PRINT »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 26, 2002
Jim Zahniser
Public Relations Manager
T: 206-595-8560
zahniser@precor.com
Marathoner's cardio capacity leaps via off-track training on Precor EFX®
Low-impact rehab program has unexpected result of boosting fitness
SEATTLE - A sports medicine team rehabilitating an elite distance runner has increased her cardio capacity by double digits through a crosstraining program founded on the low-impact Precor EFX Elliptical Crosstrainer.
"The data clearly demonstrates that utilizing a Precor EFX can generate dramatic cardio and running fitness results - even during rehabilitation," said Dr. Emily Cooper, M.D., medical director of Prevention Solutions, which develops integrated programs that commonly include nutrition, therapy, medical treatment and exercise regimens.
The subject, running coach Lesley Mettler, came to Prevention Solutions in late 2001, after sustaining a stress fracture while training toward the goal of qualifying in for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. The injury prevented further running training, and reduced the possibility of Trials qualification without a dramatic change in training.
Mettler, drawn to Prevention Solutions' science-based integrated training program, and working with Dr. Cooper and physical therapist and ultra-runner, Scott Jurek, embarked on a crosstraining program replacing running training with Precor EFX workouts.
Mettler's cardio performance was measured by two primary tests monitoring an athlete's breathing during exercise: the V02 Max test of the ability to extract and utilize oxygen during exercise; and the lactate threshold test, measuring the shift from aerobic to anaerobic performance.
Prior to suffering the most recent stress fracture, Mettler's V02 Max was 68 milliliters per kilogram per minute. Through the program, her V02 Max increased 12 percent, to 76 milliliters per kilogram per minute.
"It's rare to see a V02 Max increase of this magnitude with a trained athlete -- particularly when the subject already is in the top percentiles," said Cooper, who since founding Prevention Solutions eight years ago has supervised about 600 biometric tests.
Mettler's lactate threshold V02 jumped from 51 milliliters per kilogram per minute to 66 milliliters per kilogram per minute, reflecting a 29 percent increase. Mettler now can remain aerobic at a 6:18 mile pace, down 28 seconds from a 6:40 mile pace prior to the program.
EFX takes lead in integrated program
While Mettler's rehabilitation program integrated an array of therapies and training, the Precor EFX was the primary engine of cardio improvement during the base training period.
"Lesley's program involved nutrition, strength training, physical therapy, medical treatment and biomechanical coaching. Even so, I don't see how we could have generated results of this level during the rehab period and with this degree of transfer to running performance without the EFX," Cooper said.
With a smooth, low-impact movement that makes it one of the most popular forms of fitness equipment worldwide, the EFX also offers a real-time display of stride and heart rate, resistance and ramp angle - all key to controlling effort and heart rate.
Precor invented the elliptical trainer category in 1995 and is the only brand to offer the patented CrossRamp® that varies the stride motion to engage a variety of muscle groups.
Discipline and EFX controls set stage for success
Although Prevention Solutions has a history of utilizing the EFX as a training modality, Cooper said Mettler's results have opened the clinic's staff to additional benefits of crosstraining that utilizes the EFX.
At the program's height, EFX workouts constituted 70 percent of Mettler's cardio workout, complemented by cycling and pool running. Cooper is gradually resuming Mettler's running training now that the stress fracture has healed. At pre-race training, the EFX workouts still will contribute 10 to 15 percent of Mettler's cardio workout.
"We're looking at the EFX in a new way," Cooper said. "When you work with a disciplined and committed athlete, the possibilities are incredible. Lesley is an extremely disciplined person, and the results back that up."
For example, Cooper said the program commonly required that Mettler maintained a consistent heart-rate level within two to four beats per minute for up to two hours of an EFX workout.
"The EFX display enables you to control and monitor variables to attain a specific heart-rate level, and provides the ability to immediately alter stride rate, resistance and CrossRamp settings to maintain a specific heart rate during the workout. Even so, it requires a mentally tough athlete who's committed to the discipline to maintain the focus," Cooper added.
Like most runners, Mettler enjoys the freedom of outdoor training. But the limitations of her stress fracture helped her overcome skepticism about the move indoors to an elliptical crosstrainer.
"I had confidence in Prevention Solution's science-based approach, so I was open to the EFX, but the physical inability to run made it much easier to accept," said Mettler, who said that early results convinced her of the efficacy of EFX training.
Cooper added that while consistency of controlled EFX workouts may sometimes be superior to outdoor running training, that running training remains integral to any runner's success.
"To say that specific muscle groups and function are best built and trained by running is a very different thing from saying that running is the only effective way to build cardio capacity," Cooper said. "Virtually all of Lesley's training over the last six months has been within her extensive and intensive endurance and lactate threshold cardio levels which we were targeting during this base training period, to improve aerobic capacity and power."
"This would be extremely difficult to accomplish through running training alone in an injured athlete, due to the high training volume required and the stress that may be placed on the body," Cooper added.
Unforeseen biomechanical benefits
With a degree in exercise physiology, several USA Track and Field certifications as a running coach, years of experience with conditioning resource Always Running and now as a staff member of Prevention Solutions, Mettler is no stranger to professional training protocols. Even so, she said she learned new techniques in running mechanics by training on the EFX.
Using new core- and upper-body strength resulting from work with Jurek, Mettler began experimenting with core strength and upper body rotation to drive her stride on the EFX. The only four-time winner in the history of the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, Jurek is a modern legend in distance running, and an expert on running mechanics.
"On the EFX, we train at a stride rate that's very high and requires good mechanics, from efficient shoulder and arm movement to using your pelvis and hips to drive your stride," Mettler said.
"I'm able to fully concentrate on my abs, lower back and hips when I'm on the EFX," Mettler explained. "In road running, a person can 'cheat' by using the speed and momentum of leg and arm swing to drive your stride. But on the EFX, you need to rely on core strength and body rotation to propel your motion to maintain faster stride rates."
Editor's note: A feature version of this release and EFX training tips are posted in the press room of www.precor.com. A technical abstract is available by contacting zahniser@precor.com.
About Prevention Solutions
Founded in 2000, Prevention Solutions offers family and sports medicine, physical therapy, nutrition, weight management, massage, yoga, fitness and health promotion counseling. The facility includes a metabolic lab, exam and consultation rooms, kitchen studio, physical therapy bay and resource library.
Medical director Emily Cooper, M.D. is certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), member of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Washington Academy of Family Practice, and American College of Preventive Medicine. She is board-certified in family practice and sports medicine. For more information, visit www.preventionsolutions.com
About Precor
Founded in 1980, Precor is headquartered northeast of Seattle in Woodinville, Wash., with international offices in the United Kingdom, Germany and Hong Kong. One of the largest fitness equipment manufacturers in the United States, Precor sets the standard for innovation and excellence in fitness equipment product quality and customer service.
Precor is a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc. (NYSE: ITW). Based in Chicago, ITW is an international manufacturer of highly engineered components and industrial systems. For more information, visit www.precor.com.
# # #