Elliptigo Aims to Reshape Fitness

There was a time when Elliptigo co-founder Bryan Pate "over-did running," he said. His legs suffered injury, and to recover he was confined to the gym.

"That was in 2005. I basically gave up running and started using the elliptical trainer primarily as my source of exercise," Pate told Patch. "I was on an elliptical machine at the gym, where it hit me that what I wanted to do was run … I hated the idea of being stuck in a gym."

Determined to return to his old workout routine, Pate searched online for elliptical machines on wheels. He wanted something he could use outdoors that offered benefits similar to running, but there was no such workout device.

"My shock turned into upset, because it did not exist," Pate said. So he decided to create the machine himself, along with Elliptigo co-founder, engineer and elite athlete Brent Teal.

"I approached [Teal] with the idea and it was funny. I said, ‘Dude, do you think you can make me an elliptical trainer that I can ride on the street?’ And he sort of shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘Yea, it can’t be that hard,’" Pate recalled.

Shortly later, the first Elliptigo machine was created.

The device looks like a bicycle on steroids. There is no seat, but rather users stand on the machine in the same way they would on an elliptical in the gym.

As users step on, and push against the elliptical, the machine propels forward. There are handlebars, similar to a bike, and a button to shift gears for more or less resistance.

As the product grows in popularity, Pate said he aims to help reduce the number of injuries seen in the running world. About 65 to 80 percent of runners in any given year will suffer an injury, according to a statistic in Christopher McDougall's book Born to Run.

"It’s such a popular sport," Pate said. "It’s like one out of every seven Americans is a runner and about half of them are going to get hurt this year … we know if we solved that problem, it would be big."

Now Elliptigos have been distributed nationwide. Here in Hermosa Beach, residents can either rent or purchase an Elliptigo at .

Riding the Strand

Hermosa Beach resident Hollie Self gave the Elliptigo a try at Hermosa Cyclery last week. While cruising the strand, a group of volleyball players noticed and cheered her on. One passerby yelled out, "What is that?"

"It’s a good ice breaker," Self laughed about the attention.

Since the Elliptigo "looks like an elliptical," Self said, it was much larger than the road bikes and beach cruisers she is used to riding.

"I was nervous about propelling it," she said. "But I was surprised at how easy it was in terms of manageability, and also after we started going, I was surprised I could feel it immediately in my legs and had the option to switch gears to make it harder or go faster."

Some criticisms geared toward elliptical machines include that the indoor devices don't offer much variety in training.

But to measure how the outdoor Elliptigo provides strength and endurance training, Pate and Teal asked researchers in October at UCSD’s Exercise and Physical Activity Resource Center to conduct a test study comparing how much energy is used when exercising on the Elliptigo versus conventional cycling and running.

The study found that riding an Elliptigo required about 33 percent more effort than cycling at the same speed.

"It’s because we’re weight-bearing since we’re standing on the Elliptigo. We’re putting all the wind against our chest so we’re putting forth a lot more effort than you would being bent over in the aero position or the road bike hunch position," said Elliptigo’s western regional manager Kevin Steinbuch.

Meanwhile, heart rate and the amount of effort required from the body was about the same between Elliptigo users and conventional runners (see study results provided by Elliptigo company under photo.)

"You also can basically cut your workout in half on the Elliptigo," Steinbuch said.

Creating a buzz

Steinbuch, who also took the Elliptigo for a stroll along the Strand with Self last week, uses the Elliptigo to train as an Ironman athlete.

"I had knee surgery so I still feel that," Steinbuch said. "If I were to go run for an hour then Elliptigo for an hour, after about an hour of running, my knees start hurting … but after an hour of Elliptigo, my heart rate goes the same as it would on a run, but I don’t feel any pain in my knees or joints at all."

Steinbuch said many professional athletes have become fans of the Elliptigo. Lauren Fleshman, a two-time national 5,000-meter run champion, cross trains on the Elliptigo, he said, adding that the U.S. record holder in the 50-kilometer run, Josh Cox, also uses the device.

Pate said mountain runner Simon Gutierrez used the Elliptigo while recovering from necrosis of the femur, which he credits to beating his 2009 time at Pikes Peak Ascent by three minutes.

While many elite runners are buzzing about the Elliptigo, Pate said he hopes everyday runners also find the concept interesting and beneficial.

"You don’t need to be stuck in a gym. You don’t need to deal with the discomfort of the bike," he said. "You can get out, get a really good work out in, and that’s fun."