As many of you know I am hardly a fan of cardio equipment in gyms for varying reasons including keeping your psoas locked short while riding a recumbent bike to running on treadmills (way too many negatives to list here) to unwanted shearing forces on the knee using elliptical trainers.
However, I was recently introduced about a month ago by my good friend Paul Juris to an ARC Trainer created by Cybex. With two degenerative discs, an ankle injury, and now a partially torn meniscus from a car wreck, my body is sensitive to using cardio equipment as it leaves my back sore after a hard workout. So I was extremely skeptical when I first tried it out. Using the ARC three times a week I am now more fit than I have been in over six or seven years.
I still run short sprints, agility drills, and 110's with my athletes, but the volume is always limited. This piece puts virtually zero unwanted shear force on my lower body and I have felt great after every single workout! Better yet, I have used it with a few of my pro athlete's returning from injury as well as adult clientele who want to still train hard but their bodies have been torn down from their 'old football' days. Same result...no pain or unwanted shear force.
Okay so i know this sounds like a testimonial but it is rare that I promote equipment. I am so pumped about my own personal results and seeing it's benefit from working with my athlete's returning to play that I simply felt I must share the good news!
Take home message for coaches- If you presently use any sort of cardio equipment for recovery workouts, injury protocols, or fitness routines for athlete's with a history of injury, I guarantee you that no other piece of cardio equipment will even come close! I hear pro athlete's all of the time complaining about step mills and elliptical trainers bothering them than helping them in trying to get fit while returning from injury.
In fact, here is a scientific study comparing the biomechanics between the ARC and an elliptical machine:
Try one out and let me know what you think!
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