A Guide to Cross Training with ElliptiGO

Sponsored by ElliptiGO. All training advice and product reviews are my own.

If you’ve read my guide to cross training for runners, you already know cross training is one of the best tools you have for staying healthy and building fitness — whether you’re recovering from injury, adding volume your body can’t yet handle from running alone, or just craving some variety.

There are a number of different cross training activities, but the best tool I’ve found is the ElliptiGO elliptical bicycle. The closer a cross training activity replicates the running motion, the more directly it carries over to your running fitness, and nothing off the pavement gets closer than this. It’s the best no-impact running alternative out there and gives you new and fun ways to stay healthy and boost performance.

Here are 5 ways I recommend it in a runner’s training plan.

Run Replacement

If you keep getting hurt at your current mileage, swap one on-land run per week for an ElliptiGO run of the same length. You keep your training volume but cut the stress on the muscles, tendons, bones and ligaments that actually get injured.

Saturday’s easy run simply becomes an ElliptiGO run. Over time you’ll figure out which day works best, and you may add or drop ElliptiGO sessions based on how your body feels. This same swap works well anytime you’re feeling beat up or sense an injury coming on. Replace a run with an ElliptiGO session and give your legs a break without losing volume.

Run More

If you’re already at your max injury-free mileage, use the ElliptiGO to add training without adding risk. There are two ways to do it: add an extra day, or add a double.

Add a day. Tack on an extra day of “running” — an ElliptiGO run instead of an on-land run.

That’s a full 40-60 minutes of extra no-impact training every week. If you already cross train alongside running, you can swap your current cross training day for an ElliptiGO run to make that time more running-specific.

Add a double. This is the strategy I use most myself. On top of my normal training, I add an easy ElliptiGO run a couple of days a week, a “double.” It lets me train more with less pounding, which as a masters runner is exactly what I need. I’ve even noticed my legs feel less stiff the next day when I add an afternoon ElliptiGO session after a hard morning run.

Every runner is different, but experimenting with ElliptiGO doubles could be your ticket to faster times.

Either way, the principle is the same. You’re adding volume the ElliptiGO way instead of the on-land way, so you get the fitness without the extra pounding.

Build Mileage Faster

An “ElliptiGO chaser” lets you go longer without the injury risk. Finish your normal run (say, 60 minutes), then jump straight on the ElliptiGO for more “running” (say, 30 minutes). That’s 90 total minutes, a third of it no-impact.

Marathoners especially like this one for ramping up long-run length. Jumping from a 1-hour to a 2-hour long run can take weeks the traditional way. With an ElliptiGO chaser, you get there faster:

• Week 1: 60 min run + 15 min ElliptiGO = 1.25 hours
• Week 2: 60 min run + 30 min ElliptiGO = 1.5 hours
• Week 3: 80 min run + 40 min ElliptiGO = 2 hours

It also works if you can’t fit in another training day but still want more volume. Just tack a few ElliptiGO minutes onto the end of your regular runs.

Workout Variety

ElliptiGO isn’t just for easy runs and long runs. You can run real workouts on it too, in place of or alongside your usual key sessions.

For stamina work (steady state runs, tempo runs, tempo intervals, cruise intervals), find a flat stretch where you can hold a constant pace, and use heart rate to guide your effort:

No flat stretch nearby, bad weather, or just want to train indoors? You can take the ElliptiGO inside by attaching it to a stationary trainer, which holds the bike upright while still letting it pivot side to side like it does on the road. It turns your ElliptiGO into essentially a high-end elliptical machine, minus the guesswork on terrain or wind, which makes it an especially good option for stamina work where you want to hold a steady, controlled effort.

For speed, sprint and hill workouts, use wherever you’d normally run them. Two things to keep in mind: double the distance of your ElliptiGO repeats to match the effect of on-land running (10 x 400m on land becomes 10 x 800m on the ElliptiGO, same recovery), and use effort or RPE, not exact pace, as your guide:

Hills are a bonus here. Since you coast back down on the ElliptiGO, you skip the pounding of the downhill. Runners who have to avoid hill workouts out of fear of injury can finally add them back in.

Recovery Weeks

I recommend this one for every runner. Every 3rd or 4th week, take a “down” week and cut your on-land mileage by 10-25% to give your musculoskeletal system a break, but keep your total training volume the same by making up that percentage on the ElliptiGO. If you normally run 5 hours a week, run 4.5 hours and add 30 minutes on the ElliptiGO. Same volume, less impact.

Before You Start

A few things to keep in mind as you get going:

• Ease into it. Like any new training tool, build your ElliptiGO volume and effort gradually as your body adapts.
• Expect some coasting. Like cycling, ElliptiGO runs involve coasting, which is why many runners find they can go farther on the ElliptiGO than they can on land.
• Find flat ground for steady efforts. For workouts that need constant effort, like tempo runs, look for a flat route or skip the guesswork altogether and use a stationary trainer indoors.

I’m convinced the secret to reducing injuries is training smarter, not just harder. The ElliptiGO is one of the smartest tools I know for that. Try one of the strategies above. It just may be what your training’s been missing.