a withdrawal.

    As I've had broken ankles I find the rotational aspect difficult, so much prefer the 2.4km threshold run as a more meaningful test.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?

    Yeah, I completed the c25k, it was a good program, I progressed to the 5 km program, the pain in my shins were getting so point, they got to the point it was to painful to walk at times, I stopped all running for a month, it is better now, I dont want it to happen again.

    Have you been fitted for proper running shoes?

    Working on the elliptical will help keep your cardiovascular fitness up, but other than that it isn't going to prepare you for a shuttle run.

    I was running shoes

    Did you go to a running shoe store and get fitted?

    Also I agree you should keep taking time off for shin splints, but what did your training look like when you developed them? C25k has you run 3x a week with a rest day in between. Were you doing that or were you adding days and not taking rest days?

    I'd take another 2 weeks off at least before you try to start again, but it sounds like you did too much too soon.
  • AsrarHussain
    AsrarHussain Posts: 1,424 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Hi there
    I wanted to ask, is the elliptical a good alternative to running outside, I get knee and shin paib from running outside. I have a shuttle test in 5 months could I prepare on the elliptical

    You need to sort out the knee pain, have you seen a doctor?

    Doing C25k may be a good way to start you running slowly?

    Yeah, I completed the c25k, it was a good program, I progressed to the 5 km program, the pain in my shins were getting so point, they got to the point it was to painful to walk at times, I stopped all running for a month, it is better now, I dont want it to happen again.

    Have you been fitted for proper running shoes?

    Working on the elliptical will help keep your cardiovascular fitness up, but other than that it isn't going to prepare you for a shuttle run.

    I was running shoes

    Did you go to a running shoe store and get fitted?

    Also I agree you should keep taking time off for shin splints, but what did your training look like when you developed them? C25k has you run 3x a week with a rest day in between. Were you doing that or were you adding days and not taking rest days?

    I'd take another 2 weeks off at least before you try to start again, but it sounds like you did too much too soon.

    I followed exactly what the program said, I never got a chance to go to the running store, iv been busy, I will go through.
  • ccnagain
    ccnagain Posts: 50 Member
    I agree with the above...make sure your shoes are good. That is what always makes my shins start hurting. I just got a new pair of shoes and haven't had any issues at all.

This discussion has been closed.