SAN ANTONIO -- A new piece of gym equipment uses NASA technology to help exercisers defy gravity.
Chances are you’ve never seen a treadmill like this. It’s called the AlterG, and it enables people with illness or injury and those recovering from surgery to exercise.
Treadmills are the workhorses of the gym. They’re the staple of cardio exercising. Treadmills help people get in shape and burn calories.
The next generation is the Anti-Gravity Treadmill. You pull up a plastic cover, zip it around you, and use air pressure to literally take some of the weight off.
“It allows you to run or walk anywhere from 20% to 100% less of your body weight,” explained Monica Garza, executive director of the D.R. Semmes Family YMCA at TriPoint at 3233 N. St. Mary’s in San Antonio. “So it’s very much like being on air.”
40-year-old Brad Stephenson is a San Antonio attorney who suffers from muscular dystrophy. He’s in a wheelchair much of the time except when he’s getting his heart rate up on the Anti-Gravity Treadmill.
“You’re able to unweight your body,” Stephenson commented. “So it just feels like a balloon blowing up underneath you. It sort of lifts you up and sort of gives you support.”
Allison Espinoza is training for a marathon, but her shin splints have made training painful. With this machine, she can exercise without pain.
“It’s also very similar to doing a water aerobic workout where you’re getting the same type of workout but you’re just really not offering that impact on your knees, your ankles, or your hips,” Garza added.
The AlterG is based on NASA technology. Some of the folks who use it say it feels like what they imagine walking on the moon must be like.
For Stephenson, it’s been an important part of his wellness.
“So this allows people with limited mobility to keep moving and to get the exercise they need, keep the weight off, keep the cardiovascular system going,” he said. “I depend on it now.
The Dr. Semmes YMCA at TriPoint is the only public facility in South Texas with an Anti-Gravity Treadmill. You don’t have to be a member to try it out or to use it.
