AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill test run and review

I tried out the AlterG® Anti-Gravity Treadmill® recently. This is the treadmill you may have heard about that reduces your body weight. This reduction lessons the impact of walking or running on your body.

I went to Fitzgerald Physical Therapy Associates in Woburn, MA and ran on the AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill for about 20 minutes.

When I arrived at their office, I didn’t know what to expect. The whole concept seemed like “space age” technology and I had no idea how it worked.

How the AlterG works

The process begins by putting on a pair of AlterG shorts. These are like a heavy-duty pair of compression shorts that you put on over your running shorts. They fit very tightly and have a zippered flap at the waist. You then step into the pressure-controlled chamber and zip the shorts into the enclosure to form an air-tight seal.

The enclosure for the pressure-controlled chamber is height adjustable. Since this was my first time, Sean Fitzgerald figured the height that was appropriate for me and locked the chamber into place. At this point I started up the treadmill to 3mph to start walking. Sean explained how the controls worked and I reduced my weight to 80% of normal.

The machine reduces your weight by pressurizing the chamber which then lifts the top of the chamber that you are zippered into. In a few seconds I went from bearing my full weight on my legs to 80% of my weight on my legs. As the chamber filled the compression shorts compressed on me even more and I could feel a slight lift on my body.

Click this link to see a videos of how the AlterG works.

Running in Reduced G mode

At first it felt odd, because I was literally hanging by my shorts. My center of gravity was now higher and it took me a few minutes to feel balanced. As I adjusted to the higher center of gravity and my reduced weight, I increased the treadmill speed. I started at 6mph and after a few minutes went up to 8mph or a 7:30 minute mile pace. It felt amazing! 7:30 is a fast pace for me but in the Alter-G it felt almost effortless.

I managed to carry on a conversation with Sean even at a 7:30 pace. After a few minutes of running at 8mph the sweat started rolling down my face. Even with a fan blowing on me from the side and the flow of air into the chamber to keep it pressurized, I was still getting hot.

This confirmed that I was getting a good workout even though I was only supporting 80% of my body weight. My piriformis has been a problem for about a year, but in the AlterG it did not bother me.

You know that cruising speed where you feel like you could run forever? A 7:30 pace is not my cruising speed. 7:30 miles are hauling ass for me. With my body weight reduced by 20%, 7:30 was very comfortable.

It was pretty amazing. I could have gone to as low as 20% of my body weight but only went down to 70% for a few minutes to see how it felt. I probably could have run all day at this pace if I stayed at 70%.

Full G Mode

After about 15 minutes I took the machine back to 0% reduction of body weight. As I felt my full body weight again, the first words that came to mind were “lard ass.” I felt so heavy. I felt like I was running up a steep hill or through water.

I could not believe how heavy I felt. How have I been hauling this lard ass up those hills I thought? Do I really weigh this much? Have I been subjecting my legs to this type of abuse all of these years? I’m 6’ tall and weigh around 180, depending on whose scale I’m on. My BMI is in the normal range. As I went back to 0% reduction in weight I felt like my BMI doubled!

The thought crossed my mind that I’d never want to go back to regular running. My body felt like dead weight weighing me down. What if regular running never felt the same again? Was this a life altering experience?

I immediately realized the training benefit of this machine. All of those training miles put a lot of stress on my legs and hips and this machine would reduce almost all of that. I could train and not have to worry about hurting a knee or hip or straining any of my problem muscles. Training would not be free of effort but training would put less wear and tear on my body and allow me to train harder and avoid injuries.

0-G isn’t free

Running is basically free. The basics for running cost less than $200. Sean said the machines are in the $30,000 to $40,000 range, and the AlterG web site does not provide pricing.

The Fitzgerald PT web site says that their machine is one of only three available in Massachusetts. Fitzgerald offers blocks of running time starting at $22.50 for 30 minutes up to 600 minutes for $300.00. I think a block of time would make a nice Christmas or birthday present!

My conclusion

I thought the AlterG was amazing. If I was recovering from an injury or surgery, I would want to have my treatment at Fitzgerald PT and use their AlterG treadmill. Most insurance plans cover physical therapy. If some of your therapy time is on the AlterG as part of your treatment it would be covered. Check with your insurance provider.

If you get a chance to try out an AlterG, I would highly recommend it. The experience of running at 20% reduced weight is unique.The machine can help you work on speed and form as well as recover from injury or surgery.

What others are saying

While I was at Fitzgerald PT I met Ruben Sanca. Ruben is an Olympic Athlete and at the 2012 London Olympic Games he came in 21^st in the 5000 meter heats. At the 2012 BAA 10K he was the 3^rd American to finish. In 2011 he won the New Bedford Half Marathon.

He was using the AlterG treadmill when I arrived. While I was getting set up to use the treadmill we started talking. He was recovering from knee surgery. In addition to his PT sessions, he was using the treadmill to get back into his training program.

As an Olympic Athlete recovering from knee surgery, Ruben is highly motivated to get his training back on track. He felt that incorporating the Alter-G into his recovery program was helping him come back faster than he would have been able to recover otherwise. To him it was absolutely worth the cost.

Hollie at FueledByLOLZ recently tried one out and you can read about her experience here.

• Have you ever tied an AlterG Anti-Gravity treadmill?
• Have you ever used one for therapy?

Run well my friends!

Andy