New Treadmill Reduces Gravity

Running can be tough on your joints. While running, every step an athlete takes produces a shock on the joints that are twice the runner’s body weight. The problem is even more pronounced with obese individuals. Overweight and obese people often find their weight a hindrance to getting exercise. A new product called the G-Trainer, by Alter-G, could change that. The G-Trainer is a treadmill that effectively reduces a runners weight to up to 20 percent of their body weight.

How It Works

The G-Trainer looks like a small pool that you would jump into, complete with a life ring that you fit around your waist. To use the treadmill, runners put a special pair of neoprene compression shorts over their clothing. The compression shorts create an airtight seal around your waist. Around your legs, the G-Trainer changes the air pressure. This effectively reduces the weight that you feel as you run.

Other than the weightlessness function, the G-Trainer works like just about any other treadmill. It can be programmed to go up inclines, or go faster and slower. It even can go backwards.

Use

My toddler has a lot of energy. Maybe he feels that way because he only weighs 30 pounds. The G-Trainer can make you feel as light as a toddler without restricting your movement, as your legs are completely free to run. It is used by colleges, professional sports teams, and world class athletes to train without putting too much strain on their joints. It is used by the military, hospitals, and physical therapy centers to rehabilitate individuals who have suffered injuries. For gathering information about treadmills, a signup should be done at here at official sites. The services are available at the hospitals and physical therapy to meet with the requirements. The movement should be restricted for reducing the fat from the entire body. 

The G-Trainer can be used by individuals that weigh up to 400 pounds. It can accommodate users as short as five feet tall, and as tall as seven feet four inches. People with chronic back problems, herniated discs, unstable fractures, or cardiovascular hypotension shouldn’t use this machine.

For the obese, the treadmill’s ability to reduce their weight can make running much easier. Obese individuals often have limited mobility, which makes beginning an exercise regimen more difficult. Overweight individuals can begin a workout program by walking at 20 percent of their weight, and as they shed pounds and get stronger, they can gradually increase the speed and body weight percentage, increasing workout difficulty.

Where Can I Get One?

Unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to pick one of these up at your local Wal-Mart in the near future. The regular G-Trainer model can be purchased for $55,000, or you can lease one for $1138 a month. I would love to try one of these things, but at that price, my local gym won’t be likely to get one for a while either.

However, as with most technologies, the price on this machine should go down as time goes on. Hopefully these will begin to make their way into gyms in the future. That way, overweight individuals will have the benefit of running, without causing much stress on their joints.