Cold rain and snow describe our days for the last week. I rode my bike to work last Monday and though it was cold, gray and windy, it was dry. That was the last day until today, that its been dry. I should've, could've, ought to have-- but didn't ride today. The glaze of ice on everything was a bit of a deterrent, so I plugged in my MP3 player and walked to the EL. The sun was shinning and for the first time in a week I felt pretty well, the awful cold I got from Ryder now nearly gone. As I sat on the train, the sun beaming through the window, Ripple began to play. "if my words did glow with the gold of sunshine, and my tunes were played on the harp unstrung, would you hear my voice come thru the music, would you hold it near as it were your own?" the sweet voice of Jerry Garcia coursing through my brain as the sunshine played on my eyelids. It was a lovely moment that carried me off the EL, across the park all the way to the door of my lab. I have been in a very good mood all day.
Inspired as I was by this after Pilates class I did 40 minutes on the Precor AMT and burned 525 calories according to the digital output. I love that machine, like a hybrid Nordic Track and elliptical trainer. http://www.precor.com/comm/en/amt/amt100i/I kept my heart rate in the 135 range, maxing out at 152 for the whole workout. Then I did a handstand against the wall for over a minute which really jazzed me up. All and all, a very pleasant day. I don't care if it is cold, just as long as the sun is shinning, its a good day to me.
4 comments:
Where did you use the Precor AMT? At a gym or at home?
Any more comments on the machine are appreciated. It has caught my eye and I am considering it.
Does it feel like running on a treadmill, i.e. an all out run with maximum stride?
Can you get the feeling of running on an incline like a treadmill, or is it either running on a flat or choosing a stepper type motion? It is not clear from the brochure I read.
As a follow-up and refinement of my prior comments and questions:
Can you get the feeling of running uphill (incline) as opposed to just running on a flat surface?
Is there variable resistance that can be user set? I'm not sure about this either because the brochure talks about no buttons.
Do you think the AMT is qualitatively better than an elliptical or treadmill?
I currently have a Precor elliptical but I am willing to upgrade if the workout is more varied and better. I know that can be subjective, but just interested in your opinions as I don't know where I can currently try one.
I assume this machine is gradually being deployed around the country. I assume also that eventually there will be a home version by Precor just like that company has several models of their elliptical, both commercial and home.
I prefer to exercise rather than use statins to lower my blood pressure. That is why I try to workout everyday. I can lower my systolic about 14 points by doing so.
If I am totally slothful for 3-4 days, my systolic will go to 130. If I do aerobics 45 minutes each day, I can get the systolic to 116 upon waking. I am 56 years old and have a normal BMI.
I am aware of the issues because my Dad is 88 years old and on statins and these drugs have side effects - balance and memory. So anything I can do to delay that is worthwhile.
In fact it is cheaper to pay $8,000 to Precor than pay cardiologists $80,000. That is why I try to stay on top of the latest and greatest trends in exercise.
To correct my previous comment when I mentioned statins, I meant to say instead "beta blockers".
But getting back on the subject of the Precor AMT, I am attempting to assess if this machine is a revolutionary machine or just evolutionary. In practical terms, will I feel like I am running like on a treadmill without the high impact risks to the knees, hips and lower back?
Hi Jerry
thanks for you comments on the AMT and your interest. I discovered this machine in the gym nestled amongst the treadmills and elipticals and gave it a try. I was immediately impressed. It gives you tremendous variety in stride length and orbit. You can do very short strides that simulate stair climbing, or you can do long strides which simulate all out running. I prefer this to running on the treadmill because you never completely unweight and there is very low impact. You get the added benefit of upperbody movement with the levers. I use the AMT 3 times a week now for 30-40 minutes and burn 400-500 calories and cover 2.5 to 4 miles. I vary my workout by adjusting the tension and monitor my heart rate. I agree that $8000 beats $80000 at the cardiologist, but truly, good cardiovascular health is priceless! I find this to be very complementary to the core training in Pilates. Combined with the p-diet, I have lost 25 pounds and anticipate going under 200 for the first time in 30 years by St Patrick's Day.
Happy Training.
buck
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