opinions wanted on crosstraining

[morris]

hi guys

i posted before abbout my broken foot. i am thinking anxiously about recovery and need some opinions:

after my swiming phase, what do people recommend for crosstraining - elliptical or bike? i used to spin when i was a gym rat, and i loved it. now, with 2 little boys at home, i need something i can do at home. should i buy an elliptical (not fancy), regular bike, or spinning bike? also, what can i do to make those workouts more interesting? i really just want to get back to running and step, but it will be a while.

thanks for the help!

 

[LeanneM]

Hi Morris,

I used to take spinning classes at the gym and loved them, but we recently bought an elliptical, and it's great! You probably can't go wrong with any of those options, as long as you make the workout fun.

I've always hated doing cardio machines at the gym, but I've been using Cardio Coach workouts (which the awesome gals here turned me onto!) and they make the elliptical workouts fun. You could also use the CC workouts on a spin bike, if you decide to go that route. If you do some searching here on the forums, you'll find a ton of info about CC.

I also think that there are DVD workouts called Spinervals that you can use for spin workouts at home, but I don't know too much about them. You might try doing a search here or over at collagevideo.com for more info.

Hope this helps!

 

[morris]

thanks leanne - what kind of elliptical did you buy? how does it compare to the gym ones?

thanks!

 

[chefkate]

morris!!! good to see you! how is that new baby boy???!!

ive been thinking about an elliptical too - not so easy to get a whole step dvd done between nursings/naps but id love to be able to hop on the ell. for 15-20 min throughout the day. horizon and precor have been recommended to me.

good luck!

 

[Worknprogress]

I splurged a few years ago and bought a Precor Elliptical and love it. However, keep in mind that it is still a weight-bearing exercise and may aggravate your injury. I think the advice of the recumbent bike on the other thread is your best bet - again, like that poster had mentioned, you will have to worry about swelling.

One last thing - you mentioned swimming being your first phase of exercise. Last summer I broke my toe and thought swimming would be a great exercise since I couldn't do anything else. After a couple of weeks, and a couple of pounds, I hopped in a pool to get some sort of exercise other than upper body weights and YIKES - pain, pain, pain! I told my sister who used to be a swimmer and she reminded me that you use your feet like "flippers" when you swim.

The pressure of the water against my foot and the pain it caused was too unbearable. Alas, swimming was out of the question.

Good luck - injuries for avid fitness people who have to stop their workout regiment is very difficult mentally, not to mention, physically.

 

[tneah]

Like Leanne said, Spinervals are wonderful exercise videos! Coach Troy leads his group (Brenda is in some of the workouts) through 45-60 minutes of cycling. They are really intense and fun.Just look up Spinervals and see for yourself. "Big Gear Strength", "Sweating Buckets"and"Lean and Mean" are my favorites.

 

[LeanneM]

thanks leanne - what kind of elliptical did you buy? how does it compare to the gym ones?

thanks!

Hi Morris,

We bought a Pro Form one from Costco, and really like it. We didn't want to spend a lot on one since we weren't sure how much we would use it, but it's been perfect for us.

 

[morris]

thanks everyone!

debbie, i know what you mean about swimmig and feet. my doc said to do it, and today i was humbled by a 40 minute swim (running is wayyy easier). i am adamant about following dr's orders for now so i can be weight bearing as soon as possible. he said after the swim pahse, next is non impact - bike or elliptical. i just don't know what i will like more.

leanne, i will look into the elliptical you mentioned, thanks!

kate, i am trying to get back to pp thread - just so busy before, and now so bummed i cannot exercise like i want to.

tneah, so you do spinnervals on a regular bike or a spinning bike? i have seen fairly inexpensive spinning bikes vs regular bikes, so i am not sure what the difference is. thanks!