No Impact Doesn't Mean No Issues

Image courtesy of wisegeek.com

A lot of times I will hear people say that they used to run frequently for their exercise but then their joints started giving them issues so now they choose to do "low impact" or "no impact" forms of exercise like riding a bike or using the elliptical thinking that these choices are without consequences for their structure.  While not having to catch some multiple of their body weight with every step should be less likely to cause joint discomfort, what they often fail to realize is there can still be tremendous joint forces created while participating in these no impact exercises.  Furthermore, depending on how they are using the piece of equipment, different force scenarios may be presented, which may exceed the set point of certain tissues and lead to other issues not previously present.

Things that need to be taken into consideration are:

1) The position(s) you are in while using the piece of equipment.

• Is the elliptical pushing you into more hip flexion that you can actively get to?

• Are you being shoved into excessive radial or ulnar deviation while using the handles on the Arc Trainer?

• Are you in too great of hip/spinal flexion for too great of time while using the bike?

• Is the incline while walking on the treadmill forcing you into more dorsiflexion than you currently have?

2) How exactly you are using the piece of equipment and the specific joint forces that are being created.

• Are you pushing down on the StepMill steps when the machine is pushing them backwards?

• Are you pushing back on the pedals of the Arc Trainer at a point when the machine wants them to go down?

• How are you pushing into the pedals on the bike?

• Are you standing up or sitting down on the bike?

• What is the path of motion of the machine as created by its axis/axes and how are you using the machine relative to that path?  Moreover, what are the effects of your choice to use it in this manner?

3) Where is your focus while you use the machine and are you trying to use it in a way that exceeds the set point of the involved tissues?

• Are you pulling up on the pedals of the bike or pushing down?

• Are you using your arms, your legs, or both while on the elliptical or Arc Trainer?  In what manner are you using them?

• How much are you holding yourself up with the side bars while on the StepMill?

Not taking these things into consideration may lead to further joint and neuromuscular issues if what you are doing isn't a good fit for your body at that moment.

One way to improve the likelihood that you will be able to handle using these pieces of equipment without the potential negative consequences is to, first, receive a neuromuscular assessment via Muscle Activation Techniques™ to figure out what tissues are contracting efficiently and then to meet with a Resistance Training Specialist™ so they can guide you on what equipment to use and how to properly use it for your individual situation.

While many pieces of exercise equipment seem like they are self-explanatory, the reality is that each one presents an array of specific scenarios in which it is used most favorably.  If one of these scenarios does not match what is tolerable for your body at this point in time, you may be causing just as many, if not more, issues than you were with your running, regardless of the impact on your joints while using them.

Is your exercise right for your body?

Inter­ested in find­ing out more? Check out the “Mus­cle Acti­va­tion Tech­niques™” page.

Inter­ested in set­ting up an assess­ment time or dis­cussing this sub­ject fur­ther? E-mail Char­lie at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

Your body. Your training.

Want to use this arti­cle in your blog, newslet­ter, or other plat­form? You may, but be sure to include all of the bio­graph­i­cal infor­ma­tion found in the yellow box below!