Sweat Science

In the wake of the column comparing elliptical training to running, I got a very interesting e-mail from Gary Rothbart, a Toronto personal trainer. He said, in part:

I feel that the fitness community has done a great disservice to the average person. One of the most important factors with respect to avoiding osteoporosis is high impact activities… The difference between running and the use of non-impact machines is great when taking into the long term implications on bone density.

That makes a lot of intuitive sense. To be honest, that’s something I expected to find when I started researching this story — but I didn’t. Read more…

bone density, elliptical

Last month, I wrote a column comparing running on the treadmill to running outside. Afterwards, I got several e-mails saying, “Hey, that’s great, but what about elliptical trainers?” It’s a good question, so I decided to do a column on it:

The question: Do I get the same workout from the elliptical machine that I get from running?

The answer: …

[Read the Globe column here.]

cardio, elliptical, jockology